The cart ahead of the horse syndrome

After a long delay in opening the new public market, Market Administrator Mussolini Souliva said that the final target date is November 8 this year, with stress on “this year.”

 Aside from the final civil works of the new market structure, the anticipated traffic congestion in crossing the short A. Soriano Avenue and farther westward appears problematic. Along that short stretch, there are the Sports Complex occupied by many offices including the Mandaue City College, the Motor Pool, and the Mandaue District Hospital. Opposite them are the City Health and the City Civil Registrar offices, the Fire Dept., the Immigration Office, the DSWD, and the General Services Office at the busy corner of Soriano Avenue and Plaridel streets.

  Also along the 250-meter A. Soriano Avenue from the southern end of S. B. Cabahug Street to the Plaridel Street corner, there are three traffic choke points. First is the S. B. Cabahug end where vehicles from Cebu City bound for North Cebu turn left towards the City Hall upward North. The second is the southern exit of narrow Burgos Street used by North Cebu vehicles from the Cansaga Bay Expressway that is banned from crossing the U.N. Avenue-Plaridel Street junction. And the third is at the Soriano Avenue and Plaridel Street corner.

 Anticipating the new public market clients in droves daily that will worsen the traffic turnout, the Council of Elders, on initiative of Engr. Zoilo M. Cortes, unanimously moved to put up three to four electric cars. In fact, these electronic mini-buses are now on stand-by to service market-goers free of charge, on rotation relay to and from the market. The free ride is for the convenience of market-goers, and to obviate clogging of traffic.

 The federation of tricycles has agreed to their terminal along B. Ceniza Street where they discharge their passengers from the barangays, and where to pick up home-bound passengers from the market. The crossing vehicles of A. Soriano Avenue will only involve the rotational relays of the electric mini-buses, instead of the two thousand or so tricycles causing traffic turmoil. Allowing tricycles will result in “stand still” of vehicles for long, and much “kaguliyang.”

  Atty. Eutiquio Sanchez, Jr. and PNP Major Edwin Ermac of the Traffic Team Board said that their traffic plan is like that of the Council of Elders to avoid traffic jams and, the tricycle federation agrees to the arrangement. But Sanchez and Ermac revealed that the oppositors are the market vendors, afraid that by prohibiting the tricycles, they “lose” their buyers.

  Such convoluted opposition is without logical basis… The free rides of the electric mini-buses, on rotation basis all-day-round can transport all market-goers. Engr. Zoilo Cortes tersely said that “Maayo pa’g wa ta mopalit sa mga electric buses.” When informed that allowing tricycles on experimental basis, Engr. Cortes said that the experimental runs should be made by the electric cars, not the other way. In jest, one cited the case of the cart ahead of the horse.

  Just imagine the very congested additional traffic jams along A. Soriano Avenue and at the upper portion of Ouano(?) Avenue. Assuming the tricycles would take the B. Ceniza Extension up to Ouano Avenue where to take a right turn at the fast lane, and then negotiating westward and take a U-turn at the busy junction of Ouano Avenue and Mantawi Drive joining again with the fast traffic rush from Cebu City, then turn right at another busy S. B. Cabahug Street and the road entry to the new market, create a thousand “headaches.” And in coming out of the market, to exit across A. Soriano Avenue towards the very busy narrow Burgos Street! It would be a traffic nightmare!

Moreover, tricycles have to park for passengers, on a big tricycle terminal in the periphery of the market. It only deprives available parking to motor vehicles that opt to do so… Since there are now the electric means of free transportation, why not try them out, instead of experimenting on free entry of two to three thousand tricycles that will surely exacerbate the already existing traffic congestion.