Minglanilla: Terrible traffic municipality in Metro Cebu

Newspaper articles have been focused on the traffic problem in Cebu City, particularly the Ban-Tal corridor, that has caused so much burden and suffering on the motorists going to and from Talamban. But there is one big traffic problem that is happening in Metro Cebu, and that is in Talisay-Minglanilla corridor.

I have been living in Minglanilla for more than half a decade now and I felt the appalling result of traffic mess in this supposed-to-be booming town just now that I could not even see a comprehensive solution imposed by our town officials.

Look, we motorists will experience horrifying traffic jam when we drive towards south passing along the Laray-San Roque junction. As we close in the San Roque bridge of the Cebu South Coastal Road, and the horrifying, bumper-to-bumper traffic continues towards the junction where in the right side of the road stands a department store.  In my observation, the traffic signal allocation of 40 seconds intended for the private vehicles is very unfair for the same "go" signal for the traysikads, bicycles, tricycles and motorcycles crossing the junction to and from Talisay and Inayawan areas.

This needs to be studied, but the mayor of Talisay, Johnny delos Reyes appears to be not keen on solving this matter.

And when a motorist, who survives the exhausting drive along the coastal road from South Road Properties passing that horrible traffic jam at the Laray-San Roque junction, will again suffer another terrible traffic choke along Lawaan road going to Minglanilla.

It has been observed that Minglanilla deploys no traffic enforcers during the peak hours that is happening every 5PM to 8PM, and that makes the Cebu South Highway jammed with a very terrible traffic mess. Hence, if Minglanilla is the Sugat capital of Cebu because of the Kabanhawan festival of the town that has drawn local and foreign tourists every Easter Sunday, I would rather name Minglanilla as the "Terrible Traffic Capital" of Metro Cebu because of that daily jumble of vehicles driving towards south.

Being a Minglanillahanon now because it has become my bed and board after my job in the city, I have heard that our mayor, Lani Peña is a very nice guy. Well, we don't need a nice mayor, but a mayor who could command orders to our traffic-stuck town.

Perhaps, it is politics that block the implementation of traffic rules in Minglanila because the hard-headed tricycle and habal-habal drivers are voters.

I have read an article from one tabloid columnist who suggests that no matter how many traffic enforcers will be deployed in the town if the officials will not apprehend habal-habal and tricycle drivers blocking the corners along the highway going to the interior portion of the town, because such blocking of the corner will effectively obstruct the maneuvering of private vehicles in going to the interior barangays or subdivisions.

The best way for Minglanilla officials to do is to clear the corners from habal-habal and tricycle drivers. And it is only in that way that they can ease the traffic movement in the town's south national highway.