Letter to the editor - Flyovers won't solve our problems

We need more than flyovers, skywalks and widening of roads to solve our traffic problems. We always heard of talks of how much funds we need for flyovers, road widening or mass transit system. All the money spent on infrastructure shall all be in vain if we continue with our ways of violating traffic rules and regulations. Let us first allocate more funds for the training of our traffic personnel in proper implementation of traffic rules. Let us first allocate more funds for the upgrading of communication and transportation equipment of our traffic personnel. We need our city governments to strictly implement traffic rules, educate motorists and punish violators to solve our problems.

In fairness to the traffic management groups of both Cebu City and Mandaue City, there is already a great improvement in the fielding of traffic personnel in crucial bottlenecks and intersections. This has ensured that traffic is at least moving. Yet there are still lots of room for improvement, lots of things that need to be implemented, strictly, and must be sustained to really bring order to our streets.

Slow traffic in our city streets are caused mainly by:

1. Slow-moving vehicles occupying both lanes of the road thus blocking the whole road.

2. Sudden lane changes by vehicles which includes those avoiding the slow-moving vehicles, those wanting to stop or park along the road and those avoiding parked vehicles along the roads.

3. Pedestrians crossing the roads instead of using the skywalks, pedestrians using the road instead of using the sidewalks which are full of vendors.

4. Left-turning vehicles which blocks both sides of the roads.

5. Vehicles parking, stopping, loading or unloading on the road which blocks one lane of the road.

Let us ask the following questions, how come after all these years:

1. jeepneys are still allowed to obstruct traffic by stopping / loading / unloading passengers in the middle of the road?

2. jeepneys are still allowed to change lanes abruptly to load / unload passengers?

3. we only see cops in motorcycles escorting VIPs and we don't see them on the streets catching violators as they happen?

4. vehicles are still allowed to park / load / unload on the road as if its their private parking lots?

5. vendors are still allowed to occupy the sidewalks thus forcing pedestrians to walk on the roads and streets and slowing traffic down?

6. pedestrians are not apprehended when crossing the highway while a skywalk is just nearby?

7. there is no strict implementation of 'Slow moving vehicles stay on the right lane' rule?

How come after all these years, we have not improved much in traffic discipline, management and education?

An example for our city governments to follow is Hong Kong. Hong Kong also has narrow streets, a dense population and thousands of vehicles yet it is one of the best managed cities of the world. I hope our city governments can take the time and effort to learn how we can be one too.

GLENN LIM

Kenrich Dev. Corp.

Un Heng Building

ML Quezon Ave.,

Casuntingan, Mandaue City