Investors from Austria, Taiwan and Australia as well as domestic companies expressed interest to submit proposals for Cebu City’s traffic management system.
Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the City Council’s transportation committee, disclosed this, saying that most components of the city’s 30-year-old traffic management system are in need of upgrades or repairs.
“I was tasked by Mayor Tom (Tomas Osmeña) to check the current situation on our traffic system and based on our report, 72 out of 80 intersection controllers in Cebu City are functional,” he said.
But he said only 20 percent of 100 traffic density detectors are still working.
Guardo said these detectors are vital in manning traffic since these are used to identify which areas usually experience heavy traffic.
Cebu City is one of several cities worldwide that uses the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) which collects traffic volume and related data in real time.
“But we’re using the old SCATS for 30 years, I think. That’s why aside from repairing or replacing non-functional components, we are also considering to upgrade the entire system,” Guardo said.
SCATS is cited for its ability to collect information from detectors and traffic signals or lights within one network to calibrate their timing and coordination.
Guardo said they also identified an additional 10 areas in Cebu City that need traffic lights.
These include intersections such as S. Osmeña Boulevard and Urot Cabahug Street; S. Osmeña Boulevard and Kaohsiung Street; Gorordo Avenue and Modesta Street; N. Bacalso Avenue and F. Jaca Street; and F. Llamas and Tres de Abril Streets.
Guardo confirmed that foreign investors from Austria, Taiwan, and Australia are interested to partner with the city government in improving Cebu City’s traffic management system.
“We have already talked around eight of them, including traffic experts, to give us insights and recommendations. We have talked with local and also foreign ones from Austria, Taiwan, and Australia,” he said.
Guardo said they are still finalizing the cost estimates for upgrading Cebu City’s traffic management system.
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