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Friday, January 18, 2008
City may ban private cars on Banilad-Talamban road
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- Aside from the odd-even traffic scheme that will be implemented during the construction of the Banilad flyover, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña also wants to try keeping private vehicles off the construction area during peak hours.
Osmeña anticipates a strong reaction from the rich who, he said, will not be willing to ride public utility jeepneys and buses.
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He will let the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) try the odd-even scheme but it should also consider the possibility of not allowing private cars to use the Banilad-Talamban route at certain hours of the day.
Both schemes were proposed to address traffic problems in the Banilad-Talamban corridor when the construction of the flyover starts on February 1. The contractor hopes to finish the project in four months.
"Let them try odd-even but another possibility is that during rush hour, no private cars would be allowed there. If you force more people to ride public transportation, there will be fewer vehicles on the road... We can experiment on that," Osmeña told reporters Thursday.
In his news conference, Osmeña said he is more inclined to give higher priority to public transportation than private cars, particularly in the Banilad-Talamban area.
Having more public transportation that operates efficiently will alleviate traffic since more people will be encouraged to commute and leave their vehicles at home.
If Citom agrees to test the "no private vehicles" policy, the mayor said he will leave it to the Citom board to decide what hours to consider as peak hours and the exact points where vehicles will be allowed.
"We have 'No PUJ' signs everywhere so it's very clear our orientation is that private cars are considered first-class. I think I'm more inclined to go on a shift where public transportation becomes first priority and private vehicles are given lower priority," Osmeña said.
Studying traffic in the area and how the City can manage it is a learning process, which everyone will just have to adjust to, he said.
"I'm sure there will be the rich complaining because private cars represent the rich and you know, Mrs. So and So cannot be riding a jeep so they will really complain," the mayor said.
Under the odd-even scheme, vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers are the only ones allowed on Gov. Cuenco Ave. Vehicles going to Talamban and nearby areas should use the Mandaue City road.
In their regular session last Wednesday, the City Council postponed to next Wednesday the Citom's briefing on the traffic management plan that they will implement during the flyover construction so all the stakeholders can attend. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (January 18, 2008 issue)
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