Pedestrian-friendly lanes in 4 Cebu city roads: Will this work?

Hundreds of bikers (top right) take the inner lane in this April 2012 Earth Day celebration along Juan Luna Avenue. This scene with vehicles sharing the other side of the lane will be repeated on Sunday on four other main roads in Cebu City. (CDN FILE PHOTO)

Pedestrians and cars on the same road?

The viability of road sharing will be put to a test this Sunday in four main streets of Cebu City.

From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., a “half-road” policy will be implemented along Osmeña Boulevard, Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Gorordo Avenue, and Escario Street, said Rafael Yap, executive director of the Cebu city traffic operations management (Citom).

Rope barriers will be placed to guide road users in the scheme.

Bicycles and pedestrians will occupy the inner lane close to the sidewalk, while motorized vehicles will occupy the outer lane of the same road.

The experiment is part of a citizens’ initiative called the “Cebu Green Loop Plan” which envisions well-planned urban growth in Metro Cebu.

Priority is given to pedestrians and public transport  over private car owners in order to decongest road traffic, said advocates, who go by the slogan”Those with less in wheels must have more in roads.”

After weeks of coordination meetings with City Hall, the green light for the road sharing experiment was announced yesterday during the 888 News Forum by Marc Canton and architect Joseph Michael “Yumi” Espina of the Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC).

“This is a concept that tries to solve the urban problem. Metro Cebu is going to become unstable if we just continue what we are doing now,” said Architect Esp, pointing to chaotic traffic and the increasing number of vehicles on the road.

ZUMBA, BIKING

Canton invited the public to join activities like Zumba dancing yoga, and street art exhibits which will be set up along points of the route.

Civic groups were invited to send delegations to walk, run, skate board or bike on the roads on  Sunday, a day chosen for its light vehicle traffic.

Citom’s Yap said supporters of MLC and the Green Loop Plan will prepare the rope barriers while about 20 Citom enforcers will be fielded on Sunday to guide traffic at intersections.

“This is a citizens activity. Citom’s participation is traffic management at the intersections,” said Yap.

THIRD TIME

This is the third time since 2011 for a road sharing scheme to be tried in Cebu City after it was first introduced by environment lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr. who called it a “Road Revolution”.

He  got City Hall’s permission to close the length of Osmeña Boulevard to vehicles on Independence Day, June 12, and turned the longest street of the city into a promenade.

The scheme was a fun alternative on a holiday but wasn’t sustained.

The scheme later drew flak when a reprise in downtown Cebu city on a weekday irritated jeepney and  private car owners because sudden road closures caused traffic jams and caught commuters by surprise.

This time, however,  more groups are getting behind the initiative for another launch.

The road sharing and pedestrianized lanes are only a part of a larger Metro Cebu urban plan, the Green Loop, designed by students and mentor of the University of San Carlos College of Fine Arts and Architecture, with Cebu experts in urban planning, landscape architecture, environmental science and law, and community organizing.

The larger plan calls for more parks, a third Mactan Bridge, developing a “cultural and historical district”, a design and creative hub, and  Mactan tourism sports and recreation zone, among other reforms.

ROAD FOR EVERYONE

Sunday’s event  has the theme :“Ang Kadalanan Para Sa Tanan. Mag-angay Ta Sa D’an!”  (The road is for everyone. Let’s all share the road!)

Canton, MLC lead convenor, said the inner lane will be used for the pedestrians, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), bikers, and skateboarders.
The outer lane will be for normal two-way vehicular traffic.

MLC said they envision a “livable” Cebu where there are more pedestrian lanes, wider sidewalks and clearly marked bicycle lanes.

Both Canton and Espina, dean of the USC CAFA, stressed that there is no sustainable development for Cebu City if traffic problems are not solved.

Sunday’s experiment will be a basis to observe how people and road users  adjust to the new scheme and its impact on traffic.

“I hope people could appreciate it and do it again. This is also about  changing the mindset of people. Obviously at first it will be new for them but later on they can adjust to it,” Espina said.

“You have to teach people and let them see the advantage of  road sharing.”

Canton said they don’t know how many people are coming out to participate but MLC has invited bikers organizations to join.

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