Officials in Cebu City are searching for ways to solve the city’s worsening traffic problem.
CEBU CITY — Without saying they opposed the project, majority of village chiefs in the city raised doubt over whether the P10-billion bus rapid transit (BRT) system could solve the city’s massive traffic problem as project proponents claimed.
“The BRT will only take away the PUJs (public utility jeepneys) but will not solve the problem of traffic and the growing number of vehicles in Cebu City,” read a manifesto signed by 45 of the city’s 80 village chiefs.
The manifesto was presented at a recent meeting of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) at Bayfront Hotel here.
One of the points raised by the village chiefs against BRT was the proposal to assign common lanes for BRT buses and private vehicles in areas with heavy traffic in the city. They said it would shrink the amount of road space further, causing heavier traffic.
“Existing roads in Cebu City will be utilized for the BRT project thereby causing the roads to become smaller as cars and BRT buses will be traveling side by side,” the manifesto read.
The village chiefs, however, fell short of calling for a stop to the project, which is being pushed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña. Instead, they asked proponents to review it.
“We want more public discussion,” said Philip Zafra, ABC president.
He said ABC leaders came up with the manifesto after some village chiefs were asked to issue clearances to cut trees for the BRT project.
At least 2,182 trees would be cut for the project, which spans 21.5 kilometers.
Osmeña tagged the manifesto as “political.”
“Do you know that there are two approved BRT [projects] in [Metro] Manila? The Edsa BRT and Quezon Avenue BRT. World Bank and AFD (French Development Agency) is funding them after a major study,” Osmeña said in a text message.
Of the 45 village chiefs who expressed doubts over the BRT project, 15 belonged to Osmeña’s local party, Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan.
Zafra, who belonged to the opposition party Team Rama, said the manifesto had nothing to do with politics.
He said he changed his mind about the project only after watching the presentation of engineer Rene Santiago, a freelance transportation and engineering expert, at a forum where Santiago said BRT would not work in Cebu because of physical limitations like the city’s narrow roads.
Instead of BRT, Santiago said, a light rail transit system would be a better option for Cebu City.
Zafra said if the BRT project failed, the P10-billion loan from World Bank, which would be used to fund it, would be wasted.