Province of Cebu imposes truck ban in northern towns

The Province of Cebu will be imposing a truck ban in its northern highways starting Friday, January 15, as another attempt to ease traffic in the area.

The truck ban is set to be implemented from 5 am to 9 pm in the Cebu North Road and the North Coastal Road in the municipalities of Liloan and Consolacion, according to Consolacion Mayor Johannes Alegado.

Sugbo News, the official news site of the Capitol Public Information Office, reported that during this time, no cargo will be released from the Cebu International Port. Instead, the releasing schedule will be moved to 9 pm to 5 am from Mondays to Sundays.

This is after identifying cargo trucks as contributors to the traffic problem in the said thoroughfares. 

“Trailer trucks and wing van trucks plying the roads going to and from the CIP are seen as one of the causes of heavy traffic in the north,” the article read.

This new move to ease traffic in Northern Cebu was decided in a January 7 meeting attended by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu Port Authority representatives, Bureau of Customs representatives, members of the truckers associations, Consolacion Mayor Alegado, and Liloan Mayor Christina Frasco. 

In early December 2020, a “no U-turn, no left turn” policy had been implemented in Consolacion in order to relieve the heavy traffic buildup in the town and its neighboring cities and municipalities. 

During the first day of its implementation, the policy drew flak from social media users who claimed it only added to the traffic problem due to the lack of U-turn slots. 

This was immediately addressed by the local government units by adding more U-turn slots.

In the Sugbo News article, Garcia was quoted to have said the heavy buildup of traffic in northern Cebu affects both business and the public.
The traffic management body is set to convene again on Thursday, January 14. – Rappler.com