THIS is no longer the city I used to know. Traffic is terrible. I commute from downtown to the Hall of Justice which takes me 20 to 30 minutes.
It takes me two rides from Alijis to the HOJ, which takes me almost an hour. I wonder what would Bacolod be like in 2022 or 2025?
Recently, I watched in YouTube the Rappler episode “Panel discussion: Making metro areas livable.”
Bacolod should watch this post to get ideas for managing the city of smiles. Watching this show could make me smile again.
The panel discussion included Mayors Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, Josefina “Joy” Belmonte, and Paulo Alcazaren, an urban planner for 38 years.
I find the panel discussion intellectually stimulating providing many food for thoughts.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno admitted that he could not think of a solution to traffic, but the least he could do as mayor was to clear the streets of all types of obstructions. That includes solid waste management.
Mayor Joy Belmonte on her part said, “EDSA is the backbone that connects different growth hubs. When these hubs were limited to Cubao in Quezon City and the Makati Business District some decades back, EDSA served its purpose.” Sounds like downtown Bacolod where many roads lead to the Bacolod Plaza.
But Mr. Alcazaren reminded everyone, “I do have to remind everyone that traffic is not the problem. Traffic is just the symptom of the problem of the lack of [an] integrated, comprehensive transport system.
“The thing is to provide Metro Manila and all of our metro areas all around the country with a comprehensive transport system and that is rail-based mass transport system. Not motorized, that’s bikes and walking.”
I support his advice to go for mass transport systems. I saw that in Switzerland, France, New York, Hong Kong. Even executives take them.
I take the jeep to save on transportation. But I wish to take the trams or the trains. Fast, cheap, and can accommodate hundreds of passengers.
But as Alcazaren noted, to make living in metropolitan areas a better experience, local chief executives need the help of urban planners.
How many urban planners do we have in Bacolod?