Baguio traffic schemes to end route disputes

By Isagani S. Liporada

BAGUIO CITY - The city transportation and traffic management committee has started a 20-day experiment to ease heavy traffic here at the central business district.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan bared this in a media forum after PNR-Hillside jitney association members said Trancoville, Aurora Hill, and Leonila Hill jeep had encroached over their route.

“As a result, livelihood of members of the PNR-Hillside jitney line have been direly affected,” he added.

The PNR-Hillside jitney services are categorized under the ‘green trunkline’. Trancoville, Aurora Hill, and Leonila Hill jitneys, on the other hand, fall under the ‘blue trunkline’.

The city council traffic committee had tried to mediate the turf war but both trunklines were not willing to give in.

Due to this, the committee headed by councilor Nicasio Aliping recommended Resolution 156-2010 defining options for alternative routes for the blue trunkline.

Domogan has yet to sign an administrative order to implement the experimental scheme.

Under the scheme prepared by the TTMC however, there are three turning points near the Baguio Patriotic School to cut the route of the blue trunkline preventing it from reaching passenger-rich destinations such as the University of the Cordilleras, Baguio City National High School, University of the Philippines , and the government center.

Aliping said the Harrison-bound jitneys shall be defused by assigning some to take right near the police’s women’s and children’s desk office; some to take the Abad Santos drive near University of the Cordilleras; and others to yield left near the Veteran’s Park negotiating its way back to the Patriotic School side of Harrison Road towards Magsaysay Avenue.

Stickers shall be installed on jeeps to distinguish those plying one route from the others.

In a petition dated June 21, PNR-Hillside operators and drivers group president Carlito Doming claimed the blue trunkline encroachment is devoid of legal basis and is contrary to Memorandum Circular (MC) 92-0012 of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board, dividing jitney operations into four trunklines.

The trunkline war involves tug-of-war of passengers going through Harrison Road , UP Drive , and Session Extension Road.

As a result, the petitioners claimed, “our income was greatly reduced since our supposed passengers were taken by Trancoville and Aurora Hill] jeepneys.”

Presidents of associations falling under the blue trunkline meanwhile claimed the comfort and convenience of the riding public should be given more importance in addressing the green trunkline’s claims.

They added they also suffered consequences of longer route which entails the more fuel consumption despite fluctuating number of passengers.