Building flyovers will diminish the value of historical sites in the city, like the Asilo dela Milagrosa Church on Gorordo Avenue, and “kill” nearby businesses, said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday.
“Cebu City is an old city, a compact city. Flyovers will only kill nearby businesses. We don’t really need flyovers now. What we really need is road widening,” he said.
The mayor repeated his desire for the national government to spend first for a traffic master plan and alternative cost-efficient solutions like “flared intersections” and road widening.
Construction of two new flyovers is expected to start this year along the intersections of M. J. Cuenco and Mango Avenue, and along Gorordo and Archbishop Reyes Avenue ( passing by the Asilo church), pubilc works officials announced in an Aug. 26 public forum.
Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu’s north district said the national government has already approved release of a total of P600 million for the two projects while several businessmen and the Cebu Cit Traffic Operations Management (Citom) said flyovers should be set aside temporarily until the city comes up with a traffic and infrastructure master plan to guide solutions to traffic congestion.
Four students and youth groups in Cebu City have joined the call for a city-wide master plan.
“We are not against the flyover project. If it’s really needed we will even support it. But we want the assurance that its construction is needed,” said Paulo Saberon, president of the Cebu City Federation of Supreme Student Councils and Governments (SSG).
SSG officials and members from the different colleges and universities in the city gathered Tuesday and expressed their dismay over the lack of consultation on the proposed flyovers.
Yesterday morning, Saberon and officials of the Cebu Bloggers Society, the Cebu Youth Ambassadors and the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines -Cebu called for a press conference to relay their stand to Rep. del Mar through the media.
Saberon said that bloggers were also posting articles on the Internet on their concerns on the proposed flyover projects.
He said that they also intend to come up with a social networking site for the same purpose.
“Hopefully the concerned government officials will also consider the voices of the various youth sectors… Our group decided to organize because we want government officials to know that we also have a stand on the issue,” he said.
“What we are asking for is consultation and a masterplan. Lets invite some experts to do a thorough study before we proceed with any flyover construction,” said Saberon, a BSBA major in marketing student of the University of Cebu Banilad campus said.
Saberon said his group is with the opinion that the DPWH traffic study which they used as basis in determining the need for a flyover project is not enough.
“We need a guarantee nga dili lang sila mag construct ug flyover because the money is already there,” he said.
Rama said he is happy that the youth sector is airing their sentiments.
“Let the people be heard because that is the most important thing,” he said.
Rama said he would write President Benigno Aquino III to express his concern about adding flyovers in the city.
He said he is negotiating with Gov. Gwen Garcia to widen a province-owned lot leading to Beverly Hills subdivision to l help decongest traffic in the Lahug area.
He is also considering extending a road from “The Walk” at the AsiaTown IT Park to the vicinity of the old Cebu city jail. This road can continue to Pino Restaurant in Campo and connect to Marco Polo Hotel, serving as a parallel road to the hotel.
He said the solution to the traffic problem along M.J. Cuenco avenue is not a flyover but wider roads.
“Other countries try to preserve their historical sites. With flyovers, we destroy the skyline, kill business and still not solve traffic congestion,” he said.
Rama said the best solution to traffic congestion is exercising of road discipline, road widening, technology and improvement of the existing traffic system.
As part of a long term solution, Rama is also pushing for the construction of bridge that would connect Cebu City to Cordova town. He said that the availability of said bridge is expected to decongest traffic at the Mandaue Mactan bridges. With report from Correspondent Edison A. delos Angeles