QC gov’t to start clearing secondary roads to be used as alternate routes

The Quezon City government intends to clear the city side streets and secondary roads from all forms of obstruction to provide adequate passage ways for vehicles that may use them as alternate routes.

Majority Floor Leader Jesus Manuel Suntay made this disclosure, saying that the city’s Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) is now in the midst of identifying roads that would likely be made as alternate routes once the main thoroughfares are clogged especially during peak and rush hours.

Even with the expected protests from local residents, Suntay said the city government is left with no choice but to tow or remove vehicles that will be found parked on the city’s inner roads.

The identified alternate routes will also be made into one-way streets as an option taken by the city government to address the growing Metro Manila’s traffic woes.

However, Suntay noted that advance notices will be flashed to inform the public of the new alternative traffic solutions of road clearing to avoid confusion and possible conflict with the car owners.

He appealed for public understanding stressing the need to “bite the bullet’’ as unpopular decisions might have to be imposed to at least minimize the worsening traffic situation not only in Quezon City but also in Metro Manila.

With Quezon City occupying more or less 25 percent of Metro Manila’s total land area, Suntay said the city will have to impose parking restrictions to reduce traffic chaos to the tolerable levels.

The majority floor leader said that the city government particularly the DPOS is currently conducting studies on what secondary roads will likely be used as alternate routes during heavy traffic situations along EDSA and other traffic-prone areas in the city.

In the case of Elliptical Road, First District Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. asked the city government to deploy a police vehicle that would patrol the Circle from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. while traffic is manned by traffic enforcers from the DPOS and the MMDA.He said that the sheer volume of Elliptical Road with links to Commonwealth Avenue, Visayas Avenue, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Kalayaan Avenue and Maharlika Street has made travel in the area unbearable which often resulted into vehicular accidents.