RTA seeks city law to ban trisikads

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

THE Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) has submitted a proposal to ban trisikads, including those with motorboat engines, in urban barangays, and major thoroughfares in rural villages here.

Lawyer Jose Edgardo Uy, RTA overseer and chairman of the Task Force Hapsay Dalan, asked the city council to pass an ordinance that would legislate the ban.

Uy said the proposal is part of the Traffic Management Plan (TMP) submitted to the city council by the RTA that has been upgraded to a city hall department.

In the proposal, the RTA recommended that barangay officials be held liable for allowing trisikads and other similar public transport vehicles in their respective jurisdictions.

“Any permit issued by the barangay to trisikad operators must be coursed through the RTA. The requirements of the Traffic Code of Cagayan de Oro must be strictly adhered to,” he said.

Uy said the support of the city council is being sought in order to ensure that the plans, programs, projects and activities of the RTA are implemented in order to improve the vehicular traffic condition of the city.

Meanwhile, the RTA revealed other plans to improve the flow of vehicular traffic in the city.

One is the extension of JR Borja St. towards Puerto. The City Engineer’s Office has disclosed that JR Borja would be connected from Gusa to Puerto. Based on the plan, this extended road would traverse a mound underwhich a tunnel about 700 meters long would be constructed.

With this extended portion of JR Borja, the congestion at the “Galaxy” junction in Gusa would be be avoided, the RTA said.

The RTA said the coastal road at “Galaxy,” once opened to the public, would also ease the vehicular traffic from Gusa to Lapasan because trucks would be diverted towards the new highway.

The RTA said the public works department has to fasttrack the completion of the Kauswagan-Bulua portion of the coastal road where repairs are ongoing.

The RTA also proposed lateral roads along Corrales Ave.. “We should explore opening lateral roads along Corrales Avenue going to towards the west. The stretch from Yacapin Street to Antonio Luna Street is just too long that vehicular accident along this route has limited alternatives, especially with the ‘No left turn’ regulations at Yacapin Street and Antonio Luna Street.”