CSCR not an expressway

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) is an arterial road but not an expressway.

So said Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) Assistant Head Kent Francesco Jongoy, in response to criticisms on why an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted traffic system along El Pardo St. at the South Road Properties (SRP).

In particular, former Cebu City administrator and urban planner Paul Villarete called out CCTO on the installation of the traffic light.

 To CCTO, the CSCR was designed as an expressway. Keep it that way,  he said in a Facebook post.

In response, Jongoy said denying the establishment of a traffic light at the CSCR s T-junction with El Pardo St. is  economic sabotage.

He said this during City Hall s Sugbuanon Channel interview, adding that Villarete s expertise and experience is  pre-AI era.

The city complemented the opening of the new traffic lights with the opening also of the bypass road parallel to CSCR along the west side of Citi de Mare, through Vestil St. in Mambaling, with an option to take the steel bridge to Cabreros St.

Those heading towards and coming from the CCTO headquarters, Cebu City s motorpool and stockyard, Department of Public Works and Highways-7, and the University of the Philippines property are also expected to benefit from this.

City officials monitoring the first few days of operation of the traffic lights noted that traffic flow has been continuous, with more time given to the vehicles along CSCR, and if there are interruptions they are just for a minute to allow vehicles in and out of both Il Corso mall and El Pardo, accordingly.

Jongoy explained that the new traffic lights utilize radar-based sensors for adaptive traffic management  that responds dynamically to vehicle queues at stoplights, ensuring an efficient flow of traffic while minimizing human error.

 AI eliminates human error. Its ability to assess real-time traffic conditions ensures that it always responds appropriately to the needs of the intersection,  he said.

Earlier this year, Mayor Mike Rama announced that the installation of the P12-million AI-run traffic lights would be part of the city s thrust towards digitalization.

Jongoy also emphasized that the traffic system, which Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) donated, was not a  spur of the moment  concept.

He said then Cebu City Traffic Management and Coordinating Committee (TMCC) chairperson Rico Rey  Koko  Holganza initiated the idea to install a traffic light system at the SRP.

Holganza then sought the help of the city s partner establishments doing business at the SRP.

The city opened the bypass road, that passes through an area once used as drop off point for goods during the last two Sinulog festivals held at SRP.

City Councilor Rey Gealon then continued to pursue the initiative after Holganza resigned from the TMCC.

Jongoy said the CCTO also conducted a traffic study to determine the traffic time of motorists traveling from the Mambaling flyover and going towards F. Vestil, passing through the bypass road before exiting at the T-junction through El Pardo.

The results of the study, he said, revealed positive feedback from motorists who opted to use the bypass road to get to their destinations quicker.

 We concluded that the bypass road, as compared to the coastal road coming from F. Vestil, will only give you 3-5 mins in order to reach the southern tip Dali ra gyud ka maabot, dako pa gyud kaayo siya og maka-save paka sa oras ug gasolina,  Jongoy said.

During the formal launch of the said traffic system and opening of the bypass road this week, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia also accepted four patrol motorcycles for CCTO from FLI.

 As the SRP grows, we realize more and more vehicles also come to this area, and we need more systems related to traffic, perhaps even more roads, so that traffic in this area will be seamless,  he said during the turnover.

FLI owns Citi de Mare (CDM) township. Its joint venture agreement with the City Government was signed when Tomas R. Osme a was mayor, for the development of the  City by the Sea  in August 2010, to transform a 50.6-hectare area within the SRP into a mixed-use township.

FLI also launched an addition of eight hectares at the township for its main business district, disclosed John Paul Escario, the company s assistant vice president and general manager in Cebu.

The additional land is part of the 19.2-hectare portion adjacent to the original CDM that FLI acquired through a consortium, in a public bidding in 2015.

  They believed in SRP before, and they are still continuing to believe in SRP today by being a partner in the development of this 300-hectare property that will soon be the next  Feel in Best City ,  Garcia said.

The city, he said, has  very high hopes that this area will really be transformed into a business district,  noting that its fits well with the three growth areas his administration identified, the two others being the heritage and creative districts.

  I am very happy that Filinvest is one of our locators here in SRP, not only in developing that area . It has also been supportive in making sure that the development is done in a way that considers the ease and convenience in mobility and accessibility in and around SRP,  Garcia said.  (CEBU NEWS)