Cebu City’s Local Transportation Route Plan to be completed by Oct. 15

Police check vehicles along Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City in this photo taken on June 15, 2020, the first day the city was reverted to ECQ.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City’s future transportation routes will be laid out on October 15, 2020, as Mayor Edgardo Labella set the deadline for the City Planning Office and the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) to finish the local transportation route plan (LTRP) by then.

The LTRP would become the new transportation routing system that the city will adapt with the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) System.

Architect Ann Marie Cuizon, the assistant head of the City Planning Office and the main designer of the LTRP, said that they were able to start the plan in the beginning of the year, but this was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board in Central Visayas  (LTFRB-7) has required a street survey, but with the pandemic, it was impossible to conduct so and the city government had to do with the data it currently has on the traffic volume, passenger volume, and other needed data.

The LTRP includes the route of feeder modern jeepneys to the main BRT line, where the buses are expected to ply. The LTRP would also include mobility lanes such as the bike lane.

“It’s going to be mixture and balance of transportation options. Now under the quarantine, we actually see the transition routes. The LTRP will be a modification of the routes we see now because right now, there are no jeepneys yet,” said Cuizon.

Councilor Joel Garganera said that bus stops will also be established under the LTRP and the CCTO will be working on ensuring the stops are in strategic places.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will also be involved as bus stops need to be placed at bay areas so the buses will not hamper the traffic flow when loading and unloading passengers.

“We will also make sure that there are really structures for the bus stops, a waiting area so that people can line up and wait here for the buses. We will also ensure that under the new normal, we can enforce the social distancing,” said Garganera.

Mayor Labella assured the public that the LTRP will already be completed by mid-October so that jeepney cooperatives that will be investing on modern jeepneys can already review the routes ahead of time. This will also allow people to get used to the new routes before its implementation. /bmjo

Read: 15 feeder routes in Cebu City eyed for BRT