• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The city government is exploring ways to maximize the use of the recently-opened multi-billion-peso Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway (BANOCEH).
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Traffic and Transportation, said Nov. 18 that the SP is awaiting the recommendations on the study of the Bacolod Traffic and Transportation Management Department (BTTMD) on his proposal to restrict trucks, large vehicles, heavy equipment, and other similar vehicles along the Circumferential Road and allow these types of vehicles to pass through the BANOCEH instead.
“This will be the basis for us to enforce a total truck ban (through an ordinance) along the Circumferential Road, especially to sugarcane trucks, since there is already a new access road. This ordinance will ensure that the use of BANOCEH is maximized and the Circumferential Road will be free of trucks,” Espino said in an interview.
He added that once all sugarcane trucks are limited to the BANOCEH, the Circumferential Road will become safer for motorists and pedestrians.
A portion of the Circumferential Road, one of the city’s major thoroughfares with heavy traffic volume daily, passes along the Bacolod Government Center in the eastern part of the city.
Espino’s resolution, approved by the SP Nov. 13, directed the BTTMD to study the feasibility of requiring all trucks, large vehicles, heavy equipment, and other similar vehicles to exclusively use BANOCEH and restrict them from traversing the Circumferential Road.
“The presence of large vehicles, such as trucks and heavy equipment, further contributes to traffic congestion along the Circumferential Road and increases the risks of road-related accidents,” the resolution said.
The recently-opened BANOCEH provides an alternative route for heavy vehicles, and designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion on main city roads by providing a designated pathway for larger vehicles.
Diverting trucks, heavy equipment, and similar vehicles to BANOCEH could alleviate traffic congestion along the Circumferential Road, thereby enhancing the safety, convenience, and quality of life for residents of Bacolod, Espino said.
The assessment would include traffic impact, infrastructure and road condition, safety measures, stakeholder feedback, and environmental impact.
Espino said the SP will also ask the City Planning and Development Office to conduct a corresponding study on the allocation of resources in the utilization of the BANOCEH. | CGC, PNA
