Flyover foes miffed at PNoy, start Masses ‘for enlightenment’

Movement for Livable Cebu  shows survey results of Metro Cebu: What’s a livable city?

Flyover opponents said they would continue to push for less-costly alternatives to flyovers such as “flared intersections” and said President Benigno Aquino appears misinformed about the issue.

“It is disappointing to hear him speak of flyovers as the solution to traffic woes afflicting Cebu. The main reason is that no one has provided evidence that the current flyovers alleviate traffic congestion,” said the Movement for Livable Cebu in a statement through Marc Canton, lead convenor.

The group kicks off tomorrow a nine-day series of Masses at 6 a.m. at the Asilo dela Milagrosa Shrine  in Gorordo Avenue,  a site once threatened by a proposed flyover in 2011, when dawn Masses were held seeking divine intervention to stop the project.

President Aquino last Friday spoke in the proclamation rally of the Liberal Party and BO-PK at the Capitol where he mentioned that flyovers were an immediate solution to traffic congestion in Cebu City.

“Kung may flyover mas tuloy tuloy, walang hintuan ang daloy ng traffic. Yung lang naman yung akin. So kung hindi magandang solusyon ang flyover meron namang ibang solusyon.

(If there’s a flyover, there will be smoother uninterrupted flow of traffic. That’s only my view. If a flyover is not the best solution, there are other solutions.)

Aquino also said “no other solutions have been given” by critics and that it was up to the public to judge if they should be listened to.

Canton of MLM said it was not true that  “critics” have not offered alternatives.

He said that since October of 2011, the group  either wrote letter proposals or had  face to face meetings 12 times with DPWH and other government of?ces including the Office of the President.

“We have proposed plans written by Cebu’s leading engineers and urban planners and are still awaiting a response from them,” said Canton.

One proposal was to build more “flared intersections” which already exist in Cebu City. Canton said this road design can carry a higher volume of vehicles than a flyover at only 20 percent to 25 percent the cost of a massive flyover.

Canton said the MLM has evidence that flyovers “cause chaos, including in intersections before and after the flyovers.”   A video comparing traffic flow in Cebu city flyovers and a flared intersection is posted on YouTube.

“Just because a politician supports it (flyovers) does not make it a viable option; we need to hear from traf?c experts and urban planners,” said Canton.

The President made his rally remarks in front of Rep. Tomas Osmeña and Cebu City congressional candidate Raul del Mar who are lobbying for new flyovers which cost at least P200 million each.

Both are critics of Mayor Michael Rama, who also oppose flyovers.

“Maybe the President was just given the wrong data. We’re not doing this to defend Mike Rama, the mayor just happens to support what we are fighting for,” said  MLC convenor Louella Alix in an interview.

The citizens movement, which was formed two years ago at the height of the flyover debate, said they were disappointed on two counts with the President’s remarks but were “heartened by the President’s statement that if “we don’t want ?yovers, then we can ?nd solutions”.

Canton said they hope the President meant that citizens can propose more ef?cient and cost-effective solutions based on facts and objective analysis, rather than political factors.

“If inner-city ?yovers are forced upon the citizenry without consultation we are ready and determined to ?ght it through all legal means available. However, we will be even more determined to work with the rest of civil society, business, and government to objectively seek optimal solutions to our traf?c problems,” said the MLM lead convenor.  /Marian Z. Codilla, Senior Reporter