DUE to Cebu City’s worsening traffic situation, the City Government has sought the assistance of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Ernest Herrera III, special assistant to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, told SunStar Cebu in a text message on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, that MMDA personnel were in the city to check the existing traffic system.
He said they conducted a drive-through check at 18 intersections on Friday, Dec. 1.
Herrera said he could not provide any information yet with regard to their observations and recommendations since they are still finalizing everything.
He said the MMDA personnel arrived on Tuesday, Nov. 28, and would leave on Saturday, Dec. 2.
The MMDA was created under Republic Act 7924 in 1995 to administer the affairs of Metropolitan Manila.
According to Wikipedia, the MMDA is a government agency under the supervision of the Office of the President, and “it performs planning, monitoring and coordinative functions, and in the process exercises regulatory and supervisory authority over the delivery of metro-wide services within Metro Manila without diminution of the autonomy of the local government units concerning purely local matters.”
RA 7924 says the scope of its services includes transport and traffic management; solid waste disposal and management; flood control and sewerage management; urban renewal, zoning and land use planning; and health and sanitation, among others.
Lawyer Kent Francesco Jongoy, Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) legal officer, said in a phone interview on Saturday that the City had signed a P480 million contract for a traffic light system with Triune Electronic Systems Inc., a Manila-based technology firm, and Cylix Tech CCTV and Surveillance.
Phase 1 covered 18 intersections on Gen. Maxilom Ave., Serging Osmeña Blvd. and Colon St., among others, at a cost of P232 million. It was completed in the last quarter of 2021.
Phase 2, which covers 27 intersections and costs P248 million, is unfinished.
The new system is intended to replace the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (Scats), which has been in operation for the past 34 years.
Jongoy said that although the MMDA favors the Scats, it pointed out that the remaining traffic lights under the Scats are outdated.
Concerns
He said the MMDA is concerned about linking the old Scats to the new digitized traffic light system, adding that the old system is also not connected to the command center.
In August, SunStar Cebu reported that the City Government had not yet assumed control of the management of the traffic lights, as the contractors had not completed digitizing all the traffic lights.
He said the contractors still have deliverables indicated in the terms of reference, including an audible prompter for blind pedestrians.
But in a press conference on Friday, City Administrator Collin Rosell said the City has already taken over the command center.
Under the doctrine of preservation of interest, he said the City needed to take over because the City has already spent a lot on the project.
“Ang City nakagasto ug ang mga tawo nagkinahanglan sa mga gadgets nga gigastohan na (The City has spent money and people need the gadgets the City has spent on),” he said.
Rosell said the MMDA will provide technical advisory on the use of the command center.
Rosell said the MMDA could also create a study on the traffic situation in the Banilad-Talamban area.
He said 15 MMDA personnel will need one to two weeks to gather all the data to come up with a recommendation.
He said that by inviting the MMDA, the City is fostering a strong relationship with the National Government.
Warning
Meanwhile, Cebu City’s Traffic Management Committee (TMC) warned the public to expect heavy traffic during the Christmas season.
Commuters and motorists have been complaining about heavy traffic on sections of N. Bacalso Ave. leading to the south of the city.
The bottleneck usually occurs near the Cebu City Medical Center due to the closure of the avenue’s inner lanes in the last week of September for the implementation of the first package of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.
City Councilor Rey Gealon, TMC chairman, told SunStar Cebu that the committee has already identified areas with heavy traffic, and will deploy more personnel in these areas.
“We expect more traffic this year considering the ongoing BRT project traversing two major thoroughfare in the city,” Gealon said on Saturday.
He said they are urging the CBRT management to allow vehicles to use completed sections of the project.
Gealon said streets to avoid are Gov. M. Cuenco Ave., Archbishop Reyes Ave., N. Bacalso Ave., Osmena Blvd., Gen. Maxilom Ave., Gorordo Ave. and Colon St.
Assurances
The city councilor said the CCTO has ensured that its traffic enforcers will be in full force along these streets to maintain a smooth traffic flow.
He said the TMC is prepared to come up with road configurations to accommodate more vehicles.
“Roads are maximized for usage, so any available road linkage will be utilized for passage,” he said.
Gealon assured that the TMC will manage the anticipated heavy traffic despite limited resources.
“We ask for patience and understanding from the public this holiday season. Anticipate heavy traffic in and around the city,” he said.