𝗧ransport groups reject road routes; hearing set

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- Several transport groups sought an audience with the City Council saying they opposed changes in public transport routes in the city with passage of an ordinance putting into place the city’s “local public transport route plan” (LPTRP).
    The LPTRP will be the absolute blueprint of the road network and details of the required mode and number of PUV units to serve the city.
    It will be basis for effective delivery of public land transport service in the city.
    Adaption of the LPTRP into an ordinance shall pave the way for consolidation of numerous and replicated routes of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) into a few 28 rationalized routes with six additional development routes, leading to a more systematic management and monitoring by the concerned government agencies.
    Lourdes Alcantara, representative of jeepney associations plying PNR, Gabriela Silang, Military Cut-off, Dagsian, Hillside, and Greenwater, said the merging of their routes into one rationalized route will reduce number of units to only 45 which is greatly disproportionate to number of commuters in said places.
    “Kung magme-merge po kami ng rota, hindi po kaya ng 45 units ang anim na barangays lalo na kapag bumalik na po tayo sa normal,” Alcantara said.
    According to the associations’ petition paper, the merging of short trip lines will also decrease the income of concerned transport groups.
    The proposed LPTRP also intends to change the endpoint of the Gabriela Silang-Greenwater-Military Cut-off line.
Currently, the endpoint is located at Perfecto Street and shall be transferred to Diego Silang Street.
    This, according to the associations, will inconvenience passengers carrying heavy load going to the public market and grocery stores, especially senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), as Perfecto Street is closer to those destinations than Diego Silang Street.
    The associations said inclusion of UP Drive, T. Kalaw and Session Road Extension into the routes of the Trancoville and Aurora Hill lines under the proposed LPTRP will reduce the number of passengers of their short trip lines, the association said.
    Transport groups plying in Maria Basa, Navy Base, Liteng, and Tip Top also opposed the proposed LPTRP on grounds they are already plying  these areas and do not want competition with other transport groups and
the proposed route of the Trancoville District Line will include Governor Pack Road-UP Drive- T. Kalaw St.- Session Rd.     Extension- North Drive- Leonard Wood Rd.- General Luna Road- Bonifacio Street- Rimando Rd.- Manuel Roxas Rd. This will “greatly contribute to the underlying traffic already experienced in these areas.”
    The Scout Barrio John Hay United Operator Driver’s Association, Inc. opposed inclusion of Governor Pack Road to UP Drive into the route of the Trancoville and Aurora Hill lines, saying they will incur daily losses upon the implementation of the LPTRP come January 2022.
    Meanwhile, Happy Hallow-Kadaclan Transport Cooperative stated in their position paper that they reject merging of their route with the route of Kias jeepneys and appealed for status quo.
    “The Kias line has a number of jeepneys that is enough to supply public transportation in the areas that it covers. In that case, merging the route of Happy Hallow-Kadaclan with that of Kias will make an oversupply of public transportation while there is delay for the commuters to ride a jeepney and arrive at their destinations considering that the Happy Hallow jeepneys need to go to Kias before going to Kadaclan Village then to Happy Hallow,” the position paper read.
    On Nov. 5, the city council conducted a public consultation regarding the proposed LPTRP.
    However, transport associations said most of them were not able to attend, thus, were unaware of the content of the proposed LPTRP.
    Members of the city council’s committee on public utilities transport and traffic legislation said they will again hold another public consultation to gather more comments and recommendations from transport sector and riding public.
    Councilor Benny Bomogao and Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan said the city council with concerned offices will come up with a win-win revision of the LPTRP, incorporating viable suggestions of transport groups.