The Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) has enacted a traffic plan in anticipation of the All Souls Day and All Saints Day observance at major cemeteries in the city, according to CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude.
During the ISpeak Media Forum on Thursday morning, October 26, Abude outlined the traffic schemes devised for the upcoming commemoration.
Out of the 37 cemeteries, CTTMO will give special attention to eight major ones: Davao Memorial Park, Davao Masonic Cemetery, Orchard Memorial Park Davao, San Pedro Memorial Park, Forest Lake Memorial Park, Davao Chinese Cemetery, Buhangin Memorial Park, and the largest of them all, Wireless Cemetery.
For Davao Memorial Park, the outermost southbound lane will be reserved for drivers heading to the park.
Starting October 31, railings will be installed to ensure vehicles stay in their designated lanes. The two lanes going south will be for motorists not entering the park. Vendors along the park's side will be relocated by October 29 to ease traffic.
The drop-off for Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) will be moved further to Alexian Brothers Health and Wellness Center, Inc. Buses and trucks from Bankerohan and Maa will be directed to make a left turn towards Sandawa and then Quimpo Boulevard.
CTTMO will set up traffic advisory posters for trucks and buses at Bankerohan Bridge and Maa to familiarize drivers with the new traffic scheme for All Souls Day and All Saints Day.
For cemeteries near Father Selga Street, regulations will be enforced, with one-way traffic from Lopez Jaena Street or Jade Street.
Cars heading to San Pedro Memorial Park will be directed to Jade Street, and the entrance and exit of the park will be interchanged. Tricycles will not be allowed, except for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). From corner Cornelia to Madapo, no vehicles will be permitted, reserving the area for pedestrians.
Visitors to Forest Lake Memorial Park will use San Rafael Street (Gold Street), make a left turn, and then a right turn onto Copper Street to reach the park's entrance and exit. Lopez Jaena Street will be closed, and trucks prohibited.
The Chinese Cemetery will follow a one-way route from Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) down to Bacaca. For those coming from Bacaca, they should make a left turn to Bacaca Road, then J. P. Laurel Street, followed by a right turn at DMSF to reach the cemetery.
On Cabantian Road from Buhangin Milan to the corner of Mamay Road, Buhangin Cemetery will have one-way vehicle traffic. There won't be an entrance along Cabantian-Jehovah Road heading towards Buhangin Memorial Park; instead, cars can take Mamay Extension and turn right to C. P. Garcia Highway, then turn right into Buhangin Road.
Abude said there is a strict no-parking policy around all mentioned cemeteries, particularly in front of the vicinity.
He also said they will deploy 570 CTTMO personnel to manage roads near cemeteries from October 30 to November 2.
On October 30 and 31, 77 personnel will be on duty each day, while on November 1 and 2, 208 personnel will be stationed daily.
Aside from major cemeteries, personnel will also man cemeteries in Calinan, Mintal, Toril, and Maa without the new traffic scheme.
He advised Dabawenyos to visit early, "Kung pwede, pwede ta magsayu, pwede nata mag-umpisa kay para dili nata makadungag sa volume sa mga sakyanan na mangadto didto during sa November 1 and 2 (If possible, let's start early so we won't contribute to the volume of vehicles going there on November 1 and 2." RGP