Traffic is expected to ease in the northern parts of Metro Cebu after Mandaue City, Consolacion, and Liloan agreed to implement a synchronized and extended truck ban starting December 18, 2020. |CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – To alleviate traffic woes in northern Metro Cebu, the local governments of Mandaue City, Consolacion, and Liloan will be implementing a uniformed and extended truck ban.
Local officials from these local government units (LGU) met with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Friday, December 11, and representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to discuss traffic solutions in the Consolacion-Liloan stretch of Cebu North Road.
Garcia, in a follow-up press conference, announced that the three LGUs agreed to do synchronized and extended hours of truck ban in the northern portions of Metro Cebu starting this December 18, 2020.
Mandaue City, Consolacion, and Liloan have different truck ban schedules.
But starting this December 18, trucks with a gross vehicle weight of more than 4,500 kilograms will not be allowed to ply on national roads in these jurisdictions starting from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the morning, and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the evening.
Examples of these vehicles included six-wheeler and trailer trucks.
“It’s better that the three LGUs agreed to do the same truck ban schedules otherwise these trucks will get stuck in other LGU and in turn, will only congest roads,” said Garcia in Cebuano.
The governor on Friday called for a post-assessment meeting of the new traffic policy implemented in Consolacion town which is the no-left-turn-and-right-turn-only rule.
The newly introduced traffic measure gained criticisms from netizens and motorists during its first day of implementation.
But Garcia, together with Consolacion Mayor Joannes Alegado, defended their decision in enforcing such a traffic scheme, saying that issues are expected to rise on the first day.
“If you can see both the southbound and northbound lanes in Consolacion now, there’s barely any congestion. Days after it was first implemented, traffic was smooth. It showed that the new policy was indeed effective,” said Garcia in Cebuano.
Consolacion’s no-left-turn-and-right-turn-only rule took effect last December 8, 2020. /rcg