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Saturday, April 05, 2008
Trucks collide, cause 5-hour snarl
By Oscar C. Pineda
CEBU CITY -- A collision involving two trucks and a motorcycle in a major road in Mandaue City last Thursday night caused a traffic jam that saw vehicles stretch bumper-to-bumper for five kilometers.
Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna, who helped man the traffic, said a smoother flow was restored past 11:30 p.m., an hour after they cleared the intersection of a fallen truck and its scattered limestone cargo.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
But for five hours after the accident, the fallen truck blocked all vehicles bound for Cebu City, forcing drivers to use a circuitous detour in the hills of Casili. Vehicles bound for the north waited hours before they could slip through. Weary commuters ended up walking part of the way.
Mayor Jonas Cortes, in an ABS-CBN report, admitted the accident showed that the city's traffic officials need more training. Fortuna, for his part, regarded the accident as an eye-opener in addressing traffic problems.
PO1 Journey Fuentes of the Mandaue City traffic office said the accident happened at 5:30 p.m. at the corner of J.P. Rizal, the main road going to northern Cebu, and H. Abellana St. (formerly Canduman road).
All the three vehicle drivers involved were injured: Efren Impas, 30; Nestor Sotomayor, 45; and Edelfo Ronquillo, 40. They were treated in a hospital.
Impas's prime mover, he added, was on J.P. Rizal and going south when it collided with Sotomayor's Fuso dumptruck full of limestone.
The dumptruck and Ronquillo's motorcycle were both coming from H. Abellana St. and about to turn left to J.P. Rizal, heading north, when the accident happened.
Upon impact, the dumptruck fell on its side. Limestone poured out onto the road.
The prime mover pinned the motorcycle as it fell. But Ronquillo managed to jump to safety, said Traffic Enforcement and Management (Team) employee Marites Jaime.
No other injuries were reported.
However, the fallen truck, the scattered limestone and stalled prime mover blocked all four lanes on J.P. Rizal St., causing a traffic jam that lasted more than five hours.
Emergency teams pushed the trucks to the middle of the road to make small passageways on the outer lanes. Among those that responded were the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation and volunteer radio communicators like Task Force Alpha, Comm 15 and MCN.
A small payloader also cleared the road of the scattered limestone.
Elsa Posadas, 50, usually spent 45 minutes riding home from Cebu City to Jagobiao. On Thursday, the trip lasted more than three hours and it was almost midnight when she reached home.
She was luckier than her niece, who walked from Super Metro Mandaue to Jagobiao.
Fortuna said it was 10:30 p.m. when they raised the dumptruck upright and, an hour later, the normal traffic was restored.
"The accident reminds us of how important the north coastal highway will be," said Fortuna, referring to the Cebu North Coastal Road Project.
Also known as the Mandaue-Consolacion-Liloan Road, the project's P100-million fund for right-of-way acquisition and civil works on the approaches of the Cansaga Bay Bridge has been released. President Arroyo attended the groundbreaking ceremony last April 2007.
The mayor admitted during an ABS-CBN interview that traffic enforcers need more training, at least to improve communication skills in helping motorists avoid the traffic jam.
Fortuna said they can tap the media to inform motorists in advance on the traffic situation in an affected area.
Another major lesson learned, he said, was the need for contingency plans, like alternative roads in case streets are suddenly closed, and directional signs to guide motorists.
The vice mayor also sees the need for the emergency deployment of traffic enforcers in emergency situations. Most of the enforcers that night were deployed near the Banilad and Talamban areas affected by traffic from a flyover project.
Fortuna also raised the need for heavy equipment to put trucks upright again. The Team office initially sent a small payloader to pull the dumptruck, but had to ask for bigger equipment from the City Engineering Office. (Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (April 5, 2008 issue)
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