URBAN planner and former Cebu City administrator Nigel Paul Villarete said the plan of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) to allow parking along the bike lanes near the Fuente Osmeña Circle is not beneficial for the city’s traffic.
Villarete told SunStar Cebu on June 16, 2023, that instead, parking provision in the area should be stopped while the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project is still under construction.
Last June 15, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) announced on its official Facebook page the implementation of a parallel parking scheme along the opposite side of Fuente Osmeña Circle due to the ongoing construction of the CBRT.
This was the CCTO’s response after a concerned citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, called the attention of the CCTO to seek a solution for the traffic congestion in the area caused by double parking.
The CCTO justified its implementation of the new parking scheme, saying it would provide more space and decongest the traffic in the area.
The CCTO has advised bikers and other bike lane users to use “the broad sidewalk for their safety and convenience.”
As mandated by City Ordinance 2408, Villarate City is expected to adhere to and support active transportation and inclusive mobility.
“Why bump people with bicycles from bike lanes, because people with cars are more important?” Villarete said.
He argued that allowing vehicles to park in the designated bike lanes is a car-centric policy and absurd.
In pursuant to City Ordinance 2408, late Mayor Edgardo Labella formed the Sugbo Bike Lane Board in 2021 to fully implement the ordinance.
Bike lanes were constructed so bikers may use the lanes without interruption.
In 2021, the CCTO once said that motorists must not block the bike lanes or they will be towed. (AML)