LTO assures help for Baguio City’s traffic

THE Land Transportation Office Cordillera (LTO-CAR) expressed its willingness to help Mayor-elect retired General Benjamin Magalong to solve the traffic problem in Baguio City.

During the 107th LTO founding anniversary in Baguio City, LTO Cordillera OIC Engr. Robert Allan Santiago welcomed the plans of Magalong to solve the traffic problem in the city.

“We would like to sit with Mayor-elect General Benjamin Magalong and to try to at least if not solve, regulate the traffic condition in Baguio City. We recently met with Atty. Kiwas two weeks ago trying to solve the traffic problem at Governor Pack Road where traffic congestion is experienced and we identified the right side of Governor Pack as the area having the most traffic,” Santiago said.

Santiago observed the right side of Governor Pack Road which is supposed to be cueing area for buses is used as a permanent parking slot by tourist transport companies based on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between them and the City Government of Baguio.

“My suggestion is for the MOA to be cancelled for this area to be allotted for buses because presently, what is happening is, buses double park along Governor Pack Road. We are meeting within the week to somehow re-arrange the parking there and we have issued a letter addressed to one of the tourist transport to remove their temporary booking office there because this should be a slot for parking,” Santiago stated.

Incumbent Mayor Mauricio Domogan earlier directed the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) and the local government’s traffic section of the City Engineering Office (CEO) to continue pursuing a comprehensive study on possible solutions to the city’s existing traffic woes.

The local chief executive said traffic enforcers should recommend doable solutions to the local government on how to effectively and efficiently address the existing traffic woes here so that residents and visitors will not continue to suffer from the consequences of monstrous traffic jams around the city during the influx of people, especially during weekends.

Magalong, during Monday’s proclamation reiterated traffic will be one of the major concerns he will take a look into.

“Traffic is one big problem that is actually one of the demands of the residents of Baguio, in fact many have approached us asking for help to solve the problem on traffic. We are just lucky that the clamor now is change to which the people were looking for alternatives and at the end of the day, we simply have to deliver and rest assured that I won’t fail them,” Magalong said.

“With General Magalong’s statement that he will try to craft maybe a traffic law in addition to existing ordinances, we will gladly appreciate that and we are willing to help solve the traffic situation in Baguio City,” Santiago added.