P100M Budget for Cebu City’s Traffic System Modernization

The Cebu City government has budgeted around P100 million for the modernization of traffic facilities here, City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) czar Joy Tumulak said.

Tumulak who guested Tapok-Tapok Media Forum at Cebu Business Hotel along Colon and Junquera streets, in Cebu City identified traffic lights as one of the traffic facilities which need a total rehabilitation.

However the installation of CCTV cameras, as well as street names and even the right manner of CITOM personnel when confronting traffic violators are also another aspects which need to be imposed and corrected, Tumulak said.

Tumulak, a CITOM director said the city government may adopt the traffic lighting system with bold timers and CCTV cameras in Hong Kong as the one to be installed in almost every corner here in Cebu City.

He said the Hong Kong traffic light timers are bigger and bolder than what Mandaue City has.

Here in Central Visayas, only in Mandaue City where traffic light timers are found, an ideal traffic system to be adopted by big cities like Cebu City, Tumulak observed.

Tumulak explained that using the timer could make both driver and pedestrian to calculate their movement when to relax and when to go with the timer’s timing.

“The driver can relax while putting into a real halt of his vehicle which translate to economically minimize gas while awaiting for the stopping signal ends to number zero or go signal starts”, Tumulak said.

“At the same time a pedestrian can also estimate when to walk fast or relax while crossing the street, like drivers who are waiting for the timer’s timing for its go signal”, Tumulak added.

“This is really a better traffic light system to be installed here in the city sometimes next year”, Tumulak stressed.

Meanhile Tumulak revealed that there were already 15 traffic enforcers who were terminated from the service due to various offenses they committed, and one of them is accepting bribe.

Enforcers’ attitude and character while confronting drivers who have violated traffic laws is also another concern which needs to be corrected.

“The sense of respect must be maintained unlike military commanders in front of their cadets, because every human being is capable to make mistakes, so its better to make an approach on a mild manner just to remind the violator his violations”, Tumulak said.

“That is how I always reminded every traffic enforcer during our weekly meeting to avoid big problems with drivers, kay kada adlaw naa ka sa karsada unsa may imong dag-anan kun putong ang drayber nga imong pakauwawan og kasaba atubangan sa daghang mga tawo, and another thing, how could a traffic enforcer be respected if he always looks angry all the time when confronting traffic violators”, Tumulak said.

So the Cebu City traffic czar said these are few of the things he wants to implement together with the proper signage of every corner and every street in the city.

He admitted there are still a number of streets which do not have proper signage until now and ” being the right person to look for this matter, I considered this as another assignment”, Tumulak said.