I love Iloilo City's quiet, laid-back lifestyle but there is nothing to love about the worsening transportation problem brought about by the city's rapid development and population growth.
In car-centric Iloilo City, commuting remains to be problematic especially if you live in the northern suburbs. Despite being a growing metropolis, the city still implements 80's style transportation management that has remained unchanged since my elementary days. With the addition of a few traffic lights, some road widening efforts, and implementation of a jeepney modernization program, nothing has essentially changed to make travel time faster and more convenient for everyone.
These are areas of concern that remain unaddressed:
1. On Mondays, when people from out-of-town return to the city for school and work, there is an undersupply of modernized and traditional jeepneys. Not even ride-hailing services such as Grab Car and Angkas can keep up with the demand. If you do not have a car, it is impossible to arrive on time as the deluge of commuters is overwhelming. This problem can somehow be remedied if this kind of situation is anticipated by the transport sector.
It has been observed that buses plying the routes from the northern/southern transport hubs have an average turn-around time of 1.5 hours. Perhaps supplementary point-to-point PUJs are needed to transport passengers from out-of-town transport hubs to the city's district plazas where they can get connecting rides.
2. The unresolved traffic bottleneck at Jaro Plaza continues to dim the district's sparkle. Yes, the Graciano Lopez Park is beautiful but is surrounded by constrictive traffic jams and visual/noise pollution from across the plaza. Maybe it's time to create a system for the organized loading and unloading of passengers in this area. Itinerant vendors also need to be regulated to maintain cleanliness and sanitation.
3. The shiny and new modernized jeeps no longer look relatively new and shiny due to lack of maintenance. The jeepney modernization plan should have a corresponding maintenance plan to keep the vehicles clean, safe and fresh-smelling. The passenger assistance officers (aka conductors) should also look well-groomed and clean.
4. Modernized jeeps should have designated loading and unloading areas to keep traffic flow smooth and clear. This is also to instill discipline and awareness in commuters that they cannot be unloaded whenever and wherever they want.
5. The modernized jeepney Panay transport card should be conveniently available so commuters can turn to a cashless pay system.
6. There is also a need to review and re-assess the placement of pedestrian crossing markings especially in places that pose a danger to pedestrians (i.e. forks in the road, rotundas etc).
7. Waiting sheds should be utilized for its most important function-a waiting area for PUJs. Enough said.
There are still a lot of things to be improved to upgrade Iloilo City's transportation. All it takes are small steps taken one day at a time!
Posts
Post a Comment
Your comment is appreciated. Thank you.