Cebu City officials: New traffic scheme improves BanTal traffic flow

Local

THE traffic scheme in the Banilad-Talamban corridor is showing early gains in travel time.

The city's Chief of Staff, Kenneth Siasar, in a recent press conference, said the city recorded a drop in northbound travel time from about one hour and 30 minutes to 51 minutes during peak hours, while southbound travel time was reduced to 39 minutes.

The figures, however, cover different peak periods.

Assistant Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) head Kent Jongoy clarified that the 51-minute figure applies to northbound travel during the afternoon peak, while the 39-minute figure applies to southbound travel during the morning peak.

The CCTO measured travel time from Gov. Cuenco Avenue near Pope John Paul II Avenue to the Talamban Gym for northbound trips.

Jongoy said the measurements begin at 6 a.m. for the morning peak, which runs until 9 a.m. Afternoon measurements run from 4 p.m. to 7 or 8 p.m.

He said the agency conducts the measurements daily to establish a data-backed basis for the traffic policy and its possible expansion to other areas.

“We can also make use of it as a template in future expansions,” Jongoy said.

He explained that some data are excluded when conditions such as heavy rain force personnel to take shelter.

Jongoy also cautioned against directly comparing the current travel-time figures with the original one-hour-and-30-minute estimate without considering how the baseline was obtained.

He said the baseline came partly from field surveys involving motorists, including motorcycle taxi riders, who reported typical peak-hour travel times of at least one hour and 30 minutes.

Under the traffic scheme, motorcycles are directed to the designated lane on the right side of Gov. Cuenco Avenue, while the center or leftmost lane remains the faster lane for other vehicles.

Jongoy said keeping motorcycles from swerving, lane-splitting and making erratic left turns helps clear the fast lane, potentially improving vehicle movement.

He noted, however, that traffic lights remain a factor in travel time because intersections require vehicles to slow down and wait for safe crossings.

Meanwhile, Siasar defended the policy against criticism that it is “anti-poor.”

He said the city’s primary concern is the safety of motorcycle riders and their passengers.

“It is not anti-poor, we are only looking into the safety of both the driver sa motorcycle ug ang safety sa ilang passenger nga mo-stay sila sa ilang designated area,” Siasar said.

He added that the city is reinforcing existing traffic rules and directing motorcycles to their designated lane.

He said the city is still gathering data before deciding whether to replicate the system in other parts of Cebu City.(TGP)