CITOM backs move for mandatory TIA

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Traffic Operations Management is backing a proposal to require all real estate developers and construction firms to come up with a Traffic Impact Assessment.

 CITOM said it is high time to require a TIA to help lessen the worsening traffic situation in the city.

 According to the Institute of Transportation Engineers, a TIA is an engineering and traffic study that determines the potential traffic impacts of a proposed traffic generator. It includes an estimation of future traffic with and without the proposed generator, analyses of the traffic impacts and recommended roadway improvements that are necessary to accommodate the additional site traffic.

 City Councilor Gerardo Carillo, the author of the proposed ordinance, said the city is currently experiencing a boom in the construction of high rise buildings, mixed-use complexes and business parks that cause “severe strain in its traffic situation.”

 “These construction activities have also contributed a lot to traffic congestions due to limited road space available in the city,” he said.

 Based on the proposed guidelines for traffic impact assessment that CITOM attached in its letter to the Council, any type of development such as residential, commercial, office, industrial or mixed-use project have to provide a TIA.

 A TIA usually needs to be submitted by a developer before any change in land use zoning, subdivision maps, site plan or new driveways are approved.

 In coming up with a TIA, a developer has to determine the scope of work; gather data on traffic survey; conduct traffic impact analysis on the interior and arterial capacity and assessment of infrastructure; and identify measures on traffic impact mitigation and traffic management plan (institutional plan, costing and implementation phasing and other information).

 This proposed traffic assessment guidelines conducted by the University of the Philippines – National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) as funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, recommends that a TIA be conducted whenever a proposed development will generate 100 or more new peak hour vehicle trips to or from the site.

 It states further that a TIA is necessary when a development sits on a sensitive area, when a specified amount of area is being rezoned, and when development contains a specified number of dwelling units or square footage, among others.

 To evaluate a TIA, the local government should form a committee to review and/or evaluate the traffic impact of development proposals to be composts of a Transportation Engineer or Planner certified by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) or a person holding at least a master’s degree in transportation or its equivalent in terms of training and professional experience.

 In case a TIA is not needed, the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) may require a traffic operations analysis to address local transportation issues.

 The proposed measure seeks to impose 10 percent more than the assessment fee plus work stoppage order from OBO.  Revenue will be part of CITOM’s funds and shall be utilized only to augment CITOM personnel in areas where there is ongoing construction and when there is a shortage in CITOM personnel.

 CITOM operations chief Jonathan Tumulak said earlier that Carillo’s proposal is one way to address the problem of traffic congestion.

 Still, he cited other contributory factors that affect the worsening traffic situation in the city such as the increasing volume of vehicles, lack of traffic personnel, and number of road accidents. In 2014 alone, CITOM responded to at least 10,655 road-related alarms and accidents. (FREEMAN)