Saturday, October 11, 2008 City holds traffic summit
IN A bid to come up with a comprehensive plan to solve Metro Manila's traffic woes, various stakeholders held a transport and traffic summit at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Friday.
The First Taguig City Transport and Traffic Summit brought together officials of the transportation and public works departments and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and representatives from the urban transport sector.
The participants identified current and critical transport issues and drafted an action plan that would immediately address these problems.
They zeroed in on four key components: traffic engineering, traffic enforcement, traffic education, and urban transport services.
In the area of urban transport services, the Taguig City Government plans to pioneer the use of non-motorized alternative in the city like electric jeepneys and electric tricycles.
Mayor Freddie Tinga said in the area of infrastructure, the local government will pursue the completion of segments of C-5 and C-6 roads to help decongest traffic along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa).
A study on an embankment road along the Taguig river, interconnecting C-5, C-6 and Laguna de Bay, shall also be undertaken.
Undersecretary Ofelia Bulaong of the Philippine Veterans Investment and Development Corporation said they are pushing for the Laguna-Rizal Ecological Transport System (Labart), which will make Taguig the link between eastern and southern Luzon.
With Labart, road networks are being proposed for construction from Calamba to Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) compound in Barangay Western Bicutan, and from FTI compound to Rizal Province.
On the other hand, Public Works Regional Director for Metro Manila Robert Lala confirmed they will undertake the interchanges projects at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 and C-5/South Luzon Expressway.
The East service road and sections of C-5 service road shall be widened for smooth traffic flow. Additional pedestrian facilities such as walkways, overpasses, and footbridges shall be constructed in key areas to encourage people and enhance transport integration and intermodality.
But perhaps the city's biggest initiative is the installation of the Taguig City Command Center, which boasts of a close-circuit television (CCTV) system designed for traffic monitoring, security, rescue, and emergency surveillance. The Command Center is targeted for full implementation by next year.
For traffic education, the city shall establish the Transport Training Center, which will offer advanced courses to traffic officers and public transport drivers. This is to reinforce the city's advocacy for road safety and discipline.
Mayor Tinga also unveiled the Taguig Public Transport Rationalization and Integration Project (TAGTRIP) that would improve public transport network in the city, linking it to other key areas in Metro Manila and Luzon.
Under the "TAGTRIP" are key specific programs, namely: the Taguig Express Transit (Text), the C-5 Bus Rapid Transit (C-5/BRT), and the Southern Regional Transport Terminal Complex (SRTTC).
Text is a mass transport system like the Metro and Light railway transits, complete with magnetic fare cards. It will also feature integrated and synchronized commuter dispatching to optimize vehicle occupancy.
The SRTTC, on the other hand, will feature a world-class intermodal terminal for vehicles coming from and going to southern Luzon and hi-tech facilities that will cater to provincial buses plying to southern regional corridors.
The C-5/BRT, meanwhile, shall serve as the main backbone of the Taguig's public transport network via a feeder transport to be implemented all over the city. (AH/Sunnex)
