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Starting January 15, cargo releasing from Cebu International Port will be at nighttime from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
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A truck ban in the municipalities of Consolacion and Liloan will be implemented from 5:00 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., also from January 15
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The new policies aim to alleviate heavy traffic in northern Cebu
Cargo releasing and pullout at Cebu International Port (CIP) will be carried out from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. starting January 15 to alleviate daytime traffic on roads leading to the pier.
On the same date, the truck ban in the municipalities of Consolacion and Liloan will start, implemented from 5:00 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., according to Executive Order (EO) No. 2 series of 2021 signed by Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia on January 12.
According to the EO, “there is an urgent need to decongest” CIP during peak hours to alleviate heavy traffic in affected areas.
The EO notes that truck and cargo vehicles converge at the CIP during the release of their cargoes, a situation “that clog roads leading to the pier area causing a ripple effect on the traffic situation all the way to the Municipality of Consolacion and the Municipality of Liloan.”
The new policy on cargo releasing was determined during a meeting on January 7 among the provincial government, Cebu Port Authority, Bureau of Customs, Land Transportation Office 7, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board 7, Consolacion mayor Joannes Alegado and Liloan mayor Christina Frasco, and other stakeholders, the EO notes.
READ: Cebu port reschedules cargo releasing to ease road congestion
Although a truck ban has already been implemented, heavy traffic and congested volume of vehicles have still been observed in the northern Cebu highways, leading to the proposal to extend the truck ban, according to an earlier report by Sugbo News, the official publication of the Cebu provincial government.
Liloan mayor Frasco, during the meeting, said that while the extended ban may pose challenges for the trucking industry, the consolidation is seen as a coordinated solution to the traffic.
She added that the goal is to alleviate the heavy traffic for everyone, as “the lesser time on the road and the lesser time your trucks are stuck in traffic, the better it is for you (truckers association) because we all know the more delays there are, [the] more losses that you incur.”
READ: Cebu port congestion expected with adoption of truck ban
CPA general manager Leonilo Miole earlier told PortCalls: “We may expect congestion at Cebu port during the truck ban implementation. As to the magnitude of the congestion, we still have to wait and see.” – Roumina Pablo
