Mondays to Fridays, this near-sighted Ibaloy writer, just like some of my fellow public servants with cars, make it a point to leave our homes early in the morning not only to escape rush hour traffic but also ensure that we secure one of the limited parking spaces at City Hall.
I could be wrong but it seems parking space has become a precious commodity in our beloved Summer Capital for the past several years now.
In fact, I have observed that among the booming businesses in the city currently is that of providing parking for a fee.
Entrepreneurship, as they say, is the art of looking for what the public needs and wants and fulfilling these for a profit. Well, parking areas seem to be what is needed right now since it seems that the number of vehicles (both with four and two wheels) is steadily increasing.
This is especially true in a popular tourist destination like Baguio where hundreds or even more visitors with cars come here during weekends, holidays and big events making the need for parking spaces even more acute.
With this in mind, it is great to know that the city government is currently meeting on a weekly basis with other concerned agencies to fast-track the establishment of several multi-level parking structures and that several areas have already been pinpointed as sites for the put-up of these facilities targeted to be implemented within the year to help ease the city’s lack of public parking space and traffic congestion woes.
Mayor Benjie Magalong said these would be environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient parking structures pursuant to the city government’s thrust in protecting the environment.
He revealed the city has about 56,000 registered vehicles, including 15,000 motorcycles and only around 2,700 public parking slots.
City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña said that around 21,000 to 24,000 parking slots are needed to address the locality’s parking situation and disclosed that 19 sites have already been identified for the parking buildings located at the city’s outskirts and not at its central business district so as not to cause traffic congestion in the area.
He said the parking structures are part of the “park and ride” scheme that is planned to be in tandem with the proposed Smart Mobility Program to solve the city’s traffic woes.
May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue to bless and keep us all safe.
April 28, 2024
