Road Revo movers seek brgy chiefs’ support

Organizers of the Road Revolution movement are taking their advocacy to the barangay level.

After the experimental June 12 closure of Osmeña Boulevard, they are eyeing barangay Parian and Tinago in downtown Cebu City.

The heritage-rich area—where museums,  the Metropolitan Cathedral and Sto. Niño Basilica are located—could be reserved for pedestrians one day a week, so the public could experience “liberation from fossil fuels,” said environment lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr.

Organizer Tara Rama of the Law of Nature Foundation said Parian and Tinago, which has small roads and pedestrian lanes, are also being eyed as pioneer routes for a fuel-free train that runs on solar power and a battery cranked by pedal power.

A prototype of the street tram was used along Osmeña Boulevard  on June 12.

She and other organizers met yesterday with officers of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) of Cebu City to seek their support for a pending petition to the City Council to reconfigure the city’s streets to make them friendly to bikers, pedestrians, trees and fuel-free mass transportation.

Parian and Tinago are not represented in the ABC board so separate meetings still have to be made with their barangay captains, she said.

“Their response was  very positive. We can call this an early victory,” said Vince Cinches about the meeting with  ABC Cebu City president Michael Ralota and 16 other barangay officials in the ABC board.

The barangay officials agreed to pass a resolution  supporting the petition for road reform in Cebu City.  The proposal calls for  Cebu City to allocate  30 percent of all  roads for use of pedestrians, 30 percent for  bicycle riders, 30 percent for collective transportation and 10 percent for road gardens

Yesterday  morning,  Carlo Rodriguez and a companion  cruised on their skateboard from Osmeña Boulevard to City Hall. Rodriguez said his group, the Flyfish Longboard Organization,  would do this  once a  week, wearing Road Revolution T-shirts  and bringing banners  to raise public awareness.

Last June 12,  organizers got permission to close  2.5 kilometers of Osmeña Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.  The roads were used by people strolling,   bicycle riders and skateboarders who freely roamed  the area. /Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya