CAGAYAN de Oro City’s new traffic czar said the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) is studying the possibility of making Divisoria vehicle-free, "walkable," and pedestrian-friendly.
Verner Monsanto, RTA overseer, said banning vehicular traffic in Divisoria is one of several short term solutions that is being explored to fix the city’s worsening traffic problem.
Monsanto said they are also planning to build a multilevel parking facility in Divisoria to address the issue of lack of parking spaces. He said the city also plans to build what they call ‘hubs’ within the vicinity of Divisoria where vehicles, both public and private, can just drop their passengers.
"Divisoria would be a safe place for everybody, health benefits, reduce carbon emission in the area. We are targeting to make Divisoria a green area,"Monsanto said.
He said the RTA has also activated the City's Traffic Management Board (TMB) and is in the process of reviewing the city’s various traffic ordinances to check for useful ordinances that can be immediately enforced.
The TMB will act as a policy-making body to discuss the problems. He said the board will be well-represented, from government offices to the commuters themselves to "get all the sentiment".
The body is also expected to come up with strategies on how to manage traffic and will also closely coordinate and work with the academe sector for more discussions.
Meanwhile, a Cagayan de Oro Transportation Summit was held Monday, January 29, at Xavier University.
The summit was initiated by educators and experts from the field of public transport, among them Dr. Sheilah Gaabucayan-Napalang, a Kagay-anon and a professor at the University of the Philippines’ School of Urban and Regional Planning in Diliman, Quezon City.
"This forum will yet to come up with solutions because this a start of actually studying in-depth the problem. It is also important that the people themselves contribute to finding solutions because there's a higher sense of ownership because people are involved in the planning," Gaabucayan-Napalang said.
"Although quickly if you look at the city, parking is a big issue, where the big vehicles would pass is an issue, problems on pedestrian. Solutions will not be instant, it's not one-time, it's a series of different strategies that we have to undertake, this is only just the start," she added.
Gaabucayan-Napalang said she comes to the city every December and every year traffic is becoming unmanageable as authorities fail to address the problem.
An expert in transport planning, Gaabucayan-Napalang pointed out one major problem that contributed to the traffic problem: 3 malls in one stretch of the national highway.
She said she dreams that five years from now, Cagayan de Oro will have areas which are walkable, and areas where people can bike, among others.
"So if I have lived nearby, less than 3 kilometers away I can bike, and of course good public transportation system and our people are disciplined and kind on the streets. 5 years from now, if we actually do something about our transport sector, munaog ang emission, kung moshift ka ug better modes, like euro-4 or environmental-friendly vehicles, then we won't have as many cars on the streets," she said.