After Bacolod City Administrator, Atty. John Orola, announced last February a Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) technical team would conduct a study that month on the traffic situation plaguing Bacolod City, city officials recently announced MMDA personnel would be sending a 15-man team to the city next month, from December 2 to 15, to again study to current situation.

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia reiterated comments made last March, saying, “The MMDA, I believe, has the capabilities, expertise, and competence to help us.”

During a recent meeting with MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim, General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia, and Traffic and Engineering Center Director Neomie Recio, the mayor discussed formulating a “traffic master plan” for the city, an issue also raised earlier this year.

A study last November by the Boston Consulting Group found Metro Manila, the area overseen by the MMDA, has the third worst traffic situation in Southeast Asia, behind Bangkok and Jakarta.

The study also found travel time often doubles during rush hour and all indicators only forecasted the situation getting worse./WDJ