TO avoid causing heavy traffic, the Cebu City Government will no longer allow sports organizers to hold fun runs and similar activities on the South Coastal Road (SCR).
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, though, will allow established sports events such as the Ironman triathlon to be held there, provided it does not coincide with Sinulog celebrations.
In an interview, Nagiel Bañacia, manager of the South Road Properties, said that as one of the major thoroughfares in the city, the coastal road should be free of any inconvenience.
“We can’t close the road, otherwise, we will have chaos in the city. It’s a huge problem in the south district. It can be detrimental to the economy and tourism of the city. Closing the only road that links to the south will be crazy for everybody,” he said.
Bañacia said the order was made effective last November. Among the activities that were declined by the City Government were the recently concluded Milo Marathon national finals and the Cebu Marathon, which is scheduled for next month.
He said the City has been receiving several complaints about traffic congestion at SCR, even during minor road mishaps.
Osmeña said the area should not be closed to traffic since the SRP is currently used as a road diversion for buses and trucks given the ongoing construction of an underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave.
“The underpass is already creating traffic. For normal sports events, we can’t just close down the road,” he said.
Bañacia, though, clarified that they are not discounting the possibility of allowing sports organizers to resume their activities in the SRP once the underpass project is finished.
“But for me, as SRP manager, it’s forever closure na. You can’t use the major thoroughfare for such activities,” he said. (RTF)