INSTALLING a traffic light system on the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR), an expressway that connects Talisay City to downtown Cebu City, is a bad idea, according to a former city official who is a civil engineer and urban planner.
The system will be installed at the El Pardo T-junction, which was closed on May 26, 2023, due to a vehicular accident but reopened by the order of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
Former Cebu City administrator Nigel Paul Villarete has warned against its construction, saying it will disrupt the free-flowing traffic in an expressway and it might also affect businesses at the South Road Properties (SRP).
Prior to the accident last month, Traffic Management Board (TMB) Chairman Rico Rey Francis Holganza said that he had proposed to the Filinvest Group in 2022 to make CSCR a discipline zone by installing traffic lights to help the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) manage the traffic in the area.
Holganza said Filinvest eventually agreed to help them attain their plan at no cost to the City Government.
Holganza told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, June 15, 2023, that Filinvest is finalizing the bidding for the supplier of the traffic light system and it is prioritizing the project.
The TMB chief said they plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony after Filinvest secures the contract with the supplier.
However, Villarete said the presence of a traffic light on CSCR will disrupt the flow of vehicles.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu’s “Beyond the Headlines” on June 9, Villarete also said that the overall economic benefits would be reduced if traffic lights with signals are introduced on an expressway.
“Once the speed of vehicles goes down, the economic viability of an expressway will also go down,” he said.
Villarete suggested that it is better to have no traffic lights in the area to maintain a continuous and fast traffic flow rather than an interrupted and slow one.
In a followup interview on Friday, June 16, Villarete said the City Government should reconsider its decision, saying the construction of a traffic light system could only benefit Filinvest’s business interests in the SRP.
The El Pardo T-junction is surrounded by some properties owned by Filinvest Land at the SRP.
The Cebu City Government’s and Filinvest Land’s joint venture project at the SRP is the 40-hectare mixed-used sector in the 58-hectare City di Mare.
Filinvest Land also operates the Il Corso Lifemalls.
According to Villarete, traffic lights might affect the revenue of joint venture partner of the City—the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., which operates the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, a bridge that connects the city to the municipality of Cordova.
Villarete said Filinvest is willing to spend on this project because the real estate developer will benefit from it.
It will provide Filinvest with direct access to its commercial properties; however, it will increase travel time for commuters due to the traffic lights. / AML