“There is a silver lining to the implementation of quarantine measures in Baguio City, after all.”
The number of Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) will drastically be reduced once the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) is implemented.
Thus said Engr. Richard Lardizabal, chief of the Traffic and Transportation Management Division (TTMD) of the City Engineering Office (CEO), as he pondered the effects of the city’s LPTRP, earlier required by the Department of Transportation (DOTR).
He revealed, from 58-routes coming from different parts of the city and 43-routes coming from the towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay (LISTT) converging in the Central Business District (CBD), the total will be reduced to only 11-routes coming from main roads in the city.
He bared, for the LISTT PUVs, those coming from Itogon will be based in their designated parking terminal in barangay Marcoville. PUVs coming from La Trinidad will be stationed in the Slaughterhouse Compound.
He continued PUVs from Sablan and parts of Tuba will converge within the Coyeesan area. Those coming from Palispis-Aspiras Highway (Marcos Highway) will use the area near the city’s waste transfer station as staging area.
The DOTR mandated all local governments in the country to submit their respective LPTRPs.
The LPTRP serves as basis in the implementation of the PUV modernization program.
Lardizabal claimed the city’s LPTRP is being finalized in close coordination with barangay officials, PUV operators, drivers’ associations, traffic experts, among others, as part of the process required for its implementation.
He added, the city is continuously engaging the affected sectors to familiarize them with the new routing system and to ensure transportation requirements of the people are met.
Lardizabal claimed the final LPTRP draft will then be submitted to the City Council for the passage of an ordinance.
Based on the data obtained from the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), there are nearly 5,000-passenger jitneys and more than 3,000-taxcabs registered to operate in the city.
To kick-off the plan, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong earlier ordered the TTMD and the Baguio Traffic and Transport Technical Working Group (BTTTWG) to start implementing the city’s LPTRP during the general community quarantine (GCQ).
This is to ensure that the city will not encounter problems in enforcing the same once it transitions into the “new normal”.**Dexter A. See
