Tuesday, July 10, 2007 SHS class opening causes heavy traffic By Rene H. Martel Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE first day of classes of Sacred Heart School-Jesuits (SHS-J) in Canduman, Mandaue City brought a “60 percent increase” in the number of vehicles using H. Abellana St. during rush hour yesterday.
And although traffic was heavy, it was moving, largely because private vehicles exiting the school from its two gates were not allowed to cross the road.
Instead, they were directed to proceed to a big space where they can make a U-turn for Cebu City.
Vehicles dropping off students were told to first drive by the campus’ wall before swerving back to the gate in leaving the school so as not to cause the line of entering vehicles to extend outside and to the road.
60% increase
Traffic managers also cited the generosity of Nestle Philippines in allowing vehicles coming out of the SHS-J back gate to use its road.
Rey Puno, Mandaue City deputy director for traffic operations, told Sun.Star Cebu that the number of vehicles using H. Abellana St. from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. yesterday increased by at least 60 percent.
But the increase was not enough to congest the road as traffic was still moving, he said.
A resident said that while before habal-habals (motorcycles-for-hire) travel at breakneck speed, they were forced to slow down yesterday.
PO1 Arnold Villacampo of Mandaue City Police Office Station 6 said traffic flow is hampered by vehicles going out of the school.
But the SHS-J’s decision to prevent vehicles from turning left and instead go with the flow of traffic was a good move, he said.
In the Talamban area, however, private vehicles going to the SHS-J school were blamed for a heavier than usual traffic jam.
“Hu-ot gyud ang (heavy) traffic (in Talamban),” said Cebu City Planning and Development Officer Nigel Paul Villarete.
Expected to worsen
Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) Executive Officer Arnel Tancinco said only elementary and pre-school students attended classes yesterday since the high school students were to start classes by Thursday yet.
And while traffic was already heavy, it is expected to worsen.
Tancinco, though, said they could not really be definite until they are able to come up with a traffic characteristic study.
Monitoring yesterday afternoon’s rush hour, Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said southbound traffic was heavy.
He and Tancinco will conduct an aerial inspection of the traffic situation again tomorrow.
Jakosalem said a SHS-J source told him that all students went to school yesterday, contrary to the information Tancinco received.
But, he said, traffic in the Banilad-Talamban area would turn from heavy to “bleak” in the next few months with the scheduled opening of CIS in Barangay Pit-os by August and opening of other levels of Bright Academy.
“Many asked us to do something with the situation. But we can only do so much,” Jakosalem said.
He said traffic actually worsened around 7:30 a.m., when vehicles bringing students to the school were on their way out.
Carpooling
The school had encouraged parents to adopt carpooling instead of bringing their students to school in their vehicles to avoid adding to traffic congestion.
It also commissioned buses to ferry students, who were told to wait at the school’s old location along Gen. Maxilom Extension in Cebu City.
