WHAT TRAFFIC CRISIS? Conlu: Road paralysis unlikely to hit Iloilo City

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

A TRAFFIC crisis scenario like the one in Cebu province is unlikely to happen in Iloilo City anytime soon.

On Monday, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cebu passed a resolution declaring a traffic crisis in the province.

Officials considered the daily commute in Cebu a public calamity because of prolonged jams.

In Iloilo City, Public Safety and Safety Transportation and Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu is convinced that traffic crisis is far from happening in the metro.

“Malayo pa na ang traffic crisis nga ginahambal sang iban,” Conlu said in an interview on Thursday.

Yes, traffic congestions can be felt in some areas in the city but these can be only experienced in certain hours, according to Conlu.

He emphasized that traffic in the city is “moving” and “manageable”.

“Certain hours lang may gutok but tama kalayo pa kita to declare a traffic crisis, manageable ang city of Iloilo, ang aton dalan ya moving,” he said.

Conlu noted that visitors would always laud the city because of the ease of vehicular traffic.

“During conventions, amo gid na ang katawhay sang dalan ang gina dayaw sang mga bisita,” he added.

Councilor Rommel Duron, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s committee on transportation, shared Conlu’s belief.

“Kalayo-layo gid ya, wala gid ya crisis sa aton ah. Teh natural kon peak hours indi na madula kay kon peak hours gadululungan gwa ang mga salakyan, pero siling nga may crisis gid, wala gid ah,” he stressed.

According to Duron, the problem lies on irresponsible commuters and drivers who do not follow the appropriate loading and unloading areas in the metro.

“Ang problema ta sa dalan amo ang disiplina, sa tunga dalan gapick-up, sa tunga dalan gapanaog, amo na akon nakita,” he said.

For Duron, problems in traffic in the city can be solved with discipline and enforcement.

“Ang gapasaway da gaload and gapark nga gahazard teh dakpon nila and kon may disiplina lang gid sa mga drivers kag commuters,” he said.

Recently, the city government has tapped the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to help the city improve its traffic management system.

Around 15 MMDA personnel visited the Iloilo City in July to survey and evaluate the roads in the metro.

The MMDA observed that the city is not totally congested compared to Manila.

However, they pointed the lack of discipline on the loading and unloading area and several obstructions as some of the metro’s notable problems.

The data gathered by the MMDA will be used for the crafting of the Traffic Management Plan of Iloilo City which is yet to be completed by the city government.