IF AIN’T broke, don’t fix it. The traffic along UN Ave. even on a weekend has always been slow due to the volume of motor vehicles that takes this road to and from the airport in Lapu-Lapu City. Most motorists take this road that leads to the second bridge because it’s four lanes.
On Monday, several motorists from Cansaga complained that they were stalled in Barangay Paknaan for 30 minutes. Also, the volume of motor vehicles tremendously increased on P. Burgos St. and the North Road because of the new traffic scheme that the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue city (Team) implemented since Sunday.
Team head Florentino Nimor admitted in a radio interview that he did not expect Paknaan and P. Burgos St. to be affected by the new traffic scheme. The rationale of the new traffic scheme is to give motor vehicles from the airport unhampered traffic in UN Ave. to its destination. What about those going to the airport from the North?
Under the new traffic scheme, motor vehicles going to Mandaue City and Cebu City from Cansaga Bay Bridge, which connects Paknaan, Mandaue City to Consolacion, will turn right to UN Ave. and turn left to P. Burgos or the highway instead of proceeding straight to DM Cortes Ave. that connects to Ouano Ave. and to Osmeña St., Cebu City.
The traffic lights at the intersection of UN Ave. and DM Cortes Ave. are turned off to give the motor vehicles from Lapu-Lapu City ease in crossing the intersection. The plan partly solved the long queue of vehicles from the second bridge, but the vehicles were stuck at P. Burgos St. and at the highway.
Motor vehicles going to the North through the Cansaga Bay Bridge from DM Cortes Ave. will turn right to UN Ave. and U-turn under the second bridge and back to UN Ave. and turn right to DM Cortes Ave. to Cansaga Bay Bridge. The same route goes for buses that go to the North via the national highway.
Anyways, according to Nimor, this to correct the heavy volume of traffic in Paknaan, P. Burgos St. and the highway. Before the new traffic scheme was implemented, motorists from Cansaga Bay bridge going to Cebu City passing through the DM Cortes Ave. and vice versa were not stalled for 30 minutes. Many are asking why the sudden change when the previous scheme was still working well.
Taffic lights held up the movement of motor vehicles during red light. But every motorist is given equal time to cross the intersection. This is the very purpose of the traffic lights. To turn off the traffic lights in this intersection because it caused traffic is simply beyond comprehension.
The traffic problem on UN Ave. started when the center island across a refueling station and a school was opened to allow motor vehicles from Cansaga to take a U-turn in going to the airport. This u-turn slot stalls the traffic on both sides of the road because the drivers of u-turning vehicles don’t give a damn. As to why the original design of UN Ave. was altered by opening the center island, someone has to explain.
The Team could try a scheme that would allow vehicles from DM Cortes Ave. to take a left turn to UN Ave. and on a shorter traffic light time interchange. This could reduce the number of motor vehicles at UN Ave. from Lapu-Lapu City since buses and other motor vehicles going to the national highway don’t have to go around under the second bridge.