|
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Clogged bridge as complaints pile up, board to review traffic scheme
MOTORISTS grumbling about getting stuck in traffic on the first Mandaue-Mactan bridge will have to wait for the bridge board’s action on the one-way scheme that took effect last Monday.
Officials from the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu will still make a recommendation to Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia today.
Garcia said they will assess the impact of the scheme and deal with the complaints.
Mandaue City Administrator Serafin Blanco met yesterday morning with Damian Enriquo Ouano of the Traffic Efficiency Development and Management (Tedman), Lapu-Lapu City Administrator Teodulo Ybańez and Lapu-Lapu City Legal Officer Vincent Joseph Lim to discuss the traffic scheme.
In an interview, Blanco said he will recommend the revival of the two-way traffic scheme on the bridge but subject to certain regulations.
One of the recommendations is to implement an “odd-even” scheme and limiting public utility vehicles to the first bridge.
Blanco said the traffic scheme aims to reduce the volume of traffic on the two bridges linking Mactan Island to mainland Cebu.
The Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board decided to implement the one-way traffic scheme after noting traffic congestion at the first bridge.
Starting last Monday, the first Mactan-Mandaue Bridge was open to Mandaue-bound vehicles between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Vehicles bound for Lapu-Lapu City got their chance to make the crossing between 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
But motorists criticized the scheme after it caused the congestion of traffic on routes in Mandaue City.
Traffic officials said the traffic light on the corner of Plaridel St. and United Nations Ave. compounded the problem.
With this, Mandaue traffic officials agreed to do away with the traffic light and manually direct the flow of traffic in the intersection.
City Traffic Management System (CTMS) Chief Frank Brazil said the traffic light was apparently not programmed to accommodate big volume of traffic from Lapu-Lapu City from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
This resulted in a traffic jam between the two bridges and area north of Lapu-Lapu City.
The new scheme, however, lightened the flow of traffic going to the Mactan Export Zone 2 in Barangay Basak.
Governor Garcia will call for a special meeting with the bridge board today to assess the scheme.
The board will also treat the complaints of different sectors affected by the scheme, including the students of the University of Cebu Lapulapu-Mandaue Campus and MEZ workers.
“We will discuss everything extensively but we recognized that we can’t please everybody. We also have to balance the interest of some sectors against the interest of the greater majority,” she said on today’s bridge board meeting.
Garcia had said they will observe the scheme for three days.
Garcia also asked the local government units of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue cities to continue to refine the measures and be more preemptive in handling the traffic flow.
The implementation of the one-way traffic is done in response to the request of the two LGUs.
“This is a different concern from the primary concern which is easing up the traffic flow the bridge,” she said.
Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Eugene Espedido, however, suggests reverting to the two-way traffic on both bridges.
To decrease traffic volume in both bridges, he suggested that motorists should use only the bridge that leads nearest to their destination.
Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Eduardo Cuizon, committee on transportation chairman, appealed the to the public to be patient and to adjust to the traffic scheme. (AAG/MBG/OCP)
(November 17, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
