Traffic Situation at the boundary of Minglanilla and Talisay City on April 18, 2020. | CDN DIGITAL PHOTO MOREXETTE MARIE ERRAM
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Local officials in Cebu province want to ease traffic congestion along the stretch of N. Bacalso Avenue, from Talisay City to Naga City, by imposing a ‘no-left-turn, right-turn-only’ rule.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia made this announcement during a press conference on Tuesday, December 29.
“We will now be on our second meeting, for the stretch in the south with the mayors… to map out the strategy of implementing the no-left-turn, right-turn only scheme,” said Garcia.
Garcia said the Capitol is set to discuss this proposal further with mayors from Talisay City (Gerald Anthony ‘Samsam’ Gullas), Minglanilla (Elanito Peña), and Naga City (Kristine Vanessa Chiong) on Tuesday.
This is the same traffic rule that was implemented in Consolacion town last December 8.
When it first took effect, motorists blamed the new traffic policy in this first-class municipality located approximately 15 kilometers north of Cebu City for the heavy traffic they experienced.
But officials, including Garcia, defended their decision and were quick to point out that traffic flow in the northern corridor of Metro Cebu has improved in the succeeding days.
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Intersections
Based on earlier reports, there are 23 intersections along the 1.2-kilometer stretch of Cebu North Road from Consolacion to Liloan.
Vehicles passing through these junctions, according to officials and traffic experts, contributed to heavy traffic there that also affected traffic in nearby Mandaue City.
In the south, Garcia said they will conduct ‘thorough planning and consultation’ before they can implement their proposed traffic scheme.
“Especially in Minglanilla, where there’s like over 20 intersections and there’s a lot of residential areas there, we have to thoroughly plan and study this one,” said Garcia in Cebuano.
“Engineers from the 1st District Engineering Office of DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) will be presenting the layout of the highway there,” she added.
The governor also assured the public that they will be issuing prior notice to motorists should they push through with their plans to roll out the new traffic rules in the south.
“Just like in Consolacion, we will be releasing prior notices before we can implement it,” she said. /rcg