AN OFFICIAL from the City Government of Davao revealed that an ongoing feasibility study is being conducted to draft the city’s transport masterplan.
Lawyer Tristan Dwight P. Domingo, assistant city administrator and project manager of the bus project, said this is still an ongoing study, and nothing has been finalized.
He added that the study will not only focus on the traffic situation in Davao City but also in neighboring cities.
Domingo said they have already conducted four workshops and are scheduled to hold one more for the feasibility study, entitled “Davao City Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Master Plan and the Arterial Urban Corridor of Metropolitan Davao Project”.
“The feasibility study will try to work on what are the specific things now that we are supposed to do or plan in terms of improvement of active transport or the improvement of public transport or the improvement of private car usage or ownership or the free transport,” he said during the first general membership meeting of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) on Friday, January 31, 2025, at the Dusit Thani Davao.
Domingo revealed that in their study they found out that Dabawenyos are willing to walk more or less 15 minutes in the downtown area, and that if the city wants to promote active transportation such as walking and biking there is a need to conduct sidewalk inventory and measurement of sidewalks.
He added that some of the problems that the city is experiencing are that it does not have sidewalks or in some cases, they are filled with obstruction.
The question he raised after is whether Dabawenyos are ready to walk when the Davao Bus Project is implemented, particularly when people get off the buses?
He explained that in foreign countries, walking outside is enjoyable due to favorable weather, unlike in Davao, where the weather is either too hot or rainy thus, making people less inclined to walk. He pointed out that bus stops are in place but the concept of “door-to-door” service is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture, as seen in our various modes of transportation, such as trisikads, tricycles, and taxis.
There is also a need to improve bicycle lanes since many people took up biking during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Domingo explained that the city's roads are not designed for cycling, and one issue they are facing is that landowners are reluctant to sell their properties for road expansion.
In working on the bus project, Domingo said that they encountered several instances where landowners refused to allow bus stops in their areas and suggested relocating them elsewhere.
Regarding the Davao Bus Project, Domingo disclosed that a significant budget issue has arisen. In 2024, the city needed P18 billion to kickstart the project, but only P1.8 billion was released by the national government. For this year, the city's budget for the project is only P200 million, a substantial decrease from last year’s allocation.
Earlier, Department of Transportation-Project Office for Davao (DOTr-Davao) Project Evaluation Officer Richard Villanueva said that the Davao Bus Project is still a go despite being delayed for eight months. He attributed the delay to the complexity of the project and the difficulty in acquiring all the necessary permits to keep the project going.
Villanueva said the study on the bus project needs to be updated, as it was initially drafted in 2018 and later revised during the height of the pandemic. He emphasized the need to review passenger demand, travel patterns, and the number of buses that needed to be procured.
Another challenge the city faces in its transport sector is the over 100 routes and about 7,000 Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) that operate in the city.
Domingo said there is a need to reduce these routes by splitting them in the middle of trips, with another route taking over, so that fewer public transport vehicles enter the city. He said the goal is to replace the 7,000 PUJs with 1,000 buses.
Additionally, Domingo highlighted the necessity of implementing stricter policies for private car ownership, such as the “no garage, no car” policy. However, he pointed out that regulating car ownership is a challenge, as it falls under the jurisdiction of a national government agency.
Davao City also faces a shortage of parking spaces. Domingo said the professional consultants on traffic have suggested adding more parking slots and improving the type of parking systems the city uses. However, he stressed that adding parking facilities could inadvertently encourage people to use their cars more.
Domingo also emphasized the urgent need to update the city's Zoning Ordinance, as it was drafted during the Covid-19 pandemic. An immediate update is necessary because several warehouses have been built in Davao, and under the current zoning laws, warehouses should be located in industrial zones. However, with major online shopping brands now operating in the city, these warehouses need to be situated closer to urban areas.
To address the city's traffic situation, the Local Government Unit (LGU) plans to prioritize the Sta. Ana Wharf Development, the Bus Terminal Project, and the Davao River Ferry, among others.
Currently, the LGU has several initiatives in place to address the city's traffic congestion, including the Davao Bus Project, the construction of new provincial bus terminals, the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (Phabs), the Davao Interim Bus Service (DIBS), and improvements to traffic signals and signage, among others.
To recall, the latest Tomtom Traffic Index (TTI) ranked Davao City as the eighth most congested city in the world, with commuters taking about 33 minutes to travel 10 kilometers, compared to 32 minutes in Manila. The city placing eight garnered mixed reactions from the public, and made Councilor Conrado C. Baluran criticize TTI, calling the results “unfair” and “out of context.” RGP