‘Widen roads for bicycles, people’
INSTEAD of adding flyovers, the government should focus on widening roads for pedestrian and bike lanes for Cebu City, said proponents of the Road Revolution project.
Architect Joy Martinez-Onozawa and Tara Rama of the Law of Nature Foundation said a public dialogue should be held about the announced construction of two new flyovers in Cebu City worth P600 milion, whose construction will start this year even as critics said the priority should be an updated traffic master plan.
“We just want proper studies to be made. We have to look at the bigger problem,” said Onozawa, an urban planner, in yesterday’s press conference.
She said building flyovers in the junctions of MJ Cuenco Avenue and Gorordo Street won’t reduce traffic congestion.
Only a small population of Cebuanos would benefit from flyovers since most don’t have cars.
Rama, meanwhile, said there were no consultations with the communities living in the areas where the flyovers will be built.
Rama said this violated the Local Government Code, which requires coordination of major projects with the local government unit and the affected communities.
Onozawa said the projects should be consulted on the barangay level.
“We trust them to govern, not to dictate,” Onozawa said.
Vince Cinches, 350.org country coordinator, said they would also organize a signature campaign to oppose the project.
If the signatures would reach more that 10,000, he said that they could submit a resolution to Cbeu City Council seeking the cancellation of the project.
Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu City’s north district said the proposed flyover projects would not totally address but only minimize congestion in the city.
Del Mar said the national government already approved the release of P300-million funding for the two flyover projects.
Another P300 million is set aside for road right of way acquisition.
Mayor Michael Rama, the City Council together with business and residents in Gorordo Avenue wrote Del Mar to signify their opposition to the flyover projects.
“The issue is not the volume of traffic but rather the efficiency of the road. The project came too late. The proposed solution is no longer relevant to the needs of the city today,” the statement said.
They suggested the creation of a master plan for the entire transport system that would be the basis of all infrastructure project.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it would need the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) to map traffic re-routing plans once the flyover projects commence implementation.
“We have to coordinate with Citom and if they give us a hard time, we will have a hard time finishing the flyovers,” Engr. Nicomedes Leonor, Cebu City engineering district head, told Cebu Daily News.
Citom chairman Sylvan Jakosalem said while traffic eased with the construction of two previous flyovers, he favors widening the road at the Talamban area since all the vehicles are funneled there.
“The DPWH promised to widen the road at the Talamban area to four lanes after the flyover in Banilad is built but up to now, there’s no word on the widening and here they are coming up with more flyovers?,” Jakosalem said.
Leonor said the M. J. Cuenco and Gen. Maxilom Avenue flyover is already open for bidding.
The P30 million appropriation for the project was released by the national government to DPWH.
About P60 million have been released by the national government for the two projects so far.
Mayor Rama said the two new flyover projects proposed by del Mar lack endorsement from Citom. Candeze R. Mongaya and Edison delos Angeles
