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Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Osmeña: Controversial street vendors
By Antoñio V. Osmeña
Estatements
THE encroachment of street vendors in major thoroughfares in Cebu City and the neighboring cities and towns has become a dilemma between pedestrians and the vendors.
The vendors have been occupying the sidewalks for many decades without much interference from local government officials. Such negligence of government leaders have been imprinted in the minds of street vendors and gave them the perception they have legal rights to occupy sidewalks.
How can street vendors justify their encroachment of sidewalks when majority or 95 percent of the people do not own cars and walk to their destination, relying on sidewalks to keep themselves safe? Since several portions of sidewalks are occupied by vendors, the silent majority have been forced—for many decades—to walk on the street and face the risk of vehicular accidents.
The sidewalk encroachment is a legal situation which is the concern of the city attorney. The sidewalk is beyond the commerce of man. The vendors are a minority group compared to the thousands of pedestrians who are also poor and need the sidewalk more than the rich.
It is about time the Office of the City Attorney perform its legal duty to remove all encroaching structures from sidewalks. Those who disobey should be brought to court. The political will of local leaders is necessary for the Office of the City Attorney to implement the law against encroachment of sidewalks.
Critics point out the need of the urban poor for a sidewalk in all roads in the city as well as a bicycle lane. It is high time for the people of Cebu, especially business leaders, to seriously look into the installation of a bicycle lane within Metro Cebu. The bicycle is the most logical alternative form of transportation for the urban poor.
Unfortunately, urban poor leaders have failed to lobby with concerned government agencies, such as the Department of Public Works and Highways, to incorporate a bicycle lane in the road design. The strong lobby of the oil industry has practically eliminated the leg-powered mode of transportation.
After World War 2, the military jeep had been converted into jeepneys and eliminated the horse-drawn vehicles and the bicycle. But the rising cost of liquid fuel necessitates an alternative mode of transportation for the urban poor.
Metro Cebu may be considered a corporate entity for the urban poor, offering cultural, social and economic advantages superior to those offered to residents in competing urban, suburban, or rural areas in neighboring islands.
In this effort, Metro Cebu must compete with other cities near and far, which vie for national recognition and an ever greater share of the total urban market.
The ability of Metro Cebu to hold on to its present population and to continue to draw and attract new residents is, thus, of great concern to planners, if any, in the plan to have a coordinated pattern of the streets—including, sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
A special attention must also be given to intra-city and suburban transit lines, as well as to the adequacy of the transportation network system in relation to present and potential traffic demands.
A prime consideration of Metro Cebu planners is to reduce per capita urban costs and to facilitate the flow of commerce. To achieve the objective of traffic economy, a study across Metro Cebu must be made of traffic requirements. Steps must be taken to provide adequate avenues of transport.
It is no longer considered good practices to provide population in congested area more means of transportation, thus increasing or aggrevating congestion problems.
Rather it has been shown that people can be made to follow avenues of transport into areas that are planned and designed for better and more healthful living.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 19, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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