COMMUTERS plying the Trancoville and Aurora Hill routes have signed a petition asking city officials to revert to the old traffic scheme, where both jeepney associations were on a loop service.
The petition has been circulating since Aug. 19.
A portion of the petition begs for the compassion and consideration of officials. The signatories claim the experiment traffic scheme, which cut short their route up to Abad Santos Drive, is not favorable to them.
They say the shortened route does not provide them with an available jeepney rides from Upper Bonifacio going to Baguio Convention Center, UP-Baguio, Baguio City National High School, University of the Cordilleras, Harrison Road and the public market.
As a result, they have to take two rides to reach their destination. But taking two rides entails additional expense on their part.
The signatories reiterate there is a bigger sector affected by the scheme. They say the complaint lodged by drivers of the green trunkline, is only a small sector.
They asked for an early termination of the experiment scheme which began last Aug. 17 and ends on Sept. 5.
City officials earlier approved the experiment after drivers from the green trunkline complained that Aurora Hill and Trancoville have been ferrying passengers who are supposed to ride in jeeps plying the trunkline.
In a public hearing called by the committee on public utilities, transportation and traffic legislation, drivers from Aurora Hill and Trancoville countered, they should not be blamed because they are merely following the experimental route prescribed by the Traffic and Transportation Management Committee (TTMC).
But Mayor Mauricio Domogan said, so far, the rerouting scheme has addressed grievances aired by green trunkline.
"They are happy," the mayor said referring to members of the PNR-Hillside transport group adding members thereof have greatly improved their income.
Meanwhile, transport sector leader Perfecto Itliong Jr. revealed some passengers complain the experiment saying they are constrained to take two rides instead of one.
On top of this he revealed, "Members of the blue trunkline are likewise asking assistance saying it is now their income which is affected."
He revealed however that he recommended members of the blue trunkline to come up with their own solution.
He said, "They cannot just scrap the experiment due to selfish reasons."
"They have to come up with their own workable scheme," he said adding he is constrained to support the current traffic setup in the absence of an alternative.
"We cannot just deprive members of the green trunkline of the bounties of their franchises, their line."
Itliong likewise prodded the riding public to be sensitive with the plight of drivers of public utility vehicles encouraging them to "relearn how to walk the way Baguio old timers used to."
"A few meters," he added, "Would do them good.... More than that, it will solve pollution problems."(Rimaliza Opiña with Isagani Liporada)