“ There’s already chaos. It is already a calamity where you have to put up order right away..Things will not be perfect but everybody already saw that there is really a problem”,Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said, describing the current traffic situation along the Banilad-Talamban national highway.
The severe traffic congestion in the eight-kilometer Ban-Tal stretch that begins as early as seven in the morning and eases at nine in the evening, does not only afflict residents of the area, but all the sectors of the entire Cebu City and its immediate environment. This problem, thus , hinders economic performance of the city as it greatly causes the deferment of the activities of business owners, homeowners, villages and subdivisions, shopping malls, Universities and educational institutions along the affected areas.
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This chaotic phenomenon requires the full discernment of what are the primary reasons that causes the emergence of such. In an article from SunStar Cebu, narrow roads of the Ban-Tal corridor is the primary reason why vehicles passing thereby can no longer be accommodated causing traffic congestion. In an inspection by the newly formed Banilad-Talamban Traffic Management Board(BTTMC), the team found out that the road after the Banilad flyover going to the corner of Cabangcalan narrows down to fifteen meters(15m) from twenty-one meters(21m) road width from Gaisano Country Mall and Banilad Town Center. This fifteen meter(15m) road width does not only conform to the prescribed twenty (20) or more meter standard road width for national highways set by the Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH). BTTMB also noticed that there is only one lane for vehicles going to up the Banilad flyover that creates a bottleneck and retards progress of traffic flow. It is however a good thing to note that, immediately after the inspection. Mayor Micheal Rama ordered a two-lane traffic in the area going up the flyover but he have yet to implement road widening projects extending the fifteen meter road width of the eight-kilometer Ban-Tal stretch. Damaged sidewalks, illegal structures,unnecessary electrical and steel post used for the signage, establishment and private properties that encroach the road and the sidewalk. Including the fence of the University of San Carlos-Technological Center, are also identified as reasons that aggravate traffic situation in the area. USC-TC though, is one with the Cebu City Government in taking efforts to solve the problem and have already started demolishing the fence that is said to encroach the road.
Several measures, ordinances and regulations are implemented by the Cebu City Government together with the Cebu Provincial to remedy Ban-Tal road problem. Traffic in these areas is heavy both in speed and volume during peak and off-peak hours causing the implementation of a NO U-TURN policy in Camp Lapu-Lapu road in Gaisano Country Mall, eskina Paradise entering I.T Park and the entrance way the the University of San Carlos. According to Joy Tumulak, traffic operations head of the Cebu City Traffic Management(CITOM), vehicles can no longer turn left going to Gaisano Country Mall and must make a U-TURN under the flyover in Banilad, and in USC-TC, vehicles who wish to enter the campus must first pass Cabangcalan and make a U-Turn at the National Power Corporation(NPC) before it can proceed to the school.
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This traffic scheme have gathered negative comment from the residents, students, drivers those who are afflicted of the problem.
A Facebook user posted in her account talking about the policy, “ we need more road,many, many more, f the government want to keep up with it, and support the growing economy instead of being the reason of its stagnancy.”
Head of the nagkahiusang drayber sa Sugbu, Eduardo Geolin, also commented about the issue “Dili unta magpataka ug implementar sa mga rerouting, no stopping ug unsa pa na nga polisiya kay imbes unya maka tabang, makasamot pa sa problema(The City Government should not implement rerouting, no stopping and other policies without the consultation from the ones affected as this may not help and worsen the situation instead.)”
“there is no perceivable improvement in Ban-Tal traffic even after the ‘NO U-TURN’ was implemented. This traffic scheme would have been a nice idea only if there are lateral roads to the Talamban road where you can make a U-TURN to Cabangcalan. The problem is the, the next lateral road from A.S Fortuna is M.L Quezon Avenue.” Atty. Joel Buntoyan, head of Energy Regulatory Commission Visayas,said.
These expression of sentiments, somehow goes to show that commuters, drivers,students, and even the social media are one in saying that this no U-turn policy implemented by the City Government is inefficient and has failed to ease traffic in affected areas and worsened the situation instead.
Another policy implemented by the Cebu City Government is, all Public Utility Jeeps(PUJs) from Talamban can not pass the Banilad flyover anymore. This policy however, have calmed down the affected including the social media as this has been found to be effective in easing traffic flow in the area.
Aside from implementing policies, authorities also enforced regulations and have conducted surveys and inspections, trying to distinguish other causes of the problem. In a survey, together with Mayor Michael Rama, there were identified structures that encroach sidewalks and roads, at least 10 tables of eatery owners, stall and water dispensers that obstructed the sidewalk were removed on the spot, some of which were confiscated by the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement(PROBE). Immediately after the inspection, Mayor Rama gave City Department Heads a month torestore damaged sidewalks, demolish illegal structures, and remove electrical and steel posts that are no longer being used.
The Cebu City Government with the help of the Cebu Provincial Government pays attention to the problem and is eyeing to implement a major, long term solution such as the widening of roads, as narrow roads, discussed previously, is one primary reason of the problem. Once this project will be realized and implemented, increased road space could accommodate more vehicles. Congestion will be thus, remedied. Theoretically, if road widening would be done, the big volume of vehicles plying the area could be spread in wider spaces as to ease traffic flow. But, the implementation of these widening projects would not be easy as it will cause set back of some private properties and through, private property owners signified interest in allowing a set back of their properties without any compensation, the implementation would take too much time and may cause heavier traffic congestion as the process would go on.
However, widening of road may achieve relief from the chaotic Ban-Tal traffic, it is but temporary. There will always be more and more vehicles especially that these areas have grown economically and there is a growing number of residents,businesses and educational institutions along the stretch these vehicles would occupy the space just built, then cycle repeats, another widening od road would be necessary. Traffic in Banilad and Talamban, however and whatever measures are implemented, can never be eradicated, just eased.
The University is open for road widening, according from the article of Sun Star Daily News. (please see the attached link for the article)
https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=4la9jphfjvlp7#7356032481
“ There’s already chaos. It is already a calamity where you have to put up order right away..Things will not be perfect but everybody already saw that there is really a problem”,Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said, describing the current traffic situation along the Banilad-Talamban national highway.
The severe traffic congestion in the eight-kilometer Ban-Tal stretch that begins as early as seven in the morning and eases at nine in the evening, does not only afflict residents of the area, but all the sectors of the entire Cebu City and its immediate environment. This problem, thus , hinders economic performance of the city as it greatly causes the deferment of the activities of business owners, homeowners, villages and subdivisions, shopping malls, Universities and educational institutions along the affected areas.
This chaotic phenomenon requires the full discernment of what are the primary reasons that causes the emergence of such. In an article from SunStar Cebu, narrow roads of the Ban-Tal corridor is the primary reason why vehicles passing thereby can no longer be accommodated causing traffic congestion. In an inspection by the newly formed Banilad-Talamban Traffic Management Board(BTTMC), the team found out that the road after the Banilad flyover going to the corner of Cabangcalan narrows down to fifteen meters(15m) from twenty-one meters(21m) road width from Gaisano Country Mall and Banilad Town Center. This fifteen meter(15m) road width does not only conform to the prescribed twenty (20) or more meter standard road width for national highways set by the Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH). BTTMB also noticed that there is only one lane for vehicles going to up the Banilad flyover that creates a bottleneck and retards progress of traffic flow. It is however a good thing to note that, immediately after the inspection. Mayor Micheal Rama ordered a two-lane traffic in the area going up the flyover but he have yet to implement road widening projects extending the fifteen meter road width of the eight-kilometer Ban-Tal stretch. Damaged sidewalks, illegal structures,unnecessary electrical and steel post used for the signage, establishment and private properties that encroach the road and the sidewalk. Including the fence of the University of San Carlos-Technological Center, are also identified as reasons that aggravate traffic situation in the area. USC-TC though, is one with the Cebu City Government in taking efforts to solve the problem and have already started demolishing the fence that is said to encroach the road.
Several measures, ordinances and regulations are implemented by the Cebu City Government together with the Cebu Provincial to remedy Ban-Tal road problem. Traffic in these areas is heavy both in speed and volume during peak and off-peak hours causing the implementation of a NO U-TURN policy in Camp Lapu-Lapu road in Gaisano Country Mall, eskina Paradise entering I.T Park and the entrance way the the University of San Carlos. According to Joy Tumulak, traffic operations head of the Cebu City Traffic Management(CITOM), vehicles can no longer turn left going to Gaisano Country Mall and must make a U-TURN under the flyover in Banilad, and in USC-TC, vehicles who wish to enter the campus must first pass Cabangcalan and make a U-Turn at the National Power Corporation(NPC) before it can proceed to the school.
This traffic scheme have gathered negative comment from the residents, students, drivers those who are afflicted of the problem.
A Facebook user posted in her account talking about the policy, “ we need more road,many, many more, f the government want to keep up with it, and support the growing economy instead of being the reason of its stagnancy.”
Head of the nagkahiusang drayber sa Sugbu, Eduardo Geolin, also commented about the issue “Dili unta magpataka ug implementar sa mga rerouting, no stopping ug unsa pa na nga polisiya kay imbes unya maka tabang, makasamot pa sa problema(The City Government should not implement rerouting, no stopping and other policies without the consultation from the ones affected as this may not help and worsen the situation instead.)”
“there is no perceivable improvement in Ban-Tal traffic even after the ‘NO U-TURN’ was implemented. This traffic scheme would have been a nice idea only if there are lateral roads to the Talamban road where you can make a U-TURN to Cabangcalan. The problem is the, the next lateral road from A.S Fortuna is M.L Quezon Avenue.” Atty. Joel Buntoyan, head of Energy Regulatory Commission Visayas,said.
These expression of sentiments, somehow goes to show that commuters, drivers,students, and even the social media are one in saying that this no U-turn policy implemented by the City Government is inefficient and has failed to ease traffic in affected areas and worsened the situation instead.
Another policy implemented by the Cebu City Government is, all Public Utility Jeeps(PUJs) from Talamban can not pass the Banilad flyover anymore. This policy however, have calmed down the affected including the social media as this has been found to be effective in easing traffic flow in the area.
Aside from implementing policies, authorities also enforced regulations and have conducted surveys and inspections, trying to distinguish other causes of the problem. In a survey, together with Mayor Michael Rama, there were identified structures that encroach sidewalks and roads, at least 10 tables of eatery owners, stall and water dispensers that obstructed the sidewalk were removed on the spot, some of which were confiscated by the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement(PROBE). Immediately after the inspection, Mayor Rama gave City Department Heads a month torestore damaged sidewalks, demolish illegal structures, and remove electrical and steel posts that are no longer being used.
The Cebu City Government with the help of the Cebu Provincial Government pays attention to the problem and is eyeing to implement a major, long term solution such as the widening of roads, as narrow roads, discussed previously, is one primary reason of the problem. Once this project will be realized and implemented, increased road space could accommodate more vehicles. Congestion will be thus, remedied. Theoretically, if road widening would be done, the big volume of vehicles plying the area could be spread in wider spaces as to ease traffic flow. But, the implementation of these widening projects would not be easy as it will cause set back of some private properties and through, private property owners signified interest in allowing a set back of their properties without any compensation, the implementation would take too much time and may cause heavier traffic congestion as the process would go on.
However, widening of road may achieve relief from the chaotic Ban-Tal traffic, it is but temporary. There will always be more and more vehicles especially that these areas have grown economically and there is a growing number of residents,businesses and educational institutions along the stretch these vehicles would occupy the space just built, then cycle repeats, another widening od road would be necessary. Traffic in Banilad and Talamban, however and whatever measures are implemented, can never be eradicated, just eased.
The University is open for road widening, according from the article of Sun Star Daily News. (please see the attached link for the article)
https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=4la9jphfjvlp7#7356032481
https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=4la9jphfjvlp7#7356032481
