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BY JOHNNY NOVERA
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Thursday, August 3, 2017
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When can we stop repairing our streets?
IT IS NOT easy to go around nowadays in the city of Iloilo. If you are driving a car, it is very hard to find parking space. Even at the malls the parking lots you may find would sometimes involve some walking to the stores.
It is about time the provision for parking space required of buildings or establishments in the city be strictly enforced. Those that do not comply may be asked to provide parking areas in a nearby location.
New buildings in various parts of the city are sprouting up, and we wish that the City Engineer’s Office will not be remiss to strictly enforce the building code and comply with proper distances from the roadways and with each structure.
Nowadays, another problem is our streets – they are being continuously repaired.
Take the case of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue, also known as the Diversion Road, passing in front of SM City Iloilo towards the airport.
It is a good road, although originally with asphalt-paving on many parts. We cannot understand why, even if the construction was just finished, it is being “repaired” again at various points by digging out the asphalt surface and fill the road with new rocks and stone and replaced by concrete paving all the way towards the Santa Barbara junction to the airport. We cannot understand our preference for concrete over smooth asphalt roads.
It was way back in 2005 when we experienced a long trip by road, joining a travel group in Rome, Italy, with an itinerary that took us on a cross-country tour by land in Europe to see Venice and the canals, the Italian lakes at Varese near the Swiss border, and to Lucerne, Switzerland and its lakes.
We had an ascent to Mt. Pilatus near Zurich, then proceeded to the city of Paris, and to London, UK after crossing the English Channel.
We also travelled later to Germany at Weisloch county and Heidelberg and saw a monument of Jose Rizal at the University where he studied.
We noted that Europe has largely used asphalt in paving their roads and highways. This we also saw in the US when we had a road tour in New Mexico state and parts of Coronado during our visit in 2012.
It is said that with proper maintenance, asphalt roads will last longer, at lower cost, than one built of concrete. If true, why do we insist on concrete roads? (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
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