Not optimistic

Ben Contreras

THE Traffic Summit being held at Xavier University as I write this is not the first. Neither will it be the last. It deals with problems parallel to the environmental problems that drew studies and recommendations without success because nobody wants to implement these.

I remember in one environmental forum where a participant submitted his paper with a brief note: “All talk, no action.” Some city officials were there with RTA and LTO personnel and other stakeholders.

What can we really expect from this summit? Forgive me if I say that I am not optimistic.

Traffic is not only the concern of government agencies but also motorists. Let’s enumerate how we all contributed to the problem and failed to help. Let’s begin with LTO or Land Transportation Office. On the aspect of traffic, the office has not been serious of getting rid of trucks parking along the highway. Lack of personnel is not an excuse. Neither is the absence of a tow truck. The office cannot blame the public if they speculate that their men are into irregular activities on the highway or while they are conducting operations.

Nothing has been done about smoke-belching vehicles. I wonder if it falls the apprehension of dilapidated vehicles falls under LTO jurisdiction.

The Roads and Traffic Administration has been run by ineffective people. It’s not that they are inutile but in a society where influence of politics is high, they are sometimes rendered inutile by the higher-ups. Former Hapsay chair Egay Uy was effective when we started manning our streets until he no longer walked the talk but just talked and talked. It’s probably because the public outcry became louder that he was replaced by Vener Monsanto.

Monsanto made a stunning move that caught us and the store owners around Cogon market by surprise. RTA did not only remove the sidewalk vendors, it also made the traffic flow smoothly. Would Monsanto be able to not just sustain it but also apply it on other areas? That remains to be seen.

Now that Cagayan de Oro Campaigners for Road Courtesy and Discipline president Doy Ramiro is now with RTA, we hope he can contribute something to improve our traffic situation. Not that Doy has all the answers, but his experience on the streets may have given him lessons and tips on how to deal with the problems.

Courtesy and discipline, being the subjects of the volunteer group’s name, are things our motorists should learn to practice. They cannot just blame it on authorities all the time. Some motorists do not know the law. Blame LTO for issuing the license or for not curbing the malpractices inside and the people in the perimeters.

Bogged down vehicles can sometimes be attributed to the condition of the vehicles. Even if they are clearly very old and dilapidated, they’re still being used for public transport.

If Monsanto doesn’t want to end up like Uy, he needs to be serious in dealing with the traffic problems and shield himself from political influence. He should be receptive to constructive criticisms and friendly advices. He’s got nothing to lose there.

Meantime, I hope the summit will not just come up with a recommendation but also implementation by those who are supposed to do it.

Good luck to you, people.