Iloilo councilor seeks stricter parking, traffic impact reviews

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

As commuters grapple with daily gridlock, business establishments and infrastructure projects in Iloilo City may soon be required to submit a Traffic Impact Assessment and provide parking spaces before being granted building permits.

The measure is part of a proposed ordinance filed by Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna, chair of the Committee on Transportation, who said traffic considerations “should not be an afterthought.”

“Our roads are not being widened, but the number of establishments continues to grow, we should be prepared, before approving the design of a building, there must already be provisions for parking or lay-bys,” he said on Thursday.

“These are things that we can do in the early planning stage to reduce the impact adversely on our traffic congestion,” he added.

Cabaluna said that of the six major development hubs in Iloilo City, only two have submitted their Traffic Impact Assessments.

“Why are there only two, the TIA is important and we saw the gap — and that this is not required,” he said.

He explained that such requirements, if integrated during the planning stage, would help mitigate worsening traffic congestion in the city.

“If you are going to have a business, you should have a consideration for parking and not just road parking, we are not mandating that they would have a parking space but in the TIA, we can input the design of what is needed,” he said.

If passed, the ordinance would make the submission of a Traffic Impact Assessment mandatory prior to construction not only for private establishments but also for government-initiated projects.

“It should be mandatory, in other areas […] they require it prior to the issuance of the location clearance,” he said.

Cabaluna said this push aligns with proposals for a new two-way traffic scheme in the Terminal and Central Markets, where Traffic Impact Assessments are also being required.

With the city proper already congested and development sprawling toward the outskirts, Cabaluna underscored the urgency of Traffic Impact Assessments.

Cabaluna said the city is working to address 22 identified choke points, with efforts focused on gathering data to ease congestion in those areas, and he warned that without requiring Traffic Impact Assessments, traffic conditions could continue to worsen.