THE Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) asked the Lapu-Lapu City Traffic Management System (CTMS) to re-route public utility jeepneys (PUJs) using the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge and the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge to avoid queuing of vehicles on M.L. Quezon Highway in Lapu-Lapu City.

Florentino Nimor, executive director of Team, asked CTMS to let PUJs from the Mactan Economic Processing Zone in Lapu-Lapu that are going to Consolacion and Liloan use the new bridge while Cebu City- and Mandaue-bound vehicles use the first bridge.

Cause of traffic

Nimor noticed that when jeepneys reach the foot of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, they stop to pick up passengers from buses traveling to northern Cebu that make a U-turn below the new bridge.

Since buses from D.M. Cortes St. (formerly known as Plaridel St.) are not allowed to turn left to go to Pacific Mall, they need to turn right to U.N. Ave., make a U-turn under the Marcelo Fernan Bridge then back to U.N. Ave.

“When we look at the closed-circuit television cameras installed on the traffic light on U.N. Ave., the vehicles coming from the new bridge are moving, but CTMS claimed that the traffic reached up to the airport road. We found out that jeepneys from

Lapu-Lapu and buses exchange passengers right at the foot of the new bridge,” Nimor said in Cebuano.

Previously, vehicles from Lapu-Lapu experienced traffic on U.N. Ave. that reached M.L. Quezon Highway in Lapu-Lapu. The same situation was also experienced by vehicles approaching the first bridge because of the structure’s rehabilitation.

In a separate interview, CTMS head Frank Brazil said he will study the Team’s request.

Suggestion

“If we will transfer the volume of vehicles coming from Pusok to the first bridge it would be inconvenient for the jeepneys going to Mandaue and Cebu City,” Brazil said in Cebuano.

He said the travel time will also be longer for vehicles coming from Pusok going to Mandaue.

“It will be hard for us to implement Team’s request because there are more volume of vehicles coming from Pusok,” Brazil said.

He said he will continue to coordinate with Team to address the problem. Team, too, is also looking at other options.

Nimor said he will suggest to Glenn Antigua, chief for operations of Team, not to allow buses to pass D.M. Cortes St. since it’s a road network for cargo trucks.

“We will just let buses pass the highway to avoid the exchange of passengers at the foot of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge,” he added.