Unruly drivers, roadwork causes of heavy traffic

Bumper to bumper traffic from Pardo to Mambaling was observed on Monday morning as more schools started classes. . CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

Traffic problems in Cebu City’s roads will never end unless drivers follow traffic rules.

Despite the ongoing roadworks, Cebu City Traffic Operations (CCTO) chief Francisco Ouano said the greatest contributors to traffic congestion in choke point areas are the drivers who do not follow traffic rules.

Ouano said traffic flow is usually hampered by motorists who illegally park their vehicles and do not follow designated loading and unloading areas.

Last Monday, when most private schools including tertiary institutions opened for classes, vehicles plying N. Bacalso Avenue, Escario Street, and the Banilad-Talamban route experienced bumper to bumper traffic flow.

Ouano said heavy traffic was expected on N. Bacalso Avenue because of the ongoing construction of the underpass at the intersection of F. Llamas street in Barangay Mambaling.

Only one lane going to Cebu City is open while the southbound lanes are entirely closed.

Commuters waiting for a ride occupied most of the sidewalks in Basak Pardo and Poblacion Pardo, where routes of most utility jeepneys heading towards the city start.

The underpass project is expected to start phase 4 of the construction which would need to close the north bound lane of N. Bacalso Avenue.

Ouano said that CCTO and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are already working on the new traffic plan for the affected motorists.

One plan that is being studied is to divert the northbound traffic to Cabreros Street upon reaching Basak San Nicolas and exit via Tagunol Street in Mambaling.

The project is expected to be finished by the end of this year, or three months earlier than the project’s timeline.

At the Banilad-Talamban route, heavy traffic was also observed in Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue as most vehicles coming from the downtown area in Cebu City, Mandaue City and Consolacion converge here.

Two heavily populated universities are located in the Banilad and Talamban area.

A road repair project in Talamban also created a traffic gridlock for vehicles heading towards a big private school in Tintay, the boundary of the Cities of Mandaue and Cebu.

“Mas grabe ang atong ma-expect ugma kay mag-open na gyod ang gradeschool padung senior high school departments ani nga eskwelahan,” said Ouano.
(It will be worse tomorrow (today) because classes for grade school to senior high school of these schools will start.)

Ouano said that around 2,000 vehicles carrying students are expected to move in and out of the school campus.

“We have advised the contractor of the project to divide the road works by 50 meters so that the affected part of the street would not be that long at a given time,” said Ouano.

Ouano said that the project in the area would last until mid of August.