‘No Left Turn’ scheme unclogs Ban-Tal traffic

University of San Carlos Talamban Campus (CDN PHOTO/Junjie Mendoza)

The newly formed Banilad-Talamban (Ban-Tal) Traffic Management Board said the “no left turn” policy during rush hour traffic since June 30 helped ease congestion along the eight-kilometer national highway.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said this was their initial assessment after a three-hour early morning inspection with co-chairman Bunny Pages and other city officials yesterday.

“There is still more to be done, in terms of movement of traffic, it has been improving substantially,” Rama said.

He and the officials walked from a fast-food outlet in Gorordo Ave. to the University of San Carlos (USC) Talamban Campus to observe traffic flow.

Hard statistics to show before-and-after situations are not available though.

Rafael Yap, Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), said it was unfortunate they weren’t able to get baseline travel time data from Banilad and Talamban due to the sudden enforcement of the no U-turn directive.

Heavy in speed, volume

“However, we were able to get data from Thursday and Friday but still the data has yet to be encoded and processed,” Yap said.

He said traffic in Ban-Tal is heavy both in speed and volume during peak and even off-peak hours.
“The objective of the entire exercise was to improve (traffic flow) in terms of speed,” Yap said.

He said the no left-turn policy helped ensure the continuous flow of vehicles on all lanes.

Yap said traffic congestion is caused mostly by motorists making left-turns at the most inopportune time.

More hands

He said under the new policy, vehicles heading to the city make left-turns in two lanes below the Banilad flyover without disrupting traffic flow.

Yap said the two lanes, one of them a side road, help ensure the smooth flow of vehicles heading to and from the city.

“You will notice the vehicles are all moving. We think there is an improvement,” Yap told Cebu Daily News. Pages said the new policy will prevent congestion of vehicles heading to Talamban since they won’t be allowed to make sudden U-turns. He also suggested that security guards of commercial establishments in the area should be trained to conduct traffic. “The more hands helping us, the better,” Yap said.

During the inspection Judge Alexander Acosta of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 9, a resident of Talamban, told the mayor that the congestion happens at the vicinity near barangay Tintay where most vehicles make left-turns.

Cebu City engineer Jose Marie Poblete who also joined the inspection said there is already a plan for road widening as a permanent solution to the traffic congestion.

He said the city government will have to tap the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the private sector as well for the establishments that might be affected.

U-turn slots will also be put up at Barcode near Holiday Spa, Bright Academy, Sto. Niño Village and the Family Park.

During the inspection, Rama also ordered personnel to uproot a dead tree at a portion leading to the Banilad flyover and remove railings to provide more space for commuters.

Widening

Electrical and steel posts used for signages will also be taken down, Rama said.

For their part, the University of San Carlos Talamban Campus (USC-TC) said they are willing to cooperate with the Cebu City government in enforcing the no U-turn policy along the Banilad-Talamban road.

“We are one with Mayor Mika Rama in taking efforts to solve the traffic situation along the Ban-Tal road,” Fr. Lucio Pedro Dayag, USC-TC administrator of properties, said in a written statement.

He said they are talking with the regional Department of Pubic Works and Highways (DPWH-7) about the widening of Gov. Cuenco Avenue that will affect the USC-TC fence.

Fr. Dayag said even if students complain about disembarking from passenger jeepneys farther away from the campus, they realize that “there must be some sacrifices” made to make the traffic scheme work. With UPVTC Intern Le-an Lai Lacaba and US-JR Intern Zonah Perez

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