CEBU CITY — The local government of Cebu City has enlisted the expertise of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to address its escalating traffic issues, with two MMDA programmers arriving in the city to evaluate its traffic light systems, a municipal official disclosed on Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the special assistant at the Office of the Mayor, the city administration previously reached out to the MMDA for assistance in assessing the traffic light system on the city’s major thoroughfares. The assessment aims to identify improvements needed to mitigate the growing traffic congestion. "They are from the programming department of MMDA. They will recommend to us after evaluating our traffic lights," Herrera stated during an interview with the Philippine News Agency.
The assessment conducted by MMDA personnel, Mario Melendres and Noel Enriquez, will focus on determining the necessity for digitally operated traffic lights or simpler systems that can be controlled remotely from a command center. This initiative follows Mayor Michael Rama’s efforts to reorganize the city’s traffic management body into the Road Management Authority (RMA), seeking innovative solutions to the traffic dilemmas faced by the city.
Herrera expressed optimism about the potential benefits of the partnership between MMDA and Cebu City, emphasizing the advisory role of the MMDA programmers in recommending whether the current traffic lights require replacement or adjustments in their synchronization. Additionally, the collaboration, provided at no cost to the city, signifies a significant step towards enhancing traffic management in Cebu City.
Further measures being considered by the city government include proposals to widen roads, particularly the Banilad-Talamban corridor. The city has initiated a resurvey of properties along this corridor to clarify ownership issues related to potential road widening projects. Herrera highlighted ongoing efforts to reclaim sidewalks as part of the city’s strategy to increase road capacity, indicating a comprehensive approach to addressing the traffic challenges in Cebu City.