Dumaguetenos who were at Perdices Street in the afternoon of Thursday must have seen it, although many did not understand what they were seeing.
For about 30 minutes, all southbound traffic along that road were herded to only one lane, or one half of the two-lane road, while the other half was occupied by a few walkers, who simply wanted to drive home a message. The message was very simple: Those who have less in wheels must have more in road.
This is the essence of the Road Sharing movement. It says that the two percent of the population who have cars should not have 98 percent of the road. In Cebuano, the message is simpler: Mag-angay ta sa dalan.
Pedestrianizing streets and making them safe for non-motorists is not just a wish. It is backed by Executive Order 774 series of 2008. Under this directive, the Department of Transportation and Communications is tasked to transform the transportation sector. “The new paradigm in the movement of men and things must follow a simple principle: Those who have less in wheels should have more in road.”
The pedestrianization of Perdices Street, or any other street for that matter, is anchored on the belief that the roads were made for people. Dumaguete could have had a pedestrianized Perdices Street had the people listened to then Mayor Ipe Remollo a good 13 years ago, but that seemed then like an idea whose time had not yet come.
Indeed, Victor Hugo was right–there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Now, the pressures of having an increased population in this small city of Dumaguete is forcing people to make choices and to initiate change. This is no longer the time for plain talk.
In pursuing this idea, let us be guided by former U.S. President Harry S. Truman who discovered that “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”
