THE transportation department’s recent announcement of its “basket of solutions” for Cebu’s traffic sends a good signal for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, an official said.
“First, let’s not change the conversation. What we’re talking about is whether we’re going to have BRT or not. Insofar as that press release is concerned, which we don’t have confirmation yet, we will have the BRT,” Villarete said.
He is hopeful the Cebu BRT project will be operational by the middle of 2020.
In a press statement this week, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino said that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has proposed an Integrated Inter-Modal Transport System (IITS) for Metro Cebu, which will include the BRT.
Among its other components are a Light Rail Transit from Carcar to Danao and from Mandaue to the airport; a point-to-point bus system; a monorail in Lapu-Lapu City; and an intelligent transportation system.
However, Dino said, the BRT will be implemented only on roads with at least three lanes on both sides. It was in April this year when DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade and Dino recommended cancelling the Cebu BRT project.
Villarete pointed out that most of the 23-kilometer Cebu BRT route already has three lanes in both directions.
Only the road in Banilad and Talamban and a portion of Escario St. have two lanes on either side.
In a letter to Tugade dated Oct. 2, 2017, Osmeña requested that a median lane be established in Banilad and Talamban to keep the buses away from all other vehicles. An exclusive median lane has been identified as one of the essentials for a BRT system to work efficiently.
As to Escario St., Villarete said there is already a road widening project that is set to be implemented to give that street three lanes on both sides.
“There is nothing new. We’re just wasting time arguing, but ultimately, the result is what we requested last year. If they agreed to it last year, we wouldn’t be wasting a year,” he said.
Next week, Osmeña is expected to send a letter to DOTr outlining the steps both the City and the agency need to take to fast-track the project. (RVC)