EDITORIAL — A special team to quickly remove vehicles

In the morning last December 29, motorists looking for a quick trip to their respective destinations via the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) viaduct were instead detained for quite a while in traffic after a trailer truck carrying bags of cement had an accident.

As we saw in photos posted online, the accident happened just a little past the entry ramp to the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. However, the line of snarled vehicles stretched back as far as SM Seaside City.

What made removing the disabled truck difficult was the tons of cement bags it was carrying and that the place where it had an accident was a narrow part of the viaduct with only one other lane heading in the same direction free. Even up to the afternoon crews were still making that part of the viaduct passable.

Perhaps the city should consider assembling a specialized team that can swiftly remove disabled vehicles from areas where these cause heavy traffic.

Such a team can consist of people who can quickly go into action once a vehicle needs removing, equipped with a tow truck or other such vehicles and, more importantly, a ready plan where to reroute snarled traffic.

They can also be ready with communication equipment and signages indicating where motorists should or shouldn t go. They may even have medical personnel ready to treat and evacuate those who suffered injuries in such accidents.

Of course, we understand that quickly removing a vehicle that got involved in an accident isn t suitable in all situations; like in instances where victims might still be trapped in them, or in serious accidents that require thorough on-site investigation, or in places where the accident isn t really stalling traffic.

However, the CSCR viaduct is a special case. Its a vital artery that tens of thousands of people use every day. Its an area that should be kept free from obstructions at any time.

Traffic in Cebu City is bad enough already. We need to make sure accidents don t clog up our major thoroughfares.