DESPITE the City Council’s request, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) will not lift the “no left turn policy” on the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR), particularly from Mambaling Access Road in the South Road Properties.
In a phone interview, CCTO operations chief Francisco Ouano stood pat that it should remain closed to vehicles since it has been identified as an accident-prone area.
“The CCTO is hands-on about traffic, so we’re the office that can really see and assess the situation. In fact, it was our office that informed the mayor (Tomas Osmeña) about the area being accident-prone. Traffic in that area should also be free- flowing,” he said.
Since last January, all vehicles from Mambaling Access Road have been using the U-turn slot under the bridge on the boundary of the cities of Cebu and Talisay, before going to the city proper.
Southbound vehicles, on the other hand, have been using the U-turn slot near the viaduct.
Metal railings were installed in the center of the CSCR to prevent drivers from accessing the old U-turn slots.
Alternative
But due to the traffic congestion brought about by the ongoing construction of a multi-million underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave., the council asked CCTO to consider reopening the barred area.
The measure was filed by Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, and was approved by the council during last Tuesday’s regular session.
“An alternative road will help ease the traffic in the said area (N. Bacalso Ave.) if we allow vehicles to make a left turn, while the construction of the tunnel is ongoing,” reads a portion of the resolution.
Sought for comment, Mayor Osmeña said that CCTO should be the one to decide on the matter since it concerns road safety.
“CCTO already said it’s not safe. It’s not that I’m against it, but I’m against increasing the danger. We made the decision because it’s dangerous,” he said.