Cebu City traffic czar wants 5 schools moved to the mountains

CEBU CITY — If the vice chairman of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) has his way, he wants to uproot the campuses of four colleges and universities here and relocate them to mountain barangays, if only to improve traffic.

Stung by criticisms over a traffic rerouting scheme he recently carried out, Rogelio Osmeña blamed the Saint Theresa’s College, Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, Cebu Doctors University, and the University of San Carlos’ main and Talamban campuses for the traffic congestion, and transferring them away from the city proper would rid him of any headaches.

Nobody at Saturday’s press conference in his office at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, where he is also the regional director, asked Osmeña if he was serious or not.

There was no mistaking his irritation, however.

Asked which schools he was referring to as causing the traffic congestion, Osmeña named Saint Theresa’s College, Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, Cebu Doctors University, and the two campuses of the University of San Carlos on P. del Rosario street and in Talamban.

"(They) really bring traffic disaster," he said.

The CITOM official, however, said two other schools, the Colegio de la Immaculada Concepcion and the University of San Carlos Boys School, were cooperative despite being also located uptown where most schools are.

Osmeña said these two schools have heeded CITOM’s call to disallow the loading and unloading of students in front of their campuses, and are doing these now at the back of their premises.

If he also has his way, Osmeña said classes should be made to start at 7 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Office hours, on the other hand, should start at 9 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. This, he said, would minimize traffic congestion.

Contrary to media reports that he has been bombarded by criticisms over the rerouting he enforced in and around the Redemptorist Church complex, Osmeña said many of the calls he got complimented him instead for the move.

He said those who have complained have probably not gone to the area to see the situation.

But among those who complained was Vice Mayor Michael Rama who angrily protested in a privilege speech that the CITOM bypassed the city council when it carried out the rerouting scheme.

Rama insisted that any traffic rerouting scheme needs an ordinance to be implemented.

CITOM has turned Queen’s Road and Gotianuy street into one-way access points to the Redemptorist Church, and Aboitiz street into a one-way exit point into Juana Osmeña.

From Juana Osmeña, a left turn is now allowed into busy Gen. Maxilom Avenue. A left turn is now also allowed into Gotianuy from the eastbound lane of Maxilom.

Following Rama’s speech, the city council ordered the CITOM to revert to the old routes.

But Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who chairs CITOM, entered the picture, saying he fully supports the new traffic initiative.

Last Wednesday, the city council approved the experimental rerouting scheme until the CITOM could come up with its evaluation report. — Freeman News Service