Creation of transport office as department endorsed to council

CEBU - The proposed ordinance creating the Cebu City Transportation Office as a department focusing mainly on traffic operations and management was recently endorsed to the City Council.

In a recent session, Councilors Sylvan Jakosalem, Raul Alcoseba, and Augustus Pe introduced the measure creating the CCTO.

Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management head Arnel Tancinco said that CCTO will finally make traffic management and operation as a department.

Citom, Tancinco said, is a commission created by an ordinance with functions to recommend traffic policies to the city mayor.

“On the other hand, the proposed CCTO is to make Citom a full department with functions emphasizing on transportation, planning and engineering, etc.,” he said.

According to the proposed ordinance, “Cebu City being classified as a highly urbanized city has an increasing magnitude of traffic problems.”

There are certain traffic operations issue which needs to be dealt with, such as limited number of traffic personnel and improved traffic planning.

Ideal ratio of traffic personnel to road range is one for every 300 meters. Currently, one traffic personnel is manning a kilometer-long road stretch.

“The creation of the CCTO is to ensure that huge amount of public investment on traffic equipment and other facilities will be properly protected, maintained and operated optimally, and that delivery of basic services relative to traffic be implemented on a professional level,” the proposed ordinance reads.

The CCTO will be divided into four divisions - transportation and planning, transportation engineering, traffic enforcement and parking operations, and support services. There will be division heads with their corresponding personnel in the proposed new office.

The ordinance was referred to the council committee on laws for further study. – Ferliza C. Contratista/MEEV(THE FREEMAN)