Commuter hacks amid traffic congestion

CAPILLAS

As of this writing, I have yet to see Talisay City route passenger jeepneys bound for Cebu City pass through the South Coastal Road (SCR) after they were diverted by Cebu City Hall as part of efforts to ease the traffic congestion at the Natalio Bacalso Avenue area.

For those not in the know or are first time visitors in Cebu City, the monster traffic congestion at N. Bacalso Avenue had stranded motorists and public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers for hours on end and based on reports, this situation will likely last for two years at most at least until the underpass project is complete.

Maybe I’ve seen one Talisay City route passenger jeepney bound for Cebu City or two pass through the SCR and didn’t give it much notice.

Or maybe more of these jeepneys will come out in full force today or next week.

But so far the SCR had been quite clear and open this week (as of this writing) and Friday or TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday for the millennials) may be when these passenger jeepneys will pass through the SCR since for most offices and schools it’s the end of the work and school week.

And while a lot of people prefer to go straight home, not a few are all too willing to hang out in nightspots, malls and other entertainment venues to unwind, knowing that they have the weekend to rest and recuperate from the rigors of the past week. Did I mention that it’s payday yesterday?

That means more people out in the streets and more of them unwinding or even shopping until late in the night or even at dawn the next day and by then we would see more than the usual volume of vehicles slowly creeping and navigating their way in the road, clogging it up for hours.

Hence to avoid the mad rush of traffic, I usually go back to base before 6 p.m. when the sun sets and just as the vehicles began piling up in the streets and roads.

Besides the sunset at the waters off the South Road Properties (SRP) is quite the sight.

Better to get ahead of the motorists and PUV drivers rather than get trapped in the middle of the pack for hours which makes one doubly tired as he or she gets home.

Unless one is a living Energizer Bunny (another pop culture reference lost among millennials), you want to avoid being trapped in traffic.
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Speaking of traffic, I watched an episode of “Adulting With Atom Araullo” on YouTube which featured useful hacks to help commuters survive the traffic nightmare in Manila’s streets, and I wondered whether it could inspire those who watched it to come out with some useful tips to survive the traffic nightmare at Natalio Bacalso Avenue.

Among the tips Araullo gave to viewers was to pick the right seats in vans-for-hire (V-hire) which, depending on the vehicle’s model would usually be located at the back or in the middle where the airconditioning is strongest and there is maximum leg room for comfort.

On riding the Light Railway Transit (LRT) or the Metro Railway Transit (MRT), Araullo advises passengers to wait their turn to board the last coach or unit (for want of a better term) rather than compete with others to board the first one that comes straight in front of them since that’s where the passengers usually get off.

The episode also showed ill-disciplined commuters who line up at non-designated areas at LRT and MRT stations as well as pedestrians who jaywalk despite the presence of pedestrian lanes.

Which only goes to show that much as one can get creative in coming up with solutions to survive the traffic congestion, one can only do so much without the cooperation of others who refuse to obey traffic laws, give way to others and are only concerned with getting ahead by all means necessary like counterflowing.
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As I previously mentioned in another column last month, I had been riding the SM MyBus liners ever since the January 4 fire that struck the Metro Gaisano shopping center at the Cebu Business Park that disrupted my usual route heading to and out of the office, and for the most part it had been a pleasant change of routes.

When I heard about the rerouting of jeepneys through the SCR, there was the initial sense of apprehension that it would become a major source of delay and inconvenience.

But I forced myself to think that other commuters who ride and sweat inside cramped, aging, smoke-belching jeepneys that pass through Natalio Bacalso Avenue are having a tougher time riding out and surviving the traffic in order to defuse whatever sense of discomfort that may creep in once the rerouting is in full effect.

Then I learned that a church had opened its roads for other motorists and PUVs to pass through while Councilor Dave Tumulak said motorists can use the old road along the Inayawan landfill site to pass through N. Bacalso Avenue and things started looking better at least for now.

The monster traffic congestion at N. Bacalso Avenue caused by the underpass project may not go away anytime soon but some things are being done to ease the burden on the riding public who should not be inconvenienced any longer than they should be.