Maj. Junji Liba, BTAO head, points to areas where the one-way rule will be implemented at a press conference with Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez Wednesday.*
The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office expects to reduce traffic congestion in Bacolod City by 30 to 40 percent with an extended truck ban, clearing of obstructions and imposition of one-way schemes, Maj. Junji Liba, BTAO head, announced Wednesday, December 7.
Liba joined Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at a press conference to announce measures to be implemented starting Monday to address the expected increase of traffic during the holidays.
A truck ban will be imposed at the Bacolod Circumferential Road from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. as part of the city’s solutions, Liba said.
All cargo and delivery trucks will be allowed to pass through the Circumferential Road from Cegasco to Bata only from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., he said.
The current Circumferential Road truck ban is from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Liba said.
Exempted from the ban are firetrucks, police buses and military vehicles, trucks commandeered by the government for military relief or emergency purposes, those carrying persons needing immediate medical attention, garbage trucks, and government vehicles, he said.
Violators of the truck ban will be fined P1,000 for their first offense, second – P3,000 and third – P5,000, and drivers’ licenses will be confiscated, Liba said.
Trucks leaving the BREDCO port are also no longer allowed to pass through Araneta Street, he said.
All trucks from the port have to go down Palanca Road, turn left at San Juan Street towards Puno Banago and turn right towards the Circumferential Road through Bata, he said.
Clearing of road obstructions along San Juan Street, Bata and other areas are underway to ease traffic, he said.
Liba also announced one-way traffic schemes to decongest roads.
Aguinaldo Street will be one way from south to north, while Gatuslao Street will be one way from north to south, he said.
There are also several other roads where the one-way scheme will be imposed, he added.
Only one side road parking will be allowed, Liba also said.
Liba said there is also a plan for clamping and towing of illegally parked vehicles, which will be implemented later.
However, starting Monday violators will already be issued tickets for illegal parking and obstruction, he said
Benitez said the traffic experiment will be implemented for a month but it does not stop them from changing the rules if they see that they are causing more problems.
Liba said contractors undertaking road repairs in the Shopping area that have caused bumper-to-bumper traffic promised that they will be passable by December 15.
Contractors repairing roads need to coordinate with his office, he said.*
