By Paulo Loreto Lim

Amid the ongoing MassKara Festival, set to run until October 22, the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) is implementing numerous road closures and rerouting schemes throughout the city.
During a press conference at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) yesterday, BTAO head, Police Superintendent Luisito Acebuche announced road closures around the Bacolod Public Plaza will take place nightly between 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., while other areas will see nightly road closures from 8:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. the following day.
Among the thoroughfares subject to road closures include Burgos-Luzuriaga Streets, Galo-Gatuslao Streets. Gonzaga-Bonifacio Streets, Luzuriaga-Gatuslao Streets, San Juan-Luzuriaga Streets, and San Juan-Rizal Streets.
Rerouting will also be implemented, for instance, vehicles coming into the city from Barangays Bata and Mandalagan, traveling along Lacson Street, will be forced to turn left onto B.S. Aquino Drive.
Public utility vehicles (PUVs) on routes to and from Central Market, along with those that travel via Libertad, will also be subject to rerouting.
Among the adjustments, vehicles on the Central Market route from areas such as Homesite and Fortune Towne will travel along Burgos Street and are required to make a left onto Lacson Street, followed by a series of right turns at Gonzaga, Locsin, and Burgos Streets, respectively.
During the opening of the MassKara Festival last week, netizens took to social media expressing their distaste for the ensuing traffic. One such individual documented the resulting gridlock as they remained idle for over 20 minutes near SM City Bacolod./WDJ