BAGUIO CITY – The local government is eyeing putting up at least five terminals in strategic areas around the city to help decongest the central business district from the monstrous traffic jams daily.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong claimed that south-bound buses will occupy the proposed south-bound bus terminal to be built within the 4-hectare portion of the Baguio Dairy Farm, a part of the 8-hectare property ceded to the city by the agriculture department to greatly help the local government address some of its pressing problems, especially in terms of dealing with the traffic and the relocation of bus and parking terminals outside the central business district area.
Further, the city chief executive disclosed west-bound buses will be transferred to a property having a total area of over 8,000 square meters in barangay Irisan owned by Dwight Bello once the same will be developed into an integrated terminal aside from serving its purpose as an impounding area for towed motor vehicles violating the city’s anti-obstruction order.
For north-bound buses, Magalong stipulated the north-bound terminal will be located at the Slaughterhouse compound where the same will be developed into an integrated bus terminal and a parking area to provide added parking areas for the increasing number of motor vehicles in the city.
According to him, the local government will try to negotiate with the State-owned Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the use of its vacant property along Upper Session road as a central bus terminal and a parking area aside from the city’s plan to put up a 6-storey parking structure at the back of the city-owned Baguio Convention Center to be funded by the public works department in the next two years.
Magalong added the local government is also eyeing some vacant properties along Abanao St. and Harrison road which could be developed by the owners of the property as a multi-level parking area with appropriate incentives given to owners, such as tax holiday for 5 years, depending on the negotiations to be undertaken for the said purpose.
He disclosed the Munsayac family which owns the vacant property along Abanao St. temporarily being used as a pay parking area already signified their intention to help in the local government’s effort to locate additional parking spaces in the different parts of the city to free most roads in the central business district from parked motor vehicles that obstruct the smooth flow of traffic.
The city mayor stated that once the bus terminals along Gov. Pack Road and other bus terminals located in the central business district area will be relocated to their designated terminals, aside from the put up of an effective mass transport system, the tremendous traffic jams around the city proper will be significantly reduced as only public utility and private vehicles will be traversing the major streets in the city.
He revealed some investors wanting to invest in the put up of the proposed terminals around the city have already signified their intention to help the city government effectively and efficiently address the prevailing traffic jams and parking woes.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis