CEBU CITY (PNA) – Starting January 15, the release and pull out of cargoes from the Cebu International Port (CIP) will only be allowed between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. to avoid congestion at peripheral roads.
This was the agreement reached between the provincial government and port stakeholders during a consultative meeting here on Thursday, which was shown through a live feed using the provincial government’s Facebook page.
The decision was made to adjust the truck bans being implemented by some local government units (LGUs) here.
The northern municipalities of Consolacion and Liloan have been implementing truck bans from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. During this period, no cargo will be released and pulled out from the port.
Thursday’s agreement among all stakeholders was made to ensure that truckers in Cebu can still fulfill their deliverables amid the truck ban during the day and other measures to ease up traffic build-up in Consolacion and Liloan towns.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia urged the truckers to deliver their cargo within the scheduled pull-out time as much as possible to lessen the volume of traffic during the day.
The traffic condition in northern Cebu has not only affected the riding public but the businesses as well, she said.
“The traffic congestion that is happening during daytime is affecting everyone. For those that are in private vehicles going to their work or their offices, they spend more time on the road than in the office itself because they have to leave early. or else they would be late,” she said.
She noted that delays in cargo delivery would also cost losses for businesses.
Trailer trucks and wing vans plying the roads going to and from CIP, which is located in Cebu City’s reclamation area, are seen as one of the causes of heavy traffic in the north.