METRO CEBU TRAFFIC Governor wants ‘unified system’ on Cebu traffic

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III wants to meet with traffic managers from the cities and towns to address the worsening traffic problem.

While admitting he has yet to set a schedule, Davide said he wants to sit down with traffic managers, particularly from Metro Cebu, to discuss how they can help commuters, drivers and transport operators make the traffic situation better.

Davide told reporters the meeting will be an offshoot of a recent dialogue between local officials of Talisay City and Minglanilla town after the massive gridlock that occurred there just before Christmas last year.

Included in the dialogue will be officials from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO), the public transport sector and other stakeholders.

Davide lamented that he keeps getting complaints about the worsening traffic in the towns and cities under Cebu Province. He also mentioned the need to make traffic management more systematic and to connect local government units (LGUs) so that their policies won’t be contradic- tory and lead to more gridlocks.

“We really need to come up with a unified system that will ensure the smooth flow of traffic in Metro Cebu,” Davide said.

If agreed upon by the LGUs, Davide said the Province can come up with a unified traffic management group similar to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Part of the plan is to reintroduce a “traffic academy” for enforcers assigned in LGUs.

But it will depend on the LGUs, if they agree to the proposal, the governor added.

All nine of Cebu’s congressional representatives in 2013-2016 had supported House Bill 6227 for the creation of a Mega Cebu Development Authority, whose scope would include traffic and transportation management.

Last week, Davide said he was amenable to a plan to expand the “no-counter-flowing” campaign of the Cebu City Government to the rest of the province as a way to deter accidents.

An LTO official earlier explained, however, that counterflowing is already punishable under national traffic rules because it’s considered a form of reckless driving.