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By Egay Uy

IT may be best to now implement a “no-motorela zone” in the central business district of the city.  This was studied by the traffic engineering people during my stint in the traffic office.  Presented were several options that would have amended the color-coding scheme ordinance for motorelas.  I’m not sure if that study will be refined and implemented.  I believe it should be.

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While motorelas are a mode of public transportation that is supposedly unique to Cagayan de Oro, the present woes on traffic and road congestion may necessitate a change in how the utilization of this local invention should be viewed.  Without necessarily phasing them out, motorelas may best be used in the outskirts of the city only.

The motorela zoning or color-coding provisions in the Codified Ordinance of 1994 (Ordinance No. 4373-1994) was reportedly implemented only for a few hours after its passage. The implementation was then ordered lifted in view of the complaints aired by the motorela operators and drivers, according to sources.

It was a bad decision, if I may venture an opinion.  The color-coding or zoning, if implemented religiously then, would have helped a lot in curbing the traffic woes of today – the motorelas of all colors that ply all streets of the city could have been prevented had the zoning assignments been implemented as intended.

When the JR Borja bridge was opened, we made it a point to prohibit the passage of motorelas because the units plying in barangay Carmen should not be allowed to cross the river and operate in the other side.  And those in the second legislative district should not be allowed to cross the river to operate in the other side of the river.

If there were motorela-free zones in the central district of the city, connecting points could then be established to where motorelas from the outskirts could transport passengers. Then these passengers can take the public transport units authorized to operate in the central district.

Everybody is complaining about the traffic woes in the city. Even the operators and drivers of public transport units are complaining, too.  It will be to the benefit of every road user – motorists, passengers, or pedestrians – if the operation of motorelas were limited only to areas where these units can still be accommodated and fully utilized.

And while we’re at it, motorelas that are being operated as “colorum” units, i.e., with duplicate numbers and colors, should be thoroughly removed from city streets.

(Egay Uy is a lawyer. He chairs the City’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairs with the city mayor the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairs the city’s Joint Inspection Team.  He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)

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