EDITORIAL Outdated traffic system

It can no longer be denied that Metro Cebu’s worsening traffic condition is beginning to catch up with that of Metro Manila, as some roads are now reaching the choking point and can no longer cope with the rising volume of vehicles.

Since some of Metro Cebu’s streets are narrow, the need for road widening has been a priority for years. The effort, however, is hitting a snag considering the huge cost it entails because it affects some big business establishments.

Added to the woes is the government’s slow implementation of new road projects around the metro that would have helped ease traffic flow along major roads. And it is expected that the problem will pull a heavy punch on the local economy.

And now here is another serious concern that some, if not all, local government units in the metro seem to have taken for granted. And this problem mainly concerns the technical aspect of the present traffic situation.

In Cebu City, for example, there is now a call for the local government to upgrade the city’s outdated traffic system, which is reportedly 30 years old already. City Councilor Jerry Guardo said only 72 of 80 controllers are operational and only 118 of 658 detectors are functional in the existing Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS).

Guardo, chairman of the City Council’s committee on transportation, believes that the “obsolete” system is one of the “critical” contributors of road congestion, saying that the city government should start looking for modern technology.

We h a v e t o a d m i t t h a t o u t m o d e d traffic system also causes fatal street accidents. There have been cases in which malfunctioning old traffic equipment resulted in vehicular collisions along busy thoroughfares.

Not only Cebu City. Other areas in the metro also need to modernize their traffic system. Better street management should not only come with improved roads and trained traffic enforcers. Modern technology should also complete the package.