AS THE intersection at the El Pardo Road and the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) drew criticisms for causing heavy traffic, a former Cebu City councilor and Traffic Management Committee head said Cebu City should be allowed to “redesign” the use of a road within its jurisdiction.
Rico Rey Francis Holganza, a lawyer by profession, told SunStar Cebu that if redesigning the use of a road within its jurisdiction will be beneficial to the City and its constituents, it should be allowed.
“In the same manner that it would not be advisable for any Cebu City resident to demand from Talisay City to close the various intersections along CSCR Talisay City so the residents of Cebu City can also benefit from a real expressway should they decide to go south of Cebu,” said Holganza in a phone interview on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Holganza said Cebu City, as a local government unit, should also be allowed to extend all possible assistance that it can provide to investors within the City’s jurisdiction.
He was referring to the business establishments situated at the South Road Properties (SRP).
The intersection at the CSCR was first a small opening of the center island across Il Corso mall, and it served as access to El Pardo Road.
However, many motorists reportedly had accidents due to dangerous maneuvers. Some even used it as a U-turn slot. Last May 26, 2023, the CCTO was directed to close the small opening through a resolution.
On July 15, the Cebu City Transportation Office formally opened the bypass road at the SRP, connecting it to CSCR via El Pardo road and F. Vestil Street, and at the same time launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted traffic lights on the CSCR intersection.
These initiatives of reopening the intersection and installation of AI-assisted traffic lights grew uproar from people on social media.
“Traffic lights are meant to slow traffic. Less of it means less traffic,” said a motorist.
‘Industrial zone’
In response to criticism about AI-equipped traffic lights on the coastal road, Holganza commented on SunStar Cebu’s Facebook post on Wednesday, July 17, that the SRP was originally designated as an industrial zone.
However, over the years, the City recognized a need for change and decided to reclassify the SRP plan as commercial, residential, and institutional.
Holganza recalled the SRP was supposed to be the next Mactan Economic Processing Zone, now known as the Mactan Economic Zone.
“Is it wise and beneficial then for Cebu City, after reclassifying the SRP, to be stuck with the “expressway” concept of the CSCR at the expense of the various commercial establishments along F. Vestil and those facing the Mactan sea?” he said.
“Should the City simply abandon these investors and leave them on their own to find ways to increase the volume of people going to their establishments?” added Holganza.
He said that if there was no issue “as nobody ever questioned” converting the industrial zone classification of the SRP to primarily commercial, residential, and institutional zones, why cannot the city redesign the use of a road to support the new zone classification?
Holganza said that under four City administrations, the reclassification of the SRP made corporations invest billions in the area.
“I sincerely believe an intersection provided with an honest to goodness AI assisted traffic system can somehow address the concerns of investors and commuters who traverse the CSCR SRP area,” he said.
U-turn slots
As to the U-turn slots of Talisay-bound and Cebu City-bound at the CSCR, Holganza claimed they were part of the original plan.
“So these U-turn slots technically were not constructed to provide accessibility to the commercial, residential, institutional structures which sprouted and are still being constructed in the SRP,” he said.
Holganza said that without the Il Corso intersection, those on the right side of CSCR will have to take the U-turn slot to the Talisay viaduct and vice versa.
“What I’m simply saying is we take a close look at the construction projects at the SRP,” said Holganza. / JPS