DOTr insists BRT will be completed by 2020

TRANSPORTATION officials assured Cebuanos that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) component of the Metro Cebu Integrated and Intermodal Transportation System (MCIITS) will be completed by 2020.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Communications Director Goddess Hope Libiran said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has set an earlier date for the BRT’s completion “in order to motivate and challenge the proponent.”

“2020 is the target set by Secretary Tugade for the proponent. That is the target that he wants them to achieve to motivate them. It’s (also) a challenge for them,” said Libiran.

“One case on point is the Bohol-Panglao International Airport. Its original completion is in 2021 but we completed it in 2018.

(Terminal 2) of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport was supposedly delayed for one year but we finished it on time,” she told Cebu Daily News over the phone.

The assurance came after Cebu City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete expressed doubts that the P17-billion BRT project, which has already suffered several delays, would be operational by 2020.

Villarete, an urban planning and policy expert, earlier said that completing the BRT and LRT by 2020 would be ‘unrealistic’ since the former even failed to achieve its target completion date after multiple delays.

Libiran said the DOTr respects Villarete’s views but advised the latter to just “support the government to ensure faster completion of the project.”

LRT

Libiran also bared that the proposal to implement an LRT in Metro Cebu is now being evaluated by DOTr before it will be raised to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for approval.

Aside from the BRT and LRT, the DOTr is also implementing a monorail, a point-to-point (P2P) bus system, and an intelligent transportation management system that will form part of the MCIITS as fulfillment of their ‘basket of solutions’ on Cebu’s traffic woes.

Proper coordination needed

Meanwhile, Cebu business leaders said proper coordination and preparation should be done to make sure the mass transport projects for Metro Cebu are implemented smoothly.

“That would be good news for Cebu. These two transport solutions are very good for us. It will help maintain the momentum of the growth of Cebu,” said Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) President Stanley Go.

For his part, Cebu Business Club (CBC) President Gordon Alan Joseph said he hopes these two mass transport projects will not suffer delays.

“This is a great announcement and I would be pleasantly surprised if these projects are implemented this quickly,” he added.
But in order to wholly address traffic problems, Joseph said government officials must also address the “human” aspects of traffic before starting with the implementation of the BRT and LRT.

For one, he said there should be strict enforcement of traffic rules, traffic enforcers training, smart traffic lights and the inclusion of a thorough driver education when applying for a driver’s license.