How sincere are Minglanilla traffic execs?

CEBU CITY MAYOR TOMAS OSMENA, ON HOW HE WILL DEAL WITH THE CITY’S BARANGAY CAPTAINS AFTER THE ELECTIONS

Ionce suggested that a traffic summit be held on the seemingly unending traffic problem in Minglanilla. Finally last month, Minglanilla officials called a public forum at our sports complex to discuss the traffic concerns. I learned this from the papers the following day. Had I known about it, I would have attended.

The tricycle association in our barangay that could have given valuable inputs did not also know about the forum. Forum organizers said they sent notices to all barangays in Minglanilla but officials in our barangay denied this.

Are our local government units, especially Minglanilla, really sincere in addressing our traffic problem? Or has the criticisms made them callous?

One of the outputs in the forum attended by about 50 people (according to a newspaper account) was the plan to hire towing companies to haul parked vehicles along some routes. Yet the plan has not been implemented yet (or has it been?).

A week after that forum, traffic was again heavy along the highway near the University of the Visayas. Goig to Cebu? City, I used the shortcut in Ward III but got stuck because a vehicle was parked in front of the electronic store there, obstructing my route. The vehicle owner must have thought the gridlock that resulted was a normal occurrence.

On April 16, I went to Gaisano-Minglanilla from Naga City. Traffic in the area was again heavy and I did not see a change with habal-habal and tricycle drivers still parked in front of a bank dropping passengers wherever they pleased. But what caught my attention was a parked private vehicle on the roadside which contributed to the traffic mess. No towing?

Yesterday morning, traffic was heavy on the highway and I noticed two trailers loaded with motorcycles parked on the roadside near a motorcycle shop. No towing?!

At the crossing in Barangay Lipata going to Villa Celina and Deca Homes, a new building now stands. Knowing that this area is a choke point because of the big trucks and trailers that use it, barangay and municipal officials should have negotiated with the building owner to provide a right-of-way to make the road wider and help ease the traffic there.

Another aspect to give attention to are the repair and vulcanizing shops along the highway. Waiting customers, especially those driving big trucks, deprive other vehicles of their road share.-Victor Seno of Barangay Tungkil, Minglanilla