I had an animated online exchange of ideas with an excited CCLEX user a few days after the link opened. I remember it started with his response over a news report that LTFRB was studying possible public transportation service to pass through this new bridge. He disagreed with the idea and protested that CCLEX should only be for private vehicles. I commented that not only is this not stated in the original agreement, but it also makes no sense. Which started the exchange.
He established his reasoning, which, frankly, does make some sense, from his point of view. He comes from the south and suffers the arduous long travel time getting to the airport whenever he flies out. He blamed the public utility vehicles (PUVs) for causing so much traffic in the two old bridges. While it was fine in the earlier days, their number increased which caused the two bridges to get congested, slowing traffic, and making it much longer to reach the airport especially when coming from the south. I thought, yes, passing through Cebu City and Mandaue City sure is torture. CCLEX is a breath of fresh air. Literally!
But let’s get back to the reasoning and its premises. Firstly, while the PUVs did increase in the last 20 years, their rate of increase is much lower than the increase of private cars, maybe only a third. Thus, faulting them to cause the traffic congestion in the metropolis is not true. The growth of vehicle population is the main culprit, but private cars increase three to four times more over a period of time than other modes. This rapid rise in car population is the main culprit in bad traffic congestion, alleged bad PUV drivers’ habits notwithstanding.
Secondly, traffic flow does not recognize vehicle type, nor their passengers, just their sizes and numbers. The total number of vehicles passing through the three bridges remain the same, regardless of where they pass, and drivers’ choices depend on congestion levels and generally settle on a certain equilibrium. To disallow public transportation on a certain link simply because it’s for public transportation is synonymous to discriminating against the poor, or in this case, those who can’t afford to buy cars. Public transportation generally carries more than 10 times, to as much as 100 times or more, capacity (for MRT, LRT, or BRT) than a car. The purpose of a transport infrastructure or service is to move as many people as possible and prohibiting public transportation to pass through some of them defeats that goal.
No, let public transportation serve through CCLEX. I was not particularly in favor of this alignment (disagreed actually), but it is already built, standing there and beautiful. The people of Cordova deserve that public transportation service, more than anybody else. But for those who expect this would be the fastest way to the airport, think again. It won’t be, not until that obvious missing connecting link is built. Which should have been planned and built with CCLEX as one link in the first place. But it is necessary and hopefully will be built.