The Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) is eyeing the expansion of the Cagayan de Oro City’s truck ban ordinance but not in time for this year’s Christmas holidays.
RTA administration head Nonito Oclarit said the expanded truck ban, together with the opening of new roads, the new “Hapsay Highway” campaign, the clearing of sidewalks of vendors, are solutions to the worsening traffic woes of the city.
The expanded traffic scheme will take effect once the City Council amends the existing traffic management plan.
Under the traffic code, the existing truck ban is limited to only two hours, that is, 7a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Oclarit said this is already “too short” considering the increasing number of delivery trucks going in and out of the city.
“Gipasubmit man mi sa City Council ug new traffic management plan so apil naa sa among I-recommend na ma-amend unta siya to expand and macover ang tanan (The City Council ordered us to submit new traffic management plan, which includes our recommendations to amend the traffic code),” he said.
“We will have consultations, dili man gyud nato mapugngan ang goods sa atong syudad kay part man kini sa economic development, pero angayan lang nga naay regulations (we cannot prevent the delivery of goods to our city since its part of economic development, but there should be a regulations), so we will make recommendation sa City Council,” he said.
Section 97 of the city's traffic code covers only Poblacion and Cogon areas, particularly in the area bounded by CM Recto Avenue, starting from the Ororama Megacenter up to Abellanosa St. in the North, Burgos St. up to City Hall in the West, Hayes St. in the South, thence to President Roxas St., thence Yacapin Extension, thence President Quirino St., thence Limketkai Drive, vice versa.
Also covered is Carmen market, the area bounded by Agoho Drive in the North, Villarin St. in the West, Masterson Avenue in the South, and Vamenta Boulevard in the East.
Puerto Market, meanwhile, implements a four-hour truck ban implementation from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
RTA overseer and lawyer Edgardo Uy said they are also trying to change the exemption of national highways in the truck ban implementation.
He said they are also planning to include noontime in the time of the truck ban implementation.
"Ang among gabuhaton karon, among gi-count ang mudagan nga trucks anang mga orasa labina na ning mga 6 wheels nga truck particularly sa highways. Ug mahimo iextend nato ang truck ban sa highway gyud, kay delivery raman pud ng ila so pwede ra sila ug kaadlawon or sa 9 p.m. ba kaha sa gabii mo-byahe, kay kana nga time wala nay traffic congestion (What we are doing now is count the trucks passing on that time, especially, the six-wheeler trucks in highways. If possible we will extend the truck ban in the highway since the delivery can be done in dawn or 9 p.m., at that time there will be no traffic congestion)," Uy said.
"Kining sa udto sad tan-awon namo nga iapil na sa truck ban kay wala man gud karon naapil (We are also looking into the possibility of expanding the truck ban until noontime)," he said.
As defined by the traffic code, cargo trucks, gravel and sand trucks and other heavy cargo trucks with six to eight wheels and up, or whose gross vehicle weighs 4,500 kilograms, including tractor trailers or containerized haulers is included by the truck ban.
Trucks who have less than six wheels are allowed to travel in the city streets not covered by the truck ban.
Oclarit also identified “chokepoints” in the city, and particularly noted the traffic scenario along barangay Lapasan from CM Recto Avenue to Agora area, where road projects of the government are usually mounted there.
“If we remember, atong gidivert ang mga gapangagi diha nga truck sa Recto kay gi-elevate ang agihanan diha sa MUST, pero karon naa napud road widening on the same area so dili nato siya mabalik sa iyang original scheme (We diverted the trucks passing along Recto since the road in MUST is being elevated, but now that there’s an on-going road widening on the same area, we cannot return to the original scheme),” Oclarit said.
“Mao ng giextend pud nato nga didto muagi ang mga truck sa (That’s why we extended the passage towards) Agora and Gaabucayan street. So this is why daghan gyuy truck gapangagi diha sa (many trucks passed along) Julio Pacana,” he said.
But after the project, he said the previous scheme won’t still be followed with the opening of a big mall in CM Recto avenue.
Aside from the opening of the mall, another government project is underway, a drainage construction in Valenzuela avenue, still in the Agora area.
“Diha namo ianticipate na grabe napud ang traffic diha, galibog nami unsaon naa siya, kung ma-full swing na ang trabaho maapektuhan gyud na atong traffic flow (We will be anticipating the worst traffic there, we’re so confused on what to do, when the constructions goes full swing, the traffic flow will be affected),” he said.
Aside from government projects, the lack of parking spaces in the city, which leads to illegal parking of vehicles is a major factor of the traffic problem.
Oclarit said a long-term plan involving the construction of a multi-story building parking space would solve the problem on illegal parking.
Coastal roads and new road networks for more road choices, would be a “lot of help,” Oclarit said, however, these are still either ongoing or still in a blueprint.
