Board Member Glenn Anthony Soco of Cebu’s sixth district delivers a privilege speech as he introduces his resolution declaring a “Traffic Crisis” in Cebu. | Rosalie O. Abatayo
CEBU CITY. Philipines — Metro Cebu’s traffic situation needs solutions, not debates on whether it is a “crisis.”
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia made the remark as the Provincial Board declared a “traffic crisis” through a resolution on during their regular session on Monday, October 14.
The resolution sponsored by Board Member Glenn Anthony Soco of Cebu’s sixth district lamented that the traffic situation in the metro has negatively affected economic activity as well as the well-beings of Cebuanos.
Read more: PB declares traffic crisis in Cebu
In a privilege speech, Soco said declaring the traffic crisis would be a means to increase the level of discussion and participation of the private sector in solving the problem.
Soco’s resolution,which was passed in mass motion, however, did not present a concrete plan on how to address the traffic situation.
“Let us just address it. Let’s find ways to address it regardless if it is a crisis or if its getting to be a problem, an irritation, depending on your interpretation and the level by which you have been subjected,” Garcia said.
Garcia, who lives in Barangay Guadalupe, had her share of the traffic congestion dilemma this morning.
The governor had to disembark from her vehicle near the Central Visayas Office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI-7) and walk her way to the Capitol to catch the Monday flag raising ceremony earlier as traffic build-up in M. Velez Street had stalled her.
One of Garcia’s suggestions to address the traffic situation in Metro Cebu is the conversion of congested intersections into roundabouts like that of the Fuente Osmeña.
“Sa areas nga pwede ,mag-roundabout ta pareha sa Fuente. It is not the perfect solution but it can be implemented immediately,” Garcia said.
Converting the intersections into roundabouts means that the traffic flow will be maintained unlike in a regular intersection when one traffic flow will need to be halted to give way for vehicles coming from other directions.
Garcia added that opening U-turn slots would also be helpful to maintain a a flowing traffic in intersections.
This means that instead of stopping the traffic flow of two lanes to let the vehicles from the other two lanes cross the intersection, the direction that usually has the less volume will have to merge with the incoming traffic and make a U-turn in the nearest slot.
This is one of the proposed schemes of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to decongest intersections in Metro Cebu.
The same principle was applied in the rerouting scheme implemented at the intersection of U.N. Avenue and D.M. Cortes Street in Mandaue City last June.
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Garcia said she was still awaiting a report of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-7) on the feasibility of these measures.