Smile, Mayor Tommy
The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) has approved the additional budget for Cebu City’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project despite objections to it. Mayor Tomas can now wear a sarcastic smile in front of his critics.
Secretary Ernesto Pernia presided over the Neda Board meeting because President Duterte was not available. The Neda Board approved the additional P5.7 billion budget due to road-right-of-way (RROW) acquisition problems.
To recall, Secretary Pernia, upon the request of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Mike Dino, agreed to review the BRT project. Does Pernia now believe in the viability of the project?
One of the problems of the BRT project is RROW acquisition, particularly in the Talamban area where the road is narrow. Commercial buildings stand along the road.
The question is whether the BRT is the right solution at this point for Cebu City’s burgeoning traffic. But with thousands of PUJs and private motor vehicle on the road, many think the BRT is a bane and not the solution to the city’s traffic woes.
Critics of the BRT believe that a Light Rail Transit on elevated tracks is the correct solution because it does not need RROW as the tracks will be constructed above the existing roads.
With the approval of the P16.9 billion budget, the city is now obliged to start the negotiation with the building and landowners for the RROW acquisition. This process is slow and very costly. I doubt if the landowners would part with their property that easy.
Mayor Tomas could ask bus companies to do the test run on the 23-kilometer BRT corridor from Bulacao-Ayala-Talamban and back to determine the time travelled and get the pulse of the public as well as the PUJ drivers and operators, who may be displaced.
The proponent envisioned the 23-kilometer BRT corridor to be from Bulacao to Ayala with a link to the South Road Property. In narrow roads, however, the buses will wrestle for space with the PUJs and private vehicles.
I could imagine this early that the traffic in the morning from Talamban to the USC campus would be at standstill. Consider that even without the buses, traffic is already terrible along that route.
But it’s great consolation for law abiding motorists if the PUJs plying the BRT route are removed once the buses start running. There would be less traffic if PUJs driven by undisciplined drivers are off the road.