CEBU CITY, Philippines—An official of the City of Talisay Traffic Operations and Development Authority (CT-TODA) is alarmed over the slight increase in road mishaps recorded in the city during the first quarter of this year.
CT-TODA head Jonathan Tumulak said his office logged a total of 629 vehicular accidents during the first quarter of this year; this number registers an increase of 14.36 percent compared to the number of vehicular accidents recorded in January, February, and March 2022, which was at 550.
“Karong first quarter medyo na alarma mi og dyutay tungod kay mo average naman ta og halos, 200 ka mga accidents sulod sa usa ka buwan,” he said during a news forum on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
“Kana nga gidaghanon, medyo na alarma mi pero pasalamat gihapon mi kay naa nay mo report and then dali na ang response time,” he added.
CT-TODA logged a total of 504 vehicular incidents in 2021.
Based on their data, Tumulak said the majority of the incidents recorded this year occurred from early morning until around 1 p.m.
And of the 200 average vehicular accidents recorded monthly, 40 percent of these involve motorcycles.
He noted that along with the lifting of the COVID-19 pandemic-induced health and community restrictions is the increased number of vehicles plying the streets.
“Sa una maka project ta nga ang atoang peak hours is naa ra sa alas 6 to 9 sa buntag, pero karon, di na matag-an kay mukalit ra og saka ang volume sa mga sakyanan, especially Friday and Saturday,” he added.
Solutions
In a bid to lessen vehicular accidents in Talisay, Tumulak said they are intensifying their apprehension efforts on violators, especially those who are used to making unsafe lane changing, not wearing helmets for motorcycles, and overloading, among others.
“Di jud ka mag change lanes while approaching an intersection,” he said.
He said violators of traffic rules risk facing a penalty of P1,000 for reckless driving.
He also urged motorists to leave an hour or two earlier as a means to avoid and lessen heavy congestion in busy intersections and roads during rush hour.
Tumulak admitted that with only 130 traffic enforcers on the field, they have a difficulty in their operations.
In 2020, the CT-TODA’s traffic count from 6 a.m. until 8 a.m. already reached around 20,000 vehicles. This only covers the volume of vehicles passing through Linao to the Starmall area.
“Dako jud kaayo og ka kuwangan kay ang Talisay man gud sa pagkakaron is nagkasaka kay kami may next to Cebu City,” he said.
He, however, said they have started tapping and deputizing barangay tanods to help them implement some of the traffic rules.
He also said he has a pending request to Mayor Samsam Gullas for additional CT-TODA personnel.
“Bisan naa lang mi initial nga 50 ka personnel dugang. Dako na na siyag tabang,” he said.
/bmjo
READ MORE:
Motorists jailed for disrespecting a CT-TODA enforcer
