Task force to regulate traffic at SRP

A task force created to address traffic concerns in the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) at the South Road Properties (SRP) held its first meeting last Friday and dealt with its first motorists who parked at the Farmers’ Market near the area.

The multi-agency group headed by the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) met with SRP manager Roberto “Bu” Varquez to discuss the strict enforcement of the traffic ordinance, CCTO executive director Rey Gealon said.

He said this meant apprehending drunk drivers and enforcement of the 40-kilometer-per-hour speed limit in the reclamation area.

But Gealon said this can be addressed effectively after the city acquires speed guns and liquor analyzers.

Earlier this year, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was vocal in ordering the CCTO to address the traffic problems in the SRP.

Based on their records, over 1,000 vehicular accidents have already occurred in the SRP since 2010.

The task force apprehended several vehicles parked along the road near the Farmers’ Market, a livelihood project initiated by former mayor and south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña in the Mambaling Access Road.

“City Hall police went to Farmers’ Market and threatened to jail about 10 car owners who were parked on the roadside, despite the absence of a ‘No Parking’ sign.I’m sorry that happened,” Osmeña said in a post in his official Facebook account.

He said he’s now negotiating with the owner of the lot they’re occupying to provide more space for vehicle to park inside the lot and not on the road.

Gealon said they had to reprimand and issue citation tickets to the owners of the vehicles parked along the road since they violated the city’s traffic rules.
He said they sent their personnel to reprimand the drivers.

“There were a lot of vehicles parked on both sides of the road. It’s the CCTO policy that there are no sacred cows. We don’t hesitate to implement the law if it means issuing citation tickets for traffic violation,” Gealon said.