Mandaue also pushing for adoption of BRT

CEBU - The Mandaue City government is set to follow Cebu City in passing a resolution choosing the Bus Rapid Transit as its means of urban mass transportation.

Talisay City, on the other hand, is leaning towards the adoption of the Light Rail Transit proposal of Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas, but is still open for information on BRT.

Mandaue City administrator Briccio Boholst said, Mayor Jonas Cortes is positive about the proposed BRT that will encompass the cities of Talisay, Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Boholst said finalizations of the proposed resolution will be discussed and the proposed resolution may be submitted next year at the earliest.

On the other hand, Talisay City Committee on Transportation head councilor Sabeniano Abatayo said the legislative department still has to be extensively informed of the proposed mass transport system.

This after Abatayo said Gullas already envisioned the city to form part of his LRT proposal crafted when the latter was still the governor of Cebu.

“I think the LRT is more known and feasible here in Talisay, in fact, there was already a geodetic survey made last year,” Abatayo said.

However Abatayo said the room is still open for whatever suggestion is beneficial to the Talisaynons.

Abatayo said there is still a need for his colleagues and the rest of the Talisay City officials to be informed of the advantages of having a BRT than an LRT. The proposed LRT was seen to run from Minglanilla to Danao, Abatayo said. Cebu City Planning and Development coordinator Nigel Paul Villarete said he is sending copies of the resolution to the three cities before the year ends.

“In fact if they need me to make a presentation, I’ll be glad to do so,” Villarete said. The resolution is important in terms of policy direction of the city and to get national commitment as well as from the funding agencies.

A BRT is a public transport system similar to the LRT where buses are used instead of trains and are plying at designated lanes.

Last month, the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa explained the system to the officials. Bogota’s BRT system is one of the most successful BRT systems in the world. — Ferliza C. Contratista and Flor Z. Perolina/BRP(THE FREEMAN)