BCC neighbors asks city to aid in traffic woes in South Drive

Residents of Country Club Village and Happy Hallow are appealing to Mayor Benjamin Magalong to act on their petition regarding the traffic build-up along South Drive, particularly the stretch where Baguio Country Club’s “Christmas village” operates during Yuletide holidays.
In a petition dated Nov. 25, 2019, the close to 200 signatories asked the mayor to direct the management of BCC to transfer the loading and unloading zone of passengers going to the Christmas village, to the club’s ballroom parking area.
At present, private and public utility vehicles drop off people going to the Christmas village at the roadside fronting the Baguio Country Club.
The volume of people going to the site, however, leads to traffic build-up inconveniencing especially the residents who live at the two barangays including the drivers ferrying passengers.
Joselito Dizon, a member of the Happy Hallow council of elders, said the BCC management has deployed its security guards to manage the traffic but this is no longer enough.
He said on many instances, PUJ drivers of Country Club Village and Happy Hallow and even some taxi drivers have engaged in shouting matches with BCC’s guards because of the lack of strategic traffic management.
“It has been going on for years and has gone worse especially last December,” Dizon told the Courier. He said if BCC allows unloading at the ballroom parking area, security guards can concentrate on assisting guests to cross going to the Christmas village, and directing PUVs to the egress and ingress.
“The traffic congestion is causing tension between the drivers and the security guards especially when the latter gives priority to VIPs,” Dizon said.
He said the residents signed the petition with the belief that the mayor could order the BCC management but up to the present, he has not acted on their request.
“We are not against the operation of the Christmas village. Nakikinabang din naman ang ilan sa amin sa Christmas village. Some are concessionaires; some are employees at the BCC. We are only asking for BCC to allow the entry of PUVs to drop-off passengers. Every time the Christmas village opens, half lane of the road is paralyzed.”
He said the assistance of barangay officials of South Drive has been asked but he said their implementation of the Anti-Road Obstruction Ordinance has been wanting. – Rimaliza A. Opiña