Citom to do ‘safety audit’ of flyovers after tragic car crash; Did woman at the wheel miss concrete divider?

Poor lighting.

Concrete islands not visible in the dark.

Lack of warning signs.

A tendency for drivers to speed when approaching the slope incline.

These conditions in the Banilad-Talamban flyover pose safety risks which were highlighted again in last Saturday’s tragic car crash, wherein a young woman and former Miss Mandaue title holder, was seriously injured.

The vehicle, a Mazda 2 hatchback which police said was driven by 21-year-old Carina Gajudo, hit a concrete lane divider and flipped, landing upside down, a total wreck.

The impact cut off her left leg below the knee. Her 19-year-old male companion survived with bruises.

Immediately after the 4 a.m. accident, reflectorized paint was applied on the northern approach of the flyover where black-and-white stripes of the low divider are visible only in the daytime.

This time, a bright shade of yellow was painted over the white lines.

“It’s supposed to be the task of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) but we just took the initiative,” said Joy Tumulak, asst. executive director of the Cebu City Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom).

Citom director Rafael Yap yesterday said his office will conduct a “safety audit” to check on traffic signs posted there and other flyovers in the city in order to avoid another accident.

“It’s part of DPWH’s responsibilty to install warning devices. This is part of the program of works and estimates (POWE) for the project. But where are these items after the project is implemented?” he asked.

Yap said he would ask DPWH about the status of road signs and warning devices in all four flyovers in Cebu City.

The Banilad-Talamban vehicle overpass was built in 2008 at a cost of P86.7 million, the first flyover in Cebu City.

After several accidents occurred there, Citom chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem commented in 2011 that the ‘Ban-Tal’ flyover was “dangerous for motorists” with its inadequate lighting and signs.

He said he had repeatedly requested DPWH for high-visibility reflectors there.

“I’m kinda upset. Everytime we make some little requests like that (to DPWH), they always say there’s no budget. But they have a budget to build two more flyovers,” he told Cebu Daily News at that time.

It was 10 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2011 when a sports utility vehicle rammed the lane divider on the other side of the flyover near Banilad Town Center.

The accident forced the DPWH to paint the concrete dividers at the foot of the flyover with black and white stripes.

The lane separator alerts the motorist “which lane to take for the flyover and which one is for the main surface road,” explained Yap. He said Citom personnel are fielded under the bridge and near the site because intersections there have heavy volume traffic.

Flyovers are national government projects bidded out and maintained by DPWH to relieve traffic congestion.

Cebu City has four. Two are located along Archbishop Reyes Avenue near the Tesda intersection and near Ayala Center. The Ban-Tal flyover is on Gov. Cuenco Avenue. The newest flyover in barangay Mambaling is the only one in the south district.

In Cebu City, the design of two-lane overpasses that connect to wider roads is the subject of debate on whether they relieve traffic or are short-term solutions that have added to the problem of congestion.