To ease traffic congestion: Cebu needs improved public transit infrastructure

CEBU, Philippines – If only a good and efficient public transport system has been established in Cebu, many would actually prefer to use it than take private cars.

But currently most people who have enough money have insisted on buying  their own cars for comfort and safe reasons mainly because of the "poor" public transport system, said Dr. Manfred Poppe, senior project manager of Connective Cities, an international network of cities for sustainable urban development.

In an interview at the recent Connective Cities dialogue held in Cebu City for the first time, Poppe said an improved public transit infrastructure would encourage more people to use public transport, thus lessening the number of private cars plying on roads.

And that will eventually help ease traffic congestion in the city, he said.

“The quality of public transport should be made attractive to those who can afford cars,”  Poppe noted.

The German urban planning specialist explained that Cebu's most fundamental challenge is how its rapid urban development can keep up with the constantly emerging needs for better and good quality urban transport and mobility.

“The urban planning [in Cebu] should be integrated,” he said.

Poppe further added that public transport could be an efficient alternative to the rising individual car ownership, which has been cited as one of the contributing factors to traffic woes.

When sought for comment, Efren Carreon, Central Visayas director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and who also joined the dialogue, said that a mass transport system is essentially needed in Cebu because of the worsening traffic it is experiencing now.

“Mass transport system will save road spaces as more people will be accommodated like one bus can accommodate 50 to 60 people,” Carreon said.

He said the planned Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), targeted to start construction next year, will hopefully address congested roads caused by increasing private cars and inefficient traffic rules.

The NEDA official said the BRT should eventually be integrated with other public vehicles like jeepneys.

Poppe also said Cebu has to develop a holistic public transportation and mobility and a socially inclusive BRT system in a way that its concept shoud address specific user needs and cater to various socio-economic segments.

He emphasized that an efficient public transport is important for sustainable mobility in urban areas, and that it’s the right investment for a growing city like Cebu.

Connective Cities is a joint venture between the Association of German Cities, German non-profit group Engagement Global-Service for Development Initiatives and GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The dialogue last week gathered transport practitioners from Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. (FREEMAN)