Thursday, July 10, 2008 City studies measures to lower fuel consumption; among those eyed: motorcade ban
SHORTENED travel lines, reduced number of public utility jeepney (PUJ) routes, motorcade ban.
These are some of the measures the Cebu City Government will implement to help reduce fuel consumption and improve the traffic situation in the city.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) will no longer approve requests for motorcades.
The policy, he said, includes recorridas, or going around the city using vehicles in announcing important events, disseminating information, or showing dissent, which militants often do.
Bad taste
“The City will not issue permits, except for funerals. There is an energy crisis, it’s in bad taste to do something like that (motorcade),” the mayor said.
“I believe it is the role of government to take steps to promote fuel conservation,” he added when asked for justification.
On the other hand, City Planning and Development Coordinator Paul Villarete said there are just too many overlapping routes that their number should be reduced.
“We have to rationalize our routes because there are now more than 100 in Cebu City. Lahug, for example, naa pay 04L, kay ganahan ang mga tawo nga dili molakaw.
These are just to accommodate people who do not want to walk,” he said.
Villarete said they are studying the possibility of reducing the number of routes to encourage people to walk.
“We have to cope with the fuel prices. We can’t just allow the prices to skyrocket without doing something. We have to keep the balance,” he said.
Per-kilometer fare
Also, Villarete said that by shortening the routes and implementing a per-kilometer fare, instead of a minimum fare for the first five kilometers, commuters get to be
treated more equitably because they would just pay for the distance traveled.
Starting today, the O4L route is shortened so that instead of traveling to Gorordo Ave. and the Cebu Business Park area, the 170 units plying the route will only be allowed up to the JY Square area in Lahug from the SM City mall.
The PUJs will make a u-turn in JY and go back on the other lane of Salinas Drive for SM, without passing by the University of the Philippines in the Visayas Cebu College campus.
City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said the Citom board yesterday agreed on the change as a concession to the drivers, who protested against the experimental rerouting that barred them from reaching the North Reclamation Area.
The SM City management also asked that the Citom reconsider and allow the 04L units to reach its mall.
Jakosalem, City Council committee on transportation chairman, said it was likewise proposed that the 04L drivers charge a lesser fare or implement a per-kilometer scheme since the new route is just 2.9 kilometers.
Citom Executive Officer Arnel Tancinco suggested drivers could just ask P2 for every kilometer.
But Jakosalem said it would be difficult to monitor what distance a particular commuter has traveled to determine the corresponding fare.
“It will be a little bit hard to implement. Somebody has to monitor them,” the councilor said. (RHM)
