BAGUIO CITY November 12 – The city government wants both local residents and visitors alike to strictly adhere to the various traffic and cleanliness rules being implemented by the different offices during the Yuletide season to prevent the occurrence of monstrous traffic jams around the city similar to what happened during the same period last year.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said traffic enforcers from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), in coordination with the city government, are now working out alternative solutions on how to rid the major roads of traffic congestions following the expected influx of more visitors from the lowlands during their prolonged break next week as a result of the country’s hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEAC).
“We appeal to our motorists to adhere to the traffic rules to be enforced, especially the no parking on the shoulders of roads, among others so that the city’s streets will be cleared from unnecessary obstructions. We also want our people to properly dispose their garbage so as not to create a negative impact on the city’s solid waste disposal woes,” Domogan stressed.
The city mayor told the public to better leave their vehicles in their hotels or transient houses and instead walk to their desired destinations rather than bring their vehicles and contribute to the worsening traffic problems on roads leading to tourist spots.
He admitted city officials and tourism industry stakeholders do not want a repeat of the tremendous traffic jams encountered by motorists last year that is why vehicle owners must also cooperate with the alternative traffic plans to be implemented once there will be a huge influx of motorists in the city next month.
According to him, the conduct of the 62nd Anaual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference and the 66th edition of the Fil-Am invitational golf tournament in the city in the coming weeks will serve as a dry run on the appropriate traffic interventions that will be put in place once similar instances will be experienced during the Yuletide break.
Domogan added the local government will be constrained to hire additional streetsweepers to help the existing manpower in order to ensure the cleanliness of the parks and the central business district area, saying that there is a need to maintain cleanliness so that the city will not be again projected as a garbage city due to the proliferation of uncollected waste around the city.
He reminded the public not to throw their waste anywhere because that will contribute in the clogging of the city’s drainage system and would complicate the city’s garbage woes, thus, cooperation is needed in the proper disposal of waste and discipline among local residents and visitors alike.