New road to Baguio

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

While going down Asin Road last week with newsmen March Fianza and Aldwin Quitasol, we couldn’t help but notice the many spunky, and expensive vehicles coming up to Baguio.

March said it was because the Aringay Bridge passing through Barangay Nangalisan of Tuba, Benguet was opened. 

Pretty soon, I said, prices of lots along Asin road could become higher as land buyers would become more interested and business could flourish sooner than we think. Even artist Ben Cabrera’s place along the road was full of vehicles of tourists from Manila.    

Asin Road is actually an additional vital road artery to reach Baguio from the lowlands.

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It is no wonder that La Union 2nd District Rep. Sandra Y. Eriguel said completion of the Anduyan Bridge and the interlinked Anduyan-Rizal-San Pascual Road and Aringay-Tubao Road connecting La Union and Benguet will boost mobility, tourism and trade in Northern Luzon.

She said she was grateful to Highways Sec. Mark Villar and the Dept. of Public Works and Highways for the road projects.  Eriguel, whose late husband Rep. Franny Eriguel had reportedly pushed for funding and implementation of the infrastructure project as early as 2015.

The P493.9-million project, spanning nearly 15 kilometers,  has cut travel time from Tubao, La Union to Asin Hot Spring in Tuba, Benguet from more than two hours to 35 minutes.

It also reduced travel time to Baguio City to less than an hour.

More than 4,000 motorists are expected to benefit from the project per day.

Villar and other DPWH officials led the inauguration of the 360-meter Anduyan Bridge and the 14.24-km road section along Aringay-Tubao Alternate Road leading to Asin Hot Spring and Baguio City on Nov. 26.

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Tourists who come up to Baguio may by now know the traffic congestion in the summer capital brought about by influx of vehicles and lack of parking spaces particularly during holidays.

Chief Insp. Oliver Panabang, chief of the Baguio city police Office’s Traffic Management Branch, disclosed based on an inventory conducted by the local police force, there are only 2,775 available roadside parking spaces, private pay parking slots and available public and private areas for parking in the city compared to the over 44,000 registered motor vehicles in the Land Transportation Office Baguio field office.

Of the total number of registered motor vehicles in the city, over 22,000 are said to be public utility vehicles that ply the city’s streets daily which result to the occurrence of traffic jams around major choke points in the city’s central business district area, said a report by Dexter See from the city information office.

In the LTO La Trinidad, Benguet field office, Panabang was quoted as saying there are over 35,000 registered motor vehicles wherein over 20,000 are public utility vehicles that ply various routes, including some parts of the city, which contribute in daily traffic jams in most parts of the city.

He said motor vehicles of visitors who frequent the city during weekends and holidays also contribute in worsening traffic jams and obstruction in roads where they are parked.

Authorities are reportedly exploring means to improve the traffic congestion.

Authorities said it was important for motorists to cooperate with implementation of traffic scheme as well as for visitors to use public transport to lessen motor vehicles.           

Panabang said during special events like Christmas in Baguio activities, the annual Panagbenga festival, among others, traffic enforcers often practice tolerance in implementation of traffic rules against illegally parked motor vehicles in consideration of visitors who want to witness events so they will not have negative impression on the city and will be enticed to keep frequenting one of the country’s premier tourist destinations.

According to him, local police had had been calling on visitors who bring along with them their motor vehicles to leave these in their hotels and transient houses and use the city’s public transport system.

The BCPO-TMB chief said alternate routes are being eyed in the city. In the meantime, he said traffic and parking rules will be implemented for smooth flow of vehicles.

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The local government had collected close to P17 million from  apprehensions done by traffic enforcers and barangay officials for  violations of traffic and obstruction regulations from January to November this year.

 According to Panabang, for the first 11 months of the year, traffic enforcers made 41,483 apprehensions in the city that translated to over P11.45 million in fines paid by the motorists to the City Treasury Office.

               Implementation of the local government’s anti-road obstruction policy by barangay officials made some 5,479 apprehensions that translated to payment of nearly P870,000 in fines paid to the City Treasury Office by erring motorists.

He cited need for consistency of deputized barangay officials in implementation of the city’s anti-road obstruction policy to help clear city and barangay roads from obstruction, especially illegally parked motor vehicles that impede smooth flow of traffic.

Under the anti-road obstruction policy of the local government, barangays get a 70 percent share from fines paid by the erring motorists that are often credited to income of barangays for budgeting in the next fiscal year.

 Panabang admitted that there are still numerous motorists who have not settled their fines with the City Treasury Office that is why there are still license plates of motor vehicles kept in the BCPO-TMB office and barangays which will be released only after motorists paid fines contained in traffic citation tickets.

 The police official admitted because of increasing number of motor vehicles, there is also an increase in number of violators of traffic rules and regulations aside from the increase in the number of illegally parked motor vehicles that obstruct roads despite designated parking spaces in the central business district area and the city’s 128 barangays.

Panabang urged motorists, particularly tourists, to observe  discipline when travelling along major roads around the city for them to safely reach their desired destinations and for drivers to learn to upgrade their skills in navigating the city’s mountain roads to prevent accidents.

He said numerous traffic signs in various roads are useless if motorists do not follow advisories of such signs.