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Odd-even scheme on By Jolene Bulambot, Jhunnex Napallacan Cebu Daily News Posted date: January 24, 2008 CEBU CITY, Philippines - Starting Monday next week, Cebu City will have a taste of the odd-even traffic scheme. Motorists going through Banilad will have to remember the last digit of their car plate and check the calendar to see whether the date matches their vehicle plate. The new scheme will have a two-week dry-run starting Jan. 28 . Private and public vehicles cannot pass Governor Cuenco Avenue, a major northern road, unless it is the correct day to use the thoroughfare. “I admit this is not an easy task. We will do the dry-run for two weeks and see if it works,” said Arnel Tancinco, executive director of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (Citom).” “ If it doesn't, we will make mitigating measures depending on the problems that will arise.” The dry-run is a preparation for the closure of the road when construction of the Banilad flyover starts in February. No arrests will be made during the dry- run but after the experiment, violators of the traffic scheme will pay a fine of P100 for traffic obstruction and P300 to P500 for disregarding traffic signs. Businessmen and residents raised apprehensions in a public hearing yesterday that the odd-even scheme would only create more traffic jams because alternative routes are not ready. Detour roads like H. Cortes Avenue in Mandaue City are narrow and not fully rehabilitated, they said. Vehicles will have to take alternative routes using the F. Cabahug Street to Panagdait, Hernan Cortes, M.L.Q Streets in Mandaue City. Tancinco admitted his staff were not prepared to implement the odd-even scheme especially since it was was new in Cebu City. For jeepneys plying the Talamban route, a different system will be used. On Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays, only jeepneys with route number 13C will be allowed to ply the Governor Cuenco Street while the rest will use the alternative routes. About 400 jeepneys plying the 13C route. For passenger jeepneys with route numbers 13B, 62B, 62C and 65B, their turn will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Governor Cuenco Ave. is the only road leading to to northern barangays like Talamban and Pit-os where many subdivisions and schools are located. Several schools and universities are also located along the Banilad Road. Yesterday, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) held a public hearing so Tancinco could explain the new traffic scheme. About 50 people attended, mostly barangay officials from Talamban and Banilad in Cebu City, and barangay Banilad in Mandaue City. They expressed worry that the DPWH has not rehabilitated arterial roads that will be used by vehicles that are barred from entering Governor Cuenco Avenue in certain days. These include Hernan Cortes and M.L.Q Streets in Mandaue City. But Tancinco said the dry run has to be implemented to reduce traffic volume in Cebu when the flyover construction starts on Feb. 1. Based on a study conducted in February 2007, 7,000 vehicles ply the Governor Cuenco Avenue from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Of the number, only 600 are public utility Jeepneys. New scheme Under the odd-even scheme, vehicles with plate numbers ending with even numbers can enter the avenue on dates that end in even numbers. For example, a car whose plate ends with the number 2 can use the road on Feb. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so forth. For odd numbers, a car whose plate ends with the number 3 can enter the road on Feb. 1, 3, 5, 7 etc. For dates that have two digits (10 to 31), the last digit of the number will apply. The first day of the dry run on Jan. 28 will allow access of vehciles with plate numbers ending with an even number: 2, 4, 6, 8. This is because the last digit of Jan. 28 is 8, an even number. Other vehicles will have to take alternative routes using the F. Cabahug Street to Panagdait, Hernan Cortes, M.L.Q Streets in Mandaue City. The only exemptions are vehicles used in emergencies like ambulances, those used by utility companies and the government. According to Tancinco, around 40 enforcers will be deployed in affected areas with the help of barangay tanods after a briefing on Friday. BRACE FOR WORST But affected residents are bracing for the worst. “I think they (Citom enforcers) are not 100 percent prepared to implement the project. There were several questions left unanswered. We thought everything was in place,” said Banilad barangay captain Malou Tabar. Barangay Banilad in Cebu City has 6,000 voters and has several commercial areas and exclusive villages, and schools. Tabar said barangay officials are willing to help ease the traffic but are just waiting to be told how. . Tabar said DPWH officials could not even say how soon they could rehabilitate access roads of A.S. Fortuna, Hernan Cortes and M.L.Q Streets because there was no go-signal from their central office. The 400-meter Banilad flyover will be built by WTG Construction, which was awarded the contract after giving the lowest bid of P86 million in September last year. The builder promised to finish construction in six months or less than the 300 calendar days in the contract. Ppreliminary works will start in the first two weeks of February along Mahiga Creek near the Banilad Town Center. “The construction will go full blast maybe on the third week of February. We will be expecting more oppositions especially to the stakeholders who will complain about damages to their properties once the construction starts,” he said. ‘Scared’ Businessman Robert Go, outgoing governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, yesterday said that many residents of Maria Luisa Estate Park, Green Valley and other posh villages are worried about the flyover and the traffic jams that will arise. Another businessman, who refused to be named, said other businessmen share their alarm. “Everybody is scared. There is even a public clamor to postpone the project until all side roads are expanded and every concern raised is addressed. There seems to be no preparation made by Citom and DPWH officials. Everybody is saying it will be a hellish nightmare when they pursue the project now,” the source said. Glenn Bercede, barangay captain of Banilad in Mandaue City, said some 26,000 residents in his area will be affected with the re-routing as most of the access roads are located in his barangay. Even without the re-routing scheme, Bercede said traffic is already congested particularly in A.S. Fortuna and Hernan Cortes especially when it rains. He said traffic will worsen in these areas once the management of the Cebu Memorial Park (Cempark) opens its gates for traffic. Bercede said that when this happens, motorists from Cebu City will take a right turn to Cempark traversing to Floremier Village then to A.S. Fortuna to Hernan Cortes, Street. “There is really nothing we can do. We will be recipients of this huge traffic problem. We hope the roads will be rehabilitated soon so it wouldn't really be harder for motorists,” he said. Councilor Jack Jakosalem yesterday said the City Council would call an executive session with stakeholders on Monday. Jakosalem said they want to hear from Citom , DPWH officials and the affected residents and businessmen to know what will happen when the construction of the flyover starts in February 1. “We will play it by ear and we will act when there is a need to after hearing everyone,” he said.