Saturday, February 09, 2008 BRT plan to take 3-4 years
EVEN if there is an immediate need for a more efficient transportation system, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will not rush the proposed shift to buses to make sure it is done correctly and transparently.
Osmeña said he and the World Bank (WB) public transport system experts are excited and optimistic about the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
But it might not take off until three to four years from now, he said.
“We have to realize two things. This is a major project that will require a long time to process. So don’t expect something by next Christmas or next, next Christmas. We’re lucky if we can even get it running before the end of my term,” he told reporters yesterday.
“But we are committed to do this. There is no timeframe because that’s not how I do things. The important thing is we do it correctly,” he continued.
Aside from a series of technical and feasibility studies, several public consultations will also be held to promote transparency, Osmeña said.
He specifically cited the jeepney drivers as among those who will be consulted.
Mass
“There will be many public consultations on this. My administration has always been transparent. So you can be assured that you won’t wake up one morning and find out you can no longer drive your jeepney,” he said in a news conference.
WB officials were in Cebu City last Thursday to visit the Banilad-Talamban area to assess whether or not the BRT will be applicable there.
The experts also visited the South Road Properties (SRP) to check what internal transport system would be appropriate for the 290-hectare facility.
City Planning Officer Nigel Paul Villarete said the WB officials agreed on the need for a more efficient transportation system, specifically a mass transport system.
They also recommended for the northern areas of the city a transport system that will be integrated with the one in the south and the SRP.
Osmeña said yesterday that the SRP internal transport system and the BRT for the northern area are two separate projects.
Car-free
He expects the proposal for the SRP to take off sooner than the BRT since there will be no problems with road-right-of-way acquisitions.
The SRP internal transport system will be designed in a way that only a mass transportation facility will operate in the internal areas of the SRP.
Private car owners will only be allowed to park their vehicles in a common parking area and will have to take the mass transport system to go to other areas within the SRP.
Lots for common parking areas would possibly be provided by the City Government, preferably within or beside the commercial centers there.
Osmeña said he has not mentioned the proposal yet to the different investors he is negotiating with, but he is optimistic they will be agreeable to the plan.
He explained that the transport system will help realize the thrust of an integrated development of the different areas of the SRP “making it the first development if its kind.”
“I don’t think there will be much of a conflict there because I think it’s going to be what is good for the city. I only need one investor to agree and the others can stay out,” he added. (LCR)
