AFTER several years in gestation, the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) is scheduled to submit Cagayan de Oro City’s transport master plan in a joint committee meeting at the 20th City Council next week, an administration councilor said on Tuesday.
“(CPDO chief Ramil) Balquin said they may present the transport master plan next week…only then can we see if it would complement the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) that we submitted to the (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) since our LPTRP was submitted to the Department of Transportation (DOTR) for review,” Councilor Romeo Calizo said.
During the program ‘Ang Inyong Konseho Karon’ hosted by the City Information Office, Councilor Calizo said a joint meeting between the committee on public utilities which he chairs, and the committee on city planning, development, and research chaired by Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya will be held next week to review the proposed transport master plan.
In a previous interview, Balquin indicated that the city’s transport master plan will have to take into consideration existing transport projects being pursued by the national government such as the Mindanao Railway System.
A boarding station for the railway project that will cover the Villanueva to Laguindingan town routes will be built in Cagayan de Oro City.
Balquin added that a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is also being considered for Cagayan de Oro City.
Councilor Calizo said additional modern public utility vehicles (PUVs) are needed to service the remaining 43 routes listed under the city’s LTPRP if only to accommodate the employees and even students who are compelled to take other transport available especially late at night.
As far as traffic is concerned, Calizo said the city needs additional roads rather than brand-new traffic lights to decongest traffic flow, especially during rush hours.
“This will of course take time…for now, what we are doing is implementing palliative solutions (to ease the city’s traffic congestion)…we do need more roads,” Calizo said in Visayan. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
