Better Road Rev next time, organizers say

A BETTER organized Road Revolution event was promised by organizers who apologized to the Cebuano public yesterday for Saturday’s road closures in downtown Cebu City that drew complaints from the passenger jeepney drivers and the riding public.

“We will give it  more time and it will be more coordinated,” said Vince Cinches of the ecology group 350.org  and one of the organizers  in a press conference yesterday morning.

Cinches said the next  Road Revolution experiment on  November or December will close half of Osmeña Boulevard for pedestrians and open the other half for public transportation.

Cinches said the organizers will meet with business and transportation stakeholders to plan alternate routes and coordinate with commercial establishments during the road closure.

Their request is pending with the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom).

An ambient air-quality testing will also be requested from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) during the activity, Cinches added.

Architect  Joy Martinez Onozawa said the Road Revolution is aimed at reducing dependence on motor vehicles.  She said Cebu City is designed for walking owing to its small, compact  area.

Last Saturday, the entire stretch of Lopez Jaena, P. Burgos and part of Colon Streets was closed to vehicles to promote    “fair sharing  of public space.”

The group headed by ecology lawyer Tony Oposa Jr. submitted a petition  to the Cebu City Council to reform the road system by allocating more space for pedestrians. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya