Tacloban converts 5 more one-way streets

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 1  -- Concerned with traffic woes, the city government here has temporarily converted five more streets in downtown area into one-way streets.

Traffic Operation Management Enforcement and Control Office head Emmanuel Naval said the new traffic scheme will take effect from December 1 to end of February next year.

“The temporary conversion is part of the ongoing study by the University of the Philippines National Center for Traffic Studies (UPNCTS) to aid the city in coming up with permanent solution to the traffic situation,” Naval told reporters in a press briefing Friday.

Temporarily designated as one-way roads are Juan Luna, Paterno, Sto. Niño, Del Pilar, and Salazar Streets.

The city has been implementing one-way traffic scheme in four major highways since 2014 when authorities noticed the increasing number of vehicles after super typhoon Yolanda struck.

Major thoroughfares in the capital of Eastern Visayas region have been used by thousands of vehicles daily, including the 2,000 registered motorcabs for hire.

“The night population of Tacloban is 270,000 and in the daytime, we have a population of more than 900,000. So many come to the city in the morning and that is why the traffic in the city is confounded,” said city information officer Bernardita Valenzuela.

Valenzuela observes that the number of cars in the city have been rising recently due to the significantly low promotional car plans being offered to the public.

The traffic scheme is expected to mitigate the traffic predicament especially this holiday season, according to the official.

Tacloban is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the country. It serves as the regional center of Eastern Visayas. According to the 2015 census, Tacloban has a population of 242,089, making it the most populous city in the region. (SQM/PNA)