Citom tweaks Ban-Tal traffic
THE Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) will try to maintain three lanes of traffic going to the city proper from the Banilad-Talamban area today.
This is the first step in trying to improve traffic in the area.
If the traffic flow improves, the moratorium on all developments in the Banilad-Talamban corridor, including Capitol’s Ciudad project, will be revisited, said Citom Chairman Sylvan Jakosalem.
Lawyer Rafael Yap of Citom said
they have removed the railings and will start implementing the one-way, three-lane traffic between 6 and 9 a.m. today. The railings were located in the middle of the road in front of the Gaisano Country Mall to the area parallel to the entrance of Paradise Village.
The traffic solution is still on an experimental stage, and Yap said they will assess if there is a need to reverse this for afternoon peak hours, to favor traffic going to Talamban.
Yap said this is “purely a traffic management solution” that Cebu City Mayor Michael
Rama wanted imposed.
But Jakosalem earlier said the Banilad-Talamban traffic will have to be improved before talks on letting the Ciudad project proceed can be entertained.
“Once we are able to improve the Ban-Tal traffic, maybe we can talk about the moratorium on all developments in the area, not just the Ciudad,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview yesterday.
But Metro Cebu Traffic Council (MCTC) Chairman Bunny Pages said there is no reason not to entertain the Ciudad project.
Pages, also of the Cebu Leads Foundation, an organization of business owners, said that in the short and long term, the Ciudad will benefit Cebu.
“Instead of looking for all the reasons why we can’t do it, shouldn’t we be looking for reasons why we should do it? Where would Cebu be today had we blocked the entry of SM, Ayala, Robinsons Group, among others, to our island several years ago?” asked Pages.
The Ciudad project will bring in investors and employment.
Pages admitted traffic in Banilad-Talamban is a valid reason, but instead of blocking commercial developments, the City should instead look for ways to improve traffic.
The Cebu Leads Foundation, said Pages, was able to secure four motorcycles that Citom
can use in sorting out traffic problems in the Banilad-Talamban area.
Jakosalem, though, said Banilad-Talamban residents are really worried about developments in the corridor and politics has nothing to do with it.
“That is why we really need to study it carefully and extensively,” said Jakosalem.
The moratorium was given political color because Rep. Tomas Osmeńa (Cebu City, south district), when he was still the city mayor, implemented it at the height of a conflict between the City and Provincial Governments.
That conflict began with an aborted plan to exchange a commercial block of the City with Province-owned lands occupied by city settlers in several barangays.
Jakosalem also said it is up to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and the council to revisit the Ciudad project.
As for the Banilad-Talamban traffic, Jakosalem said Citom is studying a plan to flare intersections in the area.
This is why he plans to talk to Capitol for an inventory of its properties in the corridor.
Jakosalem said he would negotiate with Capitol on the use of properties for a possible road widening, as another option to solve the Banilad-Talamban traffic.
Pages also said experts should be called for inputs on how to solve the worsening traffic situation.
Jakosalem added that the removal of the railings was also for safety purposes, because a number of motorists have crashed into the railings, causing injuries.
All about Banilad - Talamban Traffic
Originally Posted by digitalsuperman
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
