IN AN effort to decongest the city from traffic, staging areas for buses will have to be moved, an official said.
Baguio City Councilor Leandro Yangot passed a resolution requiring all bus companies to use the tri boundaries at the junction of the Dairy Farm at Marcos highway, Lamtang at Irisan and the Slaughterhouse compound at Magsaysay as staging areas for bus stations.
“Baguio was designed in 1909 for 25,000 people only. At present time, the city’s population has ballooned to approximately 400,000 residents, obviously, it is beyond the carrying capacity of the city,” Yangot said.
The proposed law requires all buses plying the various routes to use the Dairy Farm at Marcos Highway for southbound buses while the Slaughterhouse terminal will be used for those travelling the Halsema highway and the Lamtang at Irisan area for northbound buses.
“The sudden surge in population density resulted in the multifarious urban problems, among them is the traffic woes which have affected the economy and commerce in the city, it is in this score that solutions must be brought to forth to at least ease the situation,” Yangot added.
There is an average of 36,566 vehicles plying the streets of the city on a daily basis. Registered vehicles are pegged at 44,809.
Based on a three months actual vehicle count last year, there were 729,010 vehicles counted at Kennon Road, 703,059 vehicles passed Marcos Highway and 1,452,059 vehicles passing Naguillian Road.
Aside from these, there are also additional vehicles coming to Baguio City via Ambuklao Road estimated to reach 109,350 while for the vehicles from Halsema Highway are pegged at 297,540.
The law if passed will require taxis and jeepneys, including private vehicles to ferry passengers from the bus stations and staging areas to the point of destination of bus passengers or to the central business district.
In turn, the local government will develop the areas either by administration or by private public partnership.
The Yangot ordinance was passed on its first reading during last Monday’s regular session.