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CEBU CITY, Philippines – Businessmen criticized on Monday the proposed private car ban in main roads in Cebu City during peak hours as an inefficient solution to traffic congestion and rising prices of fuel.
Gordon Alan “Dondi” Joseph, Cebu Business Club president, said the city government may want to carefully evaluate the proposal so that it will not turn out as a knee-jerk reaction and band-aid solution to pressing problems.
Joseph also said that an efficient world-class system should be in place if private car owners were to leave their vehicles at home.
“If there is none, what the car-riding public will do is to avoid passing by the arterial roads during peak hours. In this case, are we certain that this will increase the revenue of jeepney drivers?” he added.
Joseph said that the present modes of public transport are not conducive [for general patronage].
“Our jeepney, habal-habal and tricycles are not inspiring examples of mass transport,” Joseph said.
Joseph said he will further discuss these issues with CBC members today but noted that he is “110 percent certain that the board will oppose a private car ban.”
“Traffic is bad because it's badly managed. What they (government) can do is to deliver basic services to the public and not pass on the hassles to the people,” he said.
Joseph said he also sees a scenario where the businessmen will be considered anti-poor following their stand on the issue.
“I hope this won't end up in an answer argument situation between the rich and the poor,” he said.
On the other hand, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) said they will have to know the ban's specific rules and regulations before they release an official stand on the issue.
CCCI was invited to a public hearing with the City Council on May 14, which will discuss transportation issues among others.
Clarito Fruelda, CCCI vice president for external affairs and relations division, said they will raise the proposal of a private car ban during the hearing.
“What came out in the papers are too general pa. Too early to comment, we have to wait (for the specific rules of the ban),” he said.
Fruelda said a representative from the chamber's transport group will attend the hearing to take note of important transportation issues that will be tackled.
Meanwhile, the executive director of the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) has defended the proposed ban as a shift in city's planning, with public transportation getting higher priority over private transportation.
Arnel Tancinco said the banning of private cars in the arterial roads in the city has been planned as early as two years ago but until now, the plan is still in the discussion stage.
The plan is in line with the thrust of the of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to promote mass transportation.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña said this is a way to mitigate the fuel price hike and a way to help the public utility Jeepney (PUJ) drivers in the city since this would ease traffic in the identified areas.
Tancinco said they have identified the streets which will be off-limits to private cars as N. Bacalso, M.J. Cuenco, and Escario.
He said the board has to oversee the legality of this scheme and discuss some issues such as the sufficiency of the PUJs within the identified areas and the acceptance of the private car owners on the said plan.
“For sure there would be resistance from the private car owners,” Tancinco said.
Private vehicles account for 80 percent of road users while only 20 percent are public utility vehicles, such as jeepneys, taxis, buses, and van for hire. /Reporter Cris Evert B. Lato and Marian Z. Codilla
