Cebu Daily News / Enterprise

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/enterprise/view_article.php?article_id=117580

City needs mass transport system Cebu Daily News Posted date: February 08, 2008 Foreign experts observe traffic in SRP, Banilad and Talamban areas Experts from the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday saw first hand the need of a mass transport system for Cebu City. Sam Zimmerman, WB's public transport expert, and Ben Eizberger, ADB's infrastructure coordinator, and his team of traffic experts observed traffic in two areas yesterday in barangays Banilad and Talamban and at the South Road Properties (SRP). They said these streets are possible sites of the proposed Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS). City Planning Officer Nigel Paul Villarete said the group is willing to give financial assistance to the city government to make the project a reality, but it had to go through the normal process of the national government. Villarete said the group however did not say when they will start the feasibility study of the project. Mayor Tomas Osmena, who met with the group of experts yesterday, said the groups will not decide whether to pursue the BRTS project just based on their ocular inspection of the two areas. He said they still have to evaluate the project before pursuing the feasibility study. He said the SRP was one of the areas visited because the city government intends to establish an internal public transport system in the SRP. He said the whole idea is to improve the quality of life of the occupants of SRP because once they are already part of the system they don't need to use their cars. /Correspondent Chris A. Ligan