THE Lapu-Lapu City Government intends to propose a number-coding system for vehicles that cross the two bridges between mainland Cebu and Mactan Island.
City Traffic Management System (CTMS) head Frank Brazil said this will help decongest traffic on Mandaue-Mactan Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridge, which commuters have been complaining about.
He will bring up the proposal before the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board.
Architect Florentino Nimor, executive director of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), believes it would be better to study results in other areas where number-coding has been implemented, like Metro Manila.
In a press conference yesterday, Brazil recalled he had mentioned this number-coding proposal during the administration of former governor and now Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district), but it did not push through.
Since repairs began on the older Mandaue-Mactan Bridge early last February, traffic congestion has become a more common problem on the M.L. Quezon Highway in Lapu-Lapu.
In some cases, traffic on United Nations Ave. in Mandaue, which starts at the corner near Butuanon Bridge, stretches all the way to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and up to M.L. Quezon Highway.
If the number-coding of vehicles will be implemented, Brazil said, it could lessen the load of both bridges. Under such a scheme, vehicle owners would only be able to use the bridges on specific days, based on their license plate numbers.
Private only
The number coding usually restricts the types of vehicles that use a bridge or a road at certain hours, based on the last two digits of the car’s license plate number, said Brazil.
“Di pwede iapil ang (We cannot include) public transport. Private ra gyud. Based on our observation ang daghan moagi sa bridge private cars ra gyud (More private cars than any other vehicles cross these bridges),” he said.
Brazil said he will discuss this with the MCBMB, when Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III calls for a meeting.
Aside from number-coding, he also thinks that ferry and barge services would be an effective way for commuters and private vehicles to go to Lapu-Lapu and vice versa.
Brazil has verbally brought up the number-coding plan with Mandaue City’s Team.
He said there should be a mutual understanding between the two cities’ officials.
In a separate interview, Nimor recalled that when the number-coding was implemented in Metro Manila, it only encouraged people to buy another car so they could still drive every day, using different vehicles.
Mass option
“Atong tan-awon unsay atong buhaton nga di mapareha sa (Let us try to see what we can do so that the result will not be same as those in) Manila,” Nimor said.
“I would suggest unahon og gamit ang mass transport sa mga schools, dagko nga company ug kanang padung sa (the use of mass transport system especially for schools, big companies and in going to the) airport,” Nimor said.
Fielding buses, he said, is Team’s medium-term solution to encourage people not to use their cars so they can help lessen traffic congestion in Mandaue.
Yesterday, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes turned over five motorcycles worth P181,500 to Team for traffic enforcers to easily monitor the roads, especially those heavily congested.
Mandaue has planned to provide financial assistance to the barangay tanods so they can help the Team monitor and direct traffic.
In an interview, Cortes also encouraged malls in the city to put up their own terminals to minimize the loading and unloading of passengers on the streets, which can add to the traffic.
“Para magdumdom na gyud ang mga pasahero sa mga terminals nga gi-provide sa mga (so that the passengers will be encouraged to go to the terminals provided by the) malls (and not board or disembark on the streets),” Cortes said. With Angelica Genodalia, USJ-R Intern