The biggest issue following the recent opening of the Mambaling underpass in Cebu City is the controversy surrounding the ban on passenger buses from southern Cebu from using the new infrastructure along the Natalio Bacalso Avenue.
Traffic authorities in Cebu City prohibit passenger buses from using the underpass, fearing they would only worsen the traffic situation in the area. Those buses have been using the Cebu South Coastal Road since the construction of the underpass.
Since the opening of the P700-million underpass the other week, vehicular traffic in the area has indeed eased up. To maintain the flow, traffic authorities decided to ban passenger buses from going through the area to prevent clog-up.
But passenger bus operators led by Barili Vice Mayor Julie Flores protested the ban. They wanted to return to their old route - the long stretch along the avenue from Cebu South Bus Terminal to Talisay City - now that the underpass has opened to the public.
This prompted the Cebu City Transportation Office, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and other stakeholders to conduct a dry run today, allowing passenger buses to pass through the underpass all the way to Talisay City.
If the dry run will show that traffic is still very much manageable despite the presence of public buses, then there’s really no reason why those passenger buses cannot be allowed to return to their original route using the 700-meter Mambaling underpass.
The underpass has been built purposely to solve the worsening traffic problem in the area. To test its capacity, it is useless if authorities will only limit the volume of vehicles passing through the new infrastructure, a move that only defeats its purpose.
Flores and his group have a very valid reason to call for the return of their original route along Natalio Bacalso Avenue. That is because they have a mandate under their travel line to serve commuters along that stretch of the avenue that they are presently not allowed to pass through.