Cebu City anti-jaywalking personnel help pedestrians in crossing Osmeña Blvd.

ANTI-JAYWALKING personnel from the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) have been deployed near Fuente Osmeña Circle where a skywalk once stood.

Their job, though, is not to apprehend pedestrians but to guide them in crossing the wide Osmeña Blvd.

“They cannot enforce the law because there is no designated pedestrian crossing in the area,” CCTO head Raquel Arce said in Cebuano on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.

The anti-jaywalking personnel were among the 10 CCTO personnel, including traffic enforcers, deployed to the area after the demolition of the skywalk to ensure the safety of pedestrians and smooth flow of traffic near the roundabout. These additional personnel were relocated from Leon Kilat St.

The demolition of the skywalk started last Tuesday, Feb. 13 and was completed on Sunday, Feb. 18. The portion of Osmeña Blvd., from near Fuente Osmeña Circle to the corner of Arlington Pond St., that had been closed for the demolition was reopened to traffic Monday.

Another skywalk, the one that stands in between Cebu Normal University (CNU) and Abellana National School, is set for demolition this week.

The demolition of the two skywalks is part of the ongoing Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project’s Package 1, which is 2.38 kilometers long and runs from the Cebu South Bus Terminal to the front of the Capitol building.

Road closure

Once the demolition of the CNU-Abellana skywalk starts, Arce said a road closure will be implemented along a stretch of Osmeña Blvd., from the corner of P. del Rosario St. (near Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) to the corner of R.R. Landon St. (near the Police Regional Office 7 headquarters).

An announcement on the CBRT’s Facebook page states that a partial closure is scheduled from 10 p.m. Feb. 19 to 4 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, for the removal of the CNU-Abellana skywalk roof.

A full closure will be implemented on Wednesday night, Feb. 21 until Sunday, Feb. 25 for the removal of the skywalk’s main span.

The stretch will be reopened to traffic flow on Monday, Feb. 26, according to the CBRT Facebook page.

Arce said road advisories will be posted on CCTO’s Facebook page to inform motorists of the closure and guide them through alternative routes.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he was satisfied with the removal of the Fuente Osmeña skywalk, even if there was a delay in the implementation.

“Better late than never,” Rama said.

Rama said he had reminded the CCTO to schedule the removal of the other skywalk in the evening to prevent the same traffic congestion experienced when the one near Fuente Circle was removed.

“If there is anything that should be worked upon, it should be done in the evening. No work in the morning,” Rama said.

“Naa gani mga trabaho nga mo-disturb sa (If there are public works that disturb) traffic, do it more in the evening up to morning,” he added.