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Saturday, December 02, 2006
Cebuanos told to 'brace for worse'
CEBU CITY -- As pleased as they were with the "generally successful" dry run, organizers warned Cebuano commuters to brace for worse traffic during the Southeast Asian summit on Dec. 10 to 14.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit Watch
"For a first dry run, it was okay," said Ambassador Marciano Paynor, secretary-general of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, who observed the dry run from a helicopter.
The exercise revealed what's needed to avoid traffic gridlocks: more enforcers on the streets, more signs to show drivers where the alternative roads are and more communication devices.
Shortly after the ceremonial route was first closed at 7:40 a.m. Friday, police motorcycles whizzed by with sirens blaring, followed by gleaming new silver BMW sedans intended for the foreign dignitaries. Police cars stayed in front of and behind each principal car.
The ceremonial route stretches across three cities, from Nivel Hills in Cebu City to the international airport and the top resorts in Lapu-Lapu's east coast.
Around the route, frustrated drivers turned and searched for alternative roads to their destinations. There were so many phoned-in complaints and questions that in Cebu City's case, some traffic enforcers ended up answering phones in the City Traffic Operations Management radio room.
Add 600T
But because it was a holiday, traffic was much lighter than usual.
Some 600,000 private workers (going by 2003 government estimates) in Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu's two export zones will be commuting during the summit days. The four-day holiday covers only government agencies and all schools.
To reduce congestion, organizers are planning to open up junctions on the ceremonial routes so that vehicles can cross. However, these junctions will be closed as soon as convoys are expected to pass.
"The only chokepoint we saw was the first (Mandaue-Mactan) bridge, and we will try to see how we can correct the situation. Otherwise, everything went very well," said Paynor.
Retired General Leo Alvez, assistant secretary general for Asean security, also noted the need to double the number of traffic enforcers in some junctions.
Alvez, who was in the same helicopter as Paynor, said these were in Ibo in Lapu-Lapu City; the first Mandaue-Mactan bridge and Plaridel St., the Mandaue City Sports Complex; and SM City Cebu and the junction at Salinas Drive and Archbishop Reyes Ave. in Cebu City.
Both Paynor and Alvez found the dry run "very good."
Each individual delegation may also do its own dry run for trips between the hotels and summit venues.
What's needed
Paynor added that they will be "very careful" not only for the safety of the convoy but also for the people by the roadside.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of people watching the leaders," he said.
Like Ambassador Paynor, Chief Superintendent Silverio Alarcio Jr. of the Police Regional Office 7 congratulated those who took part in the dry run, and said the inconveniences of the public were minor.
He noted "minor gaps" in the coordination of the task force and the arrangements of the convoys.
Although the traffic situation did not turn out as bad as expected, Mandaue's traffic officials said it could have gone even better had they been fully equipped with manpower services, radio facilities, road barriers and traffic signs.
Traffic Enforcement Development and Management (Tedman) chief Enriquo Damian Ouano and Police Traffic Division chief Antonio del Fierro both agreed that the traffic condition during the summit will be definitely worse than Friday's.
Tedman only has 170 personnel, including enforcers, radio operators and drivers, who were on duty Friday.
Interiors
Mandaue City has 38 roadblocks alone because there are several roads that lead to the ceremonial routes. Aside from guarding these, they also have to deploy enforcers on the other roads as well, Ouano pointed out.
But the city only has around 100 traffic barriers. Each road requires two to 12 traffic barriers, depending on how wide the roads are.
Not all enforcers have radios, because the 50 that Tedman has aren't enough.
Roads leading directly to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in Mandaue City's reclamation area will be closed to non-summit traffic.
From 7:40 to 9:40 a.m., from 10 to 11 a.m. and again from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30, the Marcelo Fernan Bridge was closed yesterday to all but the summit workers' official vehicles.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic swiftly developed in the interior roads, some of them narrow, two-lane affairs.
Del Fierro observed that six-wheeler vehicles, container vans and other big vehicles on their way to Lapu-Lapu City added to the congestion. (These big vehicles did not pass through the first bridge because of the weight limit set by the Department of Public Works and Highways.)
Communications
Ouano, for his part, admitted that Friday's traffic dry run was marred by an inefficient communication process among the summit security officers and the traffic enforcers in the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Cebu and Mandaue.
In Lapu-Lapu, Police Chief Louie Oppus lamented that some motorists insisted on going through the closed roads. Some identified themselves as the friends of prominent politicians.
Oppus did not give in.
"I did not allow them because although it's just a dry run, it would mean a bigger problem on the actual day. Others woke up early just to avoid getting stuck in traffic but here they were, name-dropping and asking for special treatment," Oppus said.
The authorities identified 28 chokepoints in Mactan.
Also during the dry run, Oppus ordered his men to roam around the city and warn motorists through public address systems about the activity 30 minutes before the actual closure of the routes.
When the ceremonial routes were opened, traffic enforcers stayed on to control the flow of vehicles and prevent congestion.
Go quickly
Do things more quickly, Paynor advised security officers. There should just be 30-second intervals between convoys.
Friday's arrivals at the CICC had some five to 10-minute gaps.
Paynor told the "convoy commanders" to go as fast as 80 to 100 kilometers per hour (kph) when in an open road, although the speed at the tarmac area must only be 40 kph and for Ibo road in Lapu-Lapu City, 40 to 60 kph.
He said the motorcade must move as one, and not move like an accordion that closes and spreads.
As for the hotels, Alvez suggested that the lead vehicles of convoys give way to the principal vehicle, so that the head of state is right in front of the door of the hotel he or she is billeted.
In the ceremonial routes, Alvez said the official vehicles could run up to 120 kph.
The faster the convoys complete their trips, the sooner roads can be reopened and ordinary commuters and motorists can reach their own destinations. (MEA/ROV/JPM/MBG)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (December 2, 2006 issue)
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