BAGUIO CITY – The City Council underscored the need for the Committee on Public Utilities, Traffic and Transport Legislation to consult with the affected stakeholders and organize a massive information campaign to inform the public of the experimental implementation of the proposed odd-even traffic management scheme during weekends to help ease traffic congestions around the city.
The members of the Council agreed to defer the approval of the proposed 60-day experimental implementation of the proposed odd-even scheme for private motor vehicles aimed at decongesting the city’s major roads during weekends and provide motorists, particularly tourists, a stress-free travel around the major tourist destinations located in the different barangays.
Under the proposed odd-even traffic scheme, private motor vehicles having license plate numbers ending in 1,3,5,7,9, will not be allowed in the existing number coding zone from 7 am to 7 pm on Saturdays while those with license plate numbers ending in even numbers 2,4,6,8,0 will not be allowed to travel around the number coding zone on Sundays.
However, some local legislators asked the proponents of the scheme to consider the inclusion of public utility vehicles in the coverage as well as the provision of a window period once it will be implemented.
Further, other local legislators proposed that stakeholders be consulted to gather their insights on how to improve the implementation of the traffic scheme as well as conduct a massive information and education campaign for the public to understand the reasons behind the implementation of the new traffic scheme.
Some councilors also proposed the experimental period be shortened from two months to only one month to reduce the impact of the scheme, especially that the said scheme is implemented during weekends where visitors flock to the city.
The proposed implementation of the odd-even traffic scheme is seen to help decongest the traffic in the city’s number coding zone, particularly around the central business district, to lessen the volume of motor vehicles in the said area, and to help improve the nearly stand-still traffic situation during weekends.
By Dexter A. See
