ILOILO City – Will a new traffic scheme ease the highway congestion in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district here and in Barangay Ungka 1, Pavia, Iloilo where a still unusable flyover is causing a bottleneck?
While some are hopeful, others are doubtful.
Today, the Iloilo City Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) and the local government unit of Pavia are introducing a scheme that they hope would relieve the logjam.
The Circumferential Road 1 intersection, or C1 intersection will be closed.
According to PSTMO head Jeck Conlu, the scheme will allow for a continuous flow of traffic from Iloilo City going to Pavia and from Pavia going to Iloilo City.
“Ang intersection siraduhana. Wala sang ma-cross so that ang flow sang traffic continuous na. Kon halin ka sa syudad deretso sa Pavia, dere-deretso. Kon halin ka naman sa Pavia pakadto syudad, deretso man,” said Conlu.
What will be the alternative routes for motorists coming Mandurriao and Arevalo districts, and from Jaro district, that utilize the C1 intersection?
According to Conlu, those coming from Barangay Tacas, Jaro going to Mandurriao via the C1 road will take a right turn upon reaching the intersection and will join the flow of traffic going towards Pavia. Then, they take a U-turn at the slot located in front of GT Mall and head to the direction going to Iloilo City and take another right turn back at the C1 road intersection going to Mandurriao district.
For vehicles from Mandurriao district going to Tacas, Jaro, drivers should make a right turn at the intersection to join the traffic flow headed to Iloilo City, then make a U-turn in front of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s Ungka prison facility to join the traffic that is headed towards Pavia. Upon reaching the C1 intersection again, they should take a right turn towards Tacas, Jaro.
“Ginkuha naton ang conflict zone, which is the intersection. Buot silingon naga-carousel lang sia, sige-sige lang, nag-join traffic lang ang halin sa C1 Road,” said Conlu.
PSTMO will be observing the traffic scheme’s effects and make the necessary adjustments as needed.
Conlu also said a truck ban during rush hours will be enforced by the PSTMO and Pavia.
“Ang challenge is every rush hour. Budlay man da ya magliko ang 10-wheeler truck and prime movers so kuhaon sila during rush hours. Small vehicles lang pwede,” he said.
The daily truck ban is from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
PAVIA EXEC SKEPTICAL
Pavia Sangguniang Bayan (SB) member Jose Maria “Pyt” Trimañez, however, urged the PSTMO to reconsider the carousel traffic scheme.
The chairman of the Pavia SB’s Committee on Transportation warned that the scheme could worsen the traffic congestion in some other points.
Trimañez said Pavianhons have long been suffering from traffic congestion in the vicinity of Green Meadows subdivision going to the Ungka flyover. This is also the portion of the highway approaches the U-turn slot for vehicles diverted from the C1 intersection.
He also said those coming from Tacas, Jaro will significantly add to the volume of vehicles in the area.
“I would like to appeal to Sir Jeck to consider ang diri naman sa Pavia side. Kon tanan karon ma-converge (diri), there will be more traffic congestion, more vehicles magsagi pila dira. Kami ang makaluluoy sa Pavia, mga estudyante, naga-trabaho sa syudad,” Trimañez told Panay News.
He suggested making adjustments based on observations from today’s pilot implementation of the carousel traffic scheme, especially from Green Meadows going to the Ungka flyover.
Trimañez also has a proposed traffic scheme. The old railway, or the C1 road from Ungka II, Pavia going to the warehouse of Marymount in Ungka, Jaro district should be cleared of obstructions to be efficiently used.
Second, vehicles from Tacas, Jaro should be convinced to use the road going to Barangay San Isidro, Jaro then through Central Philippine University instead of passing by the Ungka flyover stretch./PN
