The City Government of San Fernando conducted the first traffic summit on Tuesday at the Heroes Hall.
Various transport groups, barangay officials, government agencies, non-government organizations, and representatives from schools, churches and malls had participated in the summit aimed to address traffic congestion in the city.
The summit is the start of a series of consultations and collaborative efforts from the local government unit and stakeholders in order to give viable solutions for the city’s traffic operations.
Ret. Col. Danilo Bautista, Officer in charge of the Traffic Management Division (TMD), said the summit aims to identify the causes and effects of the rising volume of vehicles in the city and get recommendations from the stakeholders involved.
“Among the cited problems during the summit were the insufficiency of parking spaces in fast food chains, obstruction of ambulant vendors in major thoroughfares, and the lack of discipline of public utility vehicles’ operators,” Bautista added.
For his part, Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago said the city is pushing for the institutionalization of the Public Order and Safety Coordinating Office to spearhead the effective planning and focusing on the issues of traffic jam.
“We are continuously adding manpower in the TMD and we are striving to provide our personnel with skills and educational trainings and keep them well informed on the national and local traffic rules to effectively manage traffic,” Santiago added.
Under the New San Fernando concept, the city mayor also plans to implement a comprehensive Land Use Plan to decongest the city’s central business district. To improve accessibility in main roads, the local government will also focus in traffic management modernization.
Meanwhile, city officials led by Mayor EdSa and Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin and all stakeholders signed a pledge of commitment to implement and initiate policies and solutions; and abide by the traffic laws towards a more sustainable road, transport and traffic management in San Fernando.