Road Revolution in T. Padilla next Sunday

PROPONENTS of June 12’s Road Revolution aim to repeat the event with vehicle-free roads in T. Padilla, Cebu City, on July 24 in an event dubbed “Domingo sa Sugbo.”

Lawyer Tara Rama of the Law of Nature Foundation said they will secure permits from City Hall for this event.

It will be a “mini-Sinulog” every Sunday where families and friends can freely roam the streets on foot.

She said pedestrians or those riding bicycles and skateboards can buy organic vegetables and recycled products from booths.

Some roads will be closed to vehicular traffic.

Rama said they will expand the program in barangays, starting with barangay T. Padilla.

Architects and student volunteers from the University of San Carlos and the Cebu Institute of Technology will do a profile of the barangay.

Meetings will be held with the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) to coordinate road portions that can be partly closed to traffic for a specific period and to open up bicycle lanes.

The team is also considering road closures in barangay Parian and neighborhoods around the Historic Core of Cebu.

Augstinian priests support the Road Revolution Campaign to preserve the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.

Fr. Tito Soquiño said they are requesting the permanent closure of the roads in front of the basilica, where the vibration of passing vehicles pose a threat to the structure.

Rama said windows of the basilica are already dark with the soot of vehicular emissions.

She said they will ask the City Council to only open the roads early morning for delivery vehicles servicing nearby establishments.

The Road Revolution Philippines campaign initiated by Cebuano environment lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr. is advocating the allocation of a bigger road space for pedestrians, cyclists, greenery and nonpolluting transport systems.

Their motto is “Those with less in wheels should have more in roads.”

Proponents said these road reforms will give Cebuanos a pollution-free city.