RAMIREZ
A traffic horror story is expected to haunt travelers heading to the southern part of the province with the impending construction of the P683-million underpass project at the junctions of F. Llamas Street and Natalio Bacalso Avenue.
Last Wednesday, the commuting public was given a preview of how chaotic it would be during a scheduled two-day dry run which was ultimately suspended on the second day by the traffic office after their rerouting scheme failed to absorb the vehicles.
Cebu City traffic officials pointed to the potholes that littered the intended diversion roads as the primary reason for the suspension of the dry run because it caused cars to slow down and constrict traffic flow.
These same officials said the dry run would only resume once the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is done patching the damaged arterial roads to improve the flow of rerouted vehicles in the area.
The construction of the underpass project is undoubtedly intended to solve the traffic problem in the area while waiting for a more sustainable solution; however, while construction is underway, the government could not just let the commuters suffer.
Officials can blame the potholes for all they want for the failure of the rerouting dry run, but all those who travel to the south every day know that the sheer volume of vehicles and the continued nonobservance of traffic rules by many motorists are the real causes of the congestion.
Instead of blaming the potholes, why can’t the city’s transportation authority admit that the arterial roads that they intend to use as alternative routes are either too narrow to handle the volume of rerouted vehicles or are still littered with obstructions like parked vehicles and encroaching building structure?
Only with their admission that the alternative routes are too tight to handle the volume of vehicles while the underpass construction is going on can they look for the right solution to the impending chaos in the area.
Government officials can’t just let chaos happen on the premise that after too much disorder and confusion, the underpass project is intended to ease out traffic in the area anyway.
They remain steadfast in their belief that it is every commuter’s and motorist’s duty to sacrifice in the name of development.
I hope that those directly involved in the construction of the underpass still consider as their primary responsibility to look for means to reduce the inconvenience wrought on the public by looking for a practical but workable solution.
Potholes are everywhere in the city, and it is common knowledge that when these craters are present, they would automatically slow the movement of vehicles or at least cause you discomfort if you decide to run over them.
Does the city government really need a traffic rerouting dry run in order to know that potholes can cause vehicles to slow down? Are they unaware of this reality beforehand? This can be known by every driver’s experience on any Philippine roads.
Aside from the potholes, what other reasons would our traffic office point out if the same congestion would happen during the resumption of the dry run after road patching is over?
I am not against the project, but please look for other solutions to offset the debilitating effect of the road closures rather than blaming the potholes.