Delivery trucks and vans enroute to Mindanao are now lining major thoroughfares leading to the Dumaguete port here while waiting for roll on-roll off (RORO) vessels to ferry them to their destinations, causing a traffic slowdown in the City.
The delivery/cargo vehicles started arriving in Dumaguete after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in the third week of December which destroyed the ports in Sorsogon and in Samar, blocking accessibility to Mindanao.
Rey Lyndon Lawas, City adviser for security, emergency preparedness, management & response concerns, said the Dumaguete port has remained the only available and operational ports with RORO services connecting to Dapitan City in the big island of Mindanao.
Lawas said these vehicles transporting goods and other essentials from Manila, Laguna, Cebu, and Bohol have ended up lining the Dumaguete streets, especially those near the port area.
The trucks have secured their respective Bill of Lading and are awaiting their turn on the RORO vessels, he added.
Residents have complained that the trucks have been “double-parking” along City streets, posing a hazard to road users in the absence of traffic enforcers.
Lawas assured that further measures are now being taken to ensure road safety, while accommodating these delivery vehicles in “balancing the economic needs of our neighboring Mindanao Island.”
Some measures for implementation beginning Monday include parking only on one side of the road to allow for wider lanes for motorists; requiring the presence of the truck driver/assistant within the parking premises; no parking allowed in “unsafe” zones, such as street corners leading to the pier area, and the northern boulevard along Flores Avenue; and deployment of traffic enforcers even after office hours and/or during weekends, he said.
“We are doing our best to ensure the safety of everyone but unfortunately, it is like a cat-and-mouse game where the drivers of these vehicles park in prohibited spaces once they see that the traffic enforcers have left,” Lawas lamented.
Helping out in addressing this problem are the Traffic Management Office, the Dumaguete City Police Station, the Philippine Ports Authority, the Port Police, and the Highway Patrol Group who attended a meeting last week, he said.
Aleson Shipping Lines, which operates the RORO vessels between the Dumaguete-Dapitan ports, has increased its voyage schedules, but still could not keep up with the number of delivery vehicles coming through this capital city, Lawas said. (PNA)
