Gatanela: Bacolod traffic problem and remedies

HOW do you solve a problem like traffic in Bacolod?

Many people have been complaining about the traffic in Bacolod, saying it is a mess!

Indeed, traffic is costly! It's a waste of:

a. Gasoline

b. Time

c. Money

d. Energy

Traffic could result to:

a. Missed opportunities.

b. Lower productivity

c. Lesser time for family, friends

d. Stress, pressures and mood swings

e. Pollution – air and noise

f. Increased heat

While some motorists and vehicle owners, including a few trisikad drivers, are partly to blame, for lack of discipline and their disregard of traffic law and rules, yet the City Government of Bacolod can help ease the traffic problems by enforcing traffic laws, rules, and ordinances.

Well, aside from being a lawyer, I am also an urban planner, and I have some suggestions to remedy the traffic problem in our city.

Here are four suggestions to the City Government of Bacolod to help solve the traffic problem, before it gets worse due to growing number of vehicles on the roads and streets daily.

1. Solve the traffic problem by clearing the road spaces, streets, and sidewalks of obstruction and encroachments- including permanent and temporary structures and illegally parked vehicles.

The law, Section 23 of Presidential Decree (PD) No. 178, also known as the Revised Philippine Highway Act, prohibits the use of road right-of-way for temporary and permanent structures such as buildings, houses, shanties, stores, shops, stalls, sheds, canopies, and billboards.

2. Train the Traffic Enforcers to effectively manage traffic. It is the observation of many motorists that traffic jams exist whenever there are traffic enforcers. This is unfair to traffic enforcers, but for them to be effective, they must be trained in correct traffic management.

3. Implement and enforce the law, traffic rules, and city ordinance without fear or favor! For example, the city ordinance prohibiting trisikads and tricycles in Lacson Street.

4. Study the current traffic situation (same roads and streets (supply) while every month vehicles are increasing (demand for roads), resulting in roads congestion and traffic problem.

On the basis of the study, design a comprehensive Traffic Management Plan. I know that Bacolod has no Traffic Management Plan.

As always, failing to plan is planning to fail.

So the results of lack of planning and plan implementation can be seen now.

(Eli Gatanela is an urban planner and lawyer. For comments and feedback, please e-mail eligat_ph@yahoo.com)