Thursday, October 04, 2007 City Hall regulates jeepney, van entries
REDUCING vehicular volume in Cagayan de Oro's downtown areas may ease road congestion within the city's busiest thoroughfares, but this at the expense of students, workers, and other passengers who regularly ply the direct downtown route.
City Hall plans to stop eastbound and westbound passenger vans and public utility jeepneys (PUJs) from entering the city proper.
Under the RTA proposal, which is due for approval by City Hall this week, public utility vehicles from neighboring eastern and western towns should stop and pick-up passengers only at the east and westbound terminals.
Traffic engineer Nonito Oclarit of the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) said the move will significantly cut vehicular volume and relax some of the busiest choke points in the city -- decongesting in effect interior throughways that are normally clogged-up when traffic locked up intersections.
As a consequence, however, passengers from both ends of the city have to reach downtown via double ride -- costing them additional fare and minutes of delay. Most of these passengers are students and workers.
Oclarit said the move would restore the original east and westbound routes, which were modified through executive orders of the previous administration.
City Hall said it will increase the income of the two terminals with both having experienced falling revenues as public utility vehicles begun skipping the terminals to avoid paying toll fees. (Danilo V. Adorador III)
