FRENCH Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault yesterday praised Cebu officials for choosing TransCebu or the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as the future major means of transport, which is partly financed by his country.
Atty. Christopher Yap of TransCebu said that during his stint as mayor, Ayrault converted the Cathedral Square, where heavy traffic was experienced every day, into a bus way area that permanently solved the traffic problem.
Ayrault’s system is now being copied by officials behind TransCebu, said Yap, who is also the chief of the Cebu City Integrated Traffic Operations and Management (Citom).
Ayrault proceeded to Cebu from a state visit in Manila to attend the Trans-Cebu or BRT briefing and the inauguration of the Alliance Francaise de Cebu building on Gorordo Ave., Cebu City.
Alliance Francaise de Cebu is a non-government organization (NGO) in France that promotes French culture in Cebu.
Cost
During the briefing about BRT at the Capitol Social Hall, which was also witnessed by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Presidential Political Adviser Roland Llamas and French media and businessmen, Yap told Ayrault that TransCebu or BRT will cost P9.076 billion (US$212 million), which covers the capital or physical cost (P6.694 billion or US$156 million), resettlement and land acquisition (P1.044 billion or US$25 million) and project management and coordination (P1.337 billion or US$31 million).
Yap further told Ayrault that Trans-Cebu or BRT will be jointly financed by Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) with US$52 million, the World Bank at US$110 million, Clean Technology Fund, a non-government organization (NGO) that deals with environment-friendly projects, US$25 million, and the Philippine Government with US$25 million.
Yap led Ayrault to the Capitol veranda to have a full view of Escario St. corner Osmeña Blvd., which will be part of the BRT system route.
Yap said Trans-Cebu will have 15 stations between Bulacao and the Cebu Business Park.
The system will be built in the middle of the road. Access to stations is at ground
level.
These Trans-Cebu stations, Yap said, are of a sufficient size to accommodate forecast passenger and vehicle demand. They will provide a safe, secure and comfortable waiting environment with seating for those who need it.
He said the stations will protect the traveler from the rain and wind and also have lighting that will be powered by solar panels.
Moratorium
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Council imposed a moratorium on developments along the BRT corridor.
The resolution was authored by Councilor Richard Osmeña, chair of the council committee on traffic management.
Osmeña’s resolution provides for the adaptation of a development moratorium along the Cebu South Coastal Road from the boundary of Barangay Bulacao to N. Bacalso Ave. and to Osmeña Blvd.
The moratorium also applies from Osmeña Blvd. junction P. Del Rosario St. up to Capitol, then from Escario St. to the Cebu Business Park, and Archbishop Reyes Ave. up to the flyover near the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) 7 compound.
“In order not to hamper the implementation of the construction works related to the BRT project and to effectively facilitate the road-right-of-way acquisition, it is necessary to regulate any development along the corridor of the BRT project,” the councilor said
In his resolution, Osmeña said the moratorium was made upon the request of the technical working group (TWG) for the city’s BRT project during their meeting last Sept. 14.
The BRT route in the city will be from Bulacao, passing through N. Bacalso Ave., then to Osmeña Blvd., Escario St. and straight to Barangay Talamban.
Yap, who is a member of the TWG, said the moratorium covered under Osmeña’s resolution is only until the flyover of Tesda, considering that there is already an existing moratorium on the developments along the Banilad-Talamban corridor.
Asked when the moratorium will start, Yap said it should be as soon as possible so the City can control the developments along the area.
“So we won’t have a hard time implementing the BRT right away,” he said.
The construction works for the BRT is expected to start in October 2013 and the system to be operational by 2015.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 22, 2012.
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