Dr. Reynaldo Vea (2nd from right), TSSP president, discusses preparations for the EASTS 2015 conference next month at the Radisson Blu Hotel. With him are (L-R) Dr. Primitivo Cal, past TSSP President ; Engr. Nigel Paul Villarete, Mactan Cebu International Airport general manager; and Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy. The TSSP is hosting the biennial conference. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)
About 800 transportation researchers and professionals from East Asia will converge here next month to discuss the best transportation practices in the region, including the bus rapid transit (BRT) system that will be established in Metro Cebu.
The Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies (EASTS) Conference will be held on Sept. 11 to 14 at the Radisson Blu, with the theme “Resilient and Inclusive Transportation Systems through Smarter Mobility.”
Nigel Paul C. Villarete, director of host organization Transportation Science Society of the Philippines (TSSP), said the P10-billion BRT project in Cebu will be among the topics to be highlighted during the conference.
“I hope that we would gather much support from the public and the government,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
Dr. Primitivo Cal, former TSSP president, said transportation-related problems and projects in highly urbanized areas will be presented during the conference.
“The most important part in this is that we are going to present various presentations that will enable local scientists and planners to learn,” he said.
He said traffic congestion and pollution are problems common to big urban areas such as Metro Manila.
“These provide challenges for (transportation) practitioners,” he added. Among the short-term solutions are intersection interventions, introduction of traffic signals, rerouting and traffic management including a left-turn ban.
Cal noted that Cebu was the first in the country to use the new improved traffic signal systems, although he noted the lack of maintenance and the need to upgrade traffic management.
Villarete, who is the general manager of the Mactan Cebu International Airport, said the conference will include tours in the Mactan Airport and in the Tsuneishi shipyard in Balamban town in western Cebu.
Expected guests are Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya and Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo.
EASTS is the umbrella organization of transportation science societies in Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
It holds international biennial conferences aimed at promoting exchange of knowledge on transportation research and practices./ Jay-Ileen Engalla