Cebu declares traffic crisis

The Cebu Provincial Board in its regular session on Monday has declared that Cebu is at the present state of “traffic crisis.”

This was based on a recent study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) that in Metro Cebu alone, the losses attributable to traffic is estim ated to be around P1, 100,000 a day.

Sixth District Board Member Glenn Soco,who sponsored the resolution and was passed en masse said ” specifically in Metro Cebu,several factors contribute to the worsening traffic situation in the major thoroughfares. For one,the persisting problem on terrible flooding that reaches the national highways,the proximate cause of which is drainage and proper garbage disposal problem.”

He cited various factors contributing to the worsening traffic condition in the province including that lack of road etiquette, lack of road and safety education to the driving public,poor compliance to traffic rules,and lack of discipline.

Encroachments of structures in the streets and roads,private owners of vehicles converting the roads as their personal parking spaces similiarly contribute to traffic congestion.

Soco added that the growing problem on traffic is everyone’s concern and that the solution does not only rest on the national government but also from all sectors of the society, especially the public.

According to the solon, the depressing state of traffic congestion the public endures on a daily basis had caused numerous problems such as incidents of road rage due to heated arguments during gridlocks, shortened quality time with the family as most of one’s time is used up in land travel and health risks due to exposure to pollution.

The Cebu government is currently working on numerous infrastructure projects to address the pressing and perennial problem of congestion and traffic in the area.