After three years, why hasn’t there been significant improvement with Bacolod City’s traffic situation? The officials leading the city’s traffic authority may be unsure of what to do or how to resolve the issue. While I having nothing against the local traffic authority, there has been an expectation among the public in terms of traffic management that has not been reached. At the start of the current administration, there was enthusiasm with improving the state of the city’s roads but that has since only brought disappointment after experimenting with several traffic schemes.
By calling it an “experiment,” it does not necessarily refer to “trial-and-error,” it is only because the plan is not yet final and is pending ratification into a law or ordinance. What is important, however, is that these so-called experiments should be at near-zero errors—it should be realistic and acceptable to the public. If such plans are executed in the vested interest of certain individuals or companies, it is sure to fail.
Take Metro Manila’s EDSA for example, there will be no solution to the traffic problems as long as car companies continue to sell private vehicles. One solution is to build a second-level to the roadway; however, with the arrogance of local drivers, such characteristics only add to the problem.
For Bacolod City, there is no significant traffic system. Various organizations have claimed they have been asking for a formal traffic plan but they get no response. Is this true?
The recent rerouting scheme for southbound jeepneys has received negative response from operators. Traffic authorities failed to gain the support of drivers with their latest plan—when there is a clamor from drivers, there is a problem. While Bacolod City Councilor Dindo Ramos has affirmed he would forward operator demands to the mayor, traffic authorities should have anticipated the reaction as those in charge appear unaware portions of the new route, such as Gatuslao Street, are busy and narrow.
Why reroute jeepney traffic? As a reminder to traffic authorities, when a large shopping mall opened near the city’s seaport, a plan to reroute both northbound and southbound jeepneys was enforced and the various transit associations cooperated. At that time, Ramos endorsed me as the city’s traffic consultant and, when business establishments located in front of the Bacolod Public Plaza complained about the rerouting, I faced them and provided an explanation—the businesses had no rebuttal to my presentation.
Why can’t the current traffic authorities follow suit?

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This column greets Bacolod City Councilors Dindo Ramos and Renecito Novero, Rodel Parcon, Sammy Montoyo, Tony Cacho, Renato Novero, Arturo Colmedora, Tony Oquindo, Francis Velez, Marlin Sanogal, Rosbe Briones, Doc Vir Duyongco, and Jonathan Lo/WDJ