Road traffic congestion is proving to be a big challenge for Dumaguete City.
Day after day, the traffic problem in the City is becoming more serious. There is severe congestion in the primary road network due to limited capacity; add to that indiscriminate parking and street trading, among others.
While the problem of traffic is a symptom of economic growth, leaving it unmanaged will also create a negative economic impact in terms of delays for commuters, increased vehicle operating costs, and lost to economic output. The impact is really significant.
The major causes of the traffic problem in Dumaguete include the absence of a traffic congestion management plan, the apparent lack of investment in traffic facilities, poor enforcement of the rules, engineering, outdated traffic laws, and inadequate infrastructure.
The current road network in the City is not capable of meeting the requirements of the increasing number of vehicles, while the demand for travel continues to rise as population increases, and as the economy grows.
Our streets being affected by issues related to sidewalk vendors, parking, traffic accidents, construction work (e.g. drainage and road repair), special events (fiestas, founder’s day activities in this University Town) are likewise critical reasons for the congestion problem.
Since our City is said to be dynamic, affordable, livable and attractive, it will, therefore, never be free of congestion, unless effective actions and strong political will are exercised.
What can be done? To manage congestion, we basically need a management plan which involves some principles that shape how congestion is addressed from planning and policy perspectives.
The development of coherent policies and plans is crucial to reduce congestion and/or mitigate some of its negative consequences.
At present, the Traffic Management Office of Dumaguete has no control over private vehicles that violate the City Traffic Ordinance because there is no provision in the Ordinance concerning this.
The citation tickets issued by TMO enforcers are only good for one month. If no follow up is made by the TMO within a month, these cease to be effective. Meaning, the violator can simply continue violating such traffic rules.
But we can still do something about this.
If the violator is an employee or owner of a business establishment in the City, a Mayor’s or Business Permit should not be issued to the establishment until the violator-employee/owner has paid the penalty of the violation.
To this effect, the TMO should regularly submit to the Permit Section at City Hall a list of vehicles that have been caught violating the Traffic Ordinance.
There is a need to amend the Comprehensive Traffic Adjustment Scheme of 2002 (City Ordinance No. 22).
This bustling City now needs traffic lights at least in areas with the heaviest traffic; not necessarily in areas where distance between intersections is short (meaning the blocks are short).
The ideal intersections for the installation of traffic lights should be at Canday-ong at the corner of Robinsons; in Bantayan between Rovira Rd. and the highway; in Piapi between EJ Blanco and the highway; in Daro between Aldecoa Drive and the highway; and other locations where the blocks are long, and therefore, the intersections, far apart.
The City also has to impose higher parking fees with time limits in designated areas so as to discourage vehicles from parking in it a long time.
Completing the diversion roads started by the late Mayor Agustin Perdices, building more roads, creating more satellite public markets, encouraging uptown development, and establishing bus/jeepney terminals for the north, south, and west bound passengers can definitely address traffic congestion in the City.
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Author’s email: wea_129@yahoo.com
