SIX traffic and development managers from Cebu will visit Kobe, Japan to study traffic management and undergo urban transport planning organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

They are Capitol traffic management focal person Jonathan Tumulak, Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna, Lapu-Lapu City Engineer Amar Perla Tumulak, Talisay City planning and development officer Audie Bacasmas, Cebu City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete, and Regional Development Council (RDC) 7 Infrastructure Committee chairman Glenn Soco.

Tumulak said the training, which will start on Sunday and will end on May 26, aims to educate local officials on Japan’s traffic schemes and mass transport.

“The purpose of our visit is to learn how they manage traffic in their area. We will also look at how they manage their transportation. If we find something we can apply in Cebu Province, we can share the practice with our local traffic managers so they can apply it,” he said in Cebuano.

The study tour is an off-shoot of the capacity and capability development seminar organized by JICA and the Mega Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) in Cebu City last March.

The seminar covered topics like urban development and transport planning, introduction to transport planning, traffic engineering and management, introduction to public transportation, mobility management, institutional framework and traffic signal and control. (JKV)