The city government is studying the possibility of disallowing the entry of inter-municipal public utility jeepneys in the central business district as one strategy to address traffic congestion.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said he already initially informed the mayors of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay about the plan and there will be continuing engagements with them on the matter as part of the dissemination to stakeholders.
The mayor said motorists in the city will realize improvement in traffic flow once inter-municipal PUJs are barred from entering the CBD.
Magalong said inter-municipal PUJs need to cooperate with the implementation of the city government’s policy as this will translate to public convenience.
One of the 15-point agenda of the present administration is a revitalized and effective traffic management that is geared towards significantly improving the traffic flow around the city.
In the past, the city government limited La Trinidad PUJs entryat the Slaughterhouse Compound only but was immediately lifted after commuters complained of the costs and inconvenience of having to take two rides just to reach Baguio.
Magalong said the plan will be discussed again in the next meeting of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay Governing Board. He said one of the problems that the city government is trying to address is the huge volume of vehicles plying the city’s streets daily.
Citing data obtained from concerned government agencies, there are at least 65,000 private and public motor vehicles registered in the city.
Part of the short, medium, and long-term solutions being eyed by the city government is the study to be conducted by the Metro Manila Development Authority to pinpoint the problems and the recommended solutions to the city’s traffic concerns. – PIO release
