Birth pains on the road

The  road closures in downtown Cebu City for a Saturday version of the   Road Revolution   caused  traffic snarls  and bad tempers.

But we shouldn’t let this stop  a  bold experiment to  reclaim streets from disorderly, polluting car-crazy traffic.

True, workers reported late for work, merchants in Colon Street were upset by the loss  of customers,  and both drivers and commuters were confused by the rerouting that was executed on short notice.

That’s part of the learning curve. The problems are not beyond correction.

What did organizers learn?   Basic preparation requires  enough advance notice to the public about which streets will be car-less and what alternate routes can be taken.

The  recent Road Rev activity had only  one  day’s notice to the general public.  Citom approval of the rerouting came down only three days prior to the actual road restriction.

Second, shutting out vehicles from a busy avenue on a lazy Sunday that is also a non-working holiday (June 12)  is different from disrupting urban activities on a regular Saturday.

Third, the dynamics of traffic on the wide lanes of Osmeña Boulevard require different handling from the downtown area, home of some of the most resilient Cebuano-Chinese business enterprises.

People want to be prepared if their daily routine is to be disturbed in a major way.  They weren’t last Saturday.

Antonio Oposa Jr., the brains behind the Road Revolution, referred to the  complaints of upset stakeholders as  part of  “birth pains”.

It’s a journey we should be willing to invest time and effort in to learn how to balance the needs of Cebu City growing at an overheated pace.

There is  nothing sane about continuing the direction of choking Cebu City  with more vehicles that carry  inefficient loads of passengers through narrow streets and  more flyovers – all without expert urban planning.

A mass transit system –  whether its a Bus Rapid Transit or a rail-based train –  is taking a long time to materalize but what the Road Revolution does immediately is reminds us is that using  two legs  to walk or pedal a bike is something that can be done today.

Anyone can do it, and once citizens look up and stroll through the city  a bit longer as pedestrian kings of the road, we can start sharpening our dream again about living in a city  that is orderly,  clean,  safe and progressive.

Will roads have to be redesigned?  Do we need flyovers, and if so, where?  Do jeepneys and trisikads need to be phased out?  What transport system best serves the most people with the least harm to the environment?

These are questions  that the Road Revolution is throwing back at ordinary citizens with a challenge that  “those with less in wheels  should have more in roads”.

Whatever the inconvenience, this is a ride we should dare  to take.