Ban private vehicles passing on bridges

Heavy traffic has long been a problem in passing through the two bridges linking Mandaue and Mactan cities during peak hours as seen in this May 2016 photo.
(CDN FILE PHOTO)

To ease traffic in the two bridges that connect the mainland and Lapu-Lapu City, there should be a ban on private cars passing the the Marcelo Fernan bridge and the Mandaue-Mactan bridge during peak hours.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña gave this suggestion during a press briefing at the City Hall last Friday.

“I’ll make a bold statement. I don’t get involved in this Mega Cebu. I had my chance before. I did my share. I did the second Mactan bridge. Widened the roads, (the) circumferential road in Mactan. I’ll just give my unsolicited proposal in Mactan bridge –ban private cars. In the two bridges, at least in the rush hour,” Osmeña said.

Osmeña said that he had no particular person or local government in mind to address his unsolicited advice.

He said it could be the public, private sectors or the local government units of cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

“I just want to make the statement. A car takes Mr. Osmeña to the airport, it comes back empty. That’s double the traffic for one trip,” said Osmeña.

He said that if private cars are banned, then it can reduce the traffic in the bridge by a big amount.

Saying that every person riding a private car going to the airport and inside the private car is only one or two persons, then it will double the traffic.

He said that if a person would need to use his private car, it would be much better if he would not get a flight during rush hour.

“Somebody has to make a sacrifice. If I were to say yes to those who want to give a unsolicited proposal, get a bus, put a nice station somewhere there in the North Reclamation Area (NRA). They could get Kuritiva buses,” he said.

Osmeña said that for the size of one bus, it can save 200 cars on the road. Much better if these 200 cars are all on the road, he added.

To make it attractive to the riding public, Osmeña said that he would endorse that the bus would be escorted by a motorcycle policeman, and the public would get a royal treatment if they would ride a bus.

He said that personally, he would take the bus rather than sit on his car and be stuck in the traffic for hours.

“You cannot just tolerate this system where people will just do nothing but complain. So, if you want immediate relief, my suggestion is ban private vehicles in the Mactan bridge at least during office hours, peak hours. Because I see many of these things,” he said.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, for her part, said she was open to Mayor Osmeña’s suggestion to ban private vehicles from passing the two bridges during peak hours to de-congest traffic.

“Okay ra man ko ana pero ato sad konsultahon ang public kay duna pud ra ba na sila’y rights nga kinahanglan paminawon sad nato ((I’m okay with that but we also have to consult the public as they also have rights to hear their side),” said Radaza.

She said, she was in a meeting in which Mayor Osmeña was supposed to attend.

She said she spoke to Mayor Luigi Quisumbing on how they could coordinate to de-congest traffic in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu areas especially vehicles using the two bridges in going to and from the airport.

Radaza said that she wished that Mayor Osmeña attended that meeting so that he could raise the suggestion and they could have discussed it.

She also asked why Mayor Osmeña singled out Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu Cities only?

“Does Cebu City not have any traffic?” She asked.

She said that she hoped that they could discuss it in their next meeting.

Cebu Daily News tried to reach Mandaue City Mayor Quisumbing to get his side of the issue but he could not be reached for comment yesterday.