The recent traffic experiment conducted in Bacolod City has eased the flow of traffic in the downtown area, Police Inspector Levy Pangue, head of the Traffic Management Unit of the Bacolod Police, claimed yesterday.

Pangue said only 30 percent of public utility vehicles in Bacolod, which do not pass through the reclamation area, were redirected to SM City to ease traffic congestion in the downtown area. He said the routes affected by the traffic experiment are Bata, Banago, Shopping, Homesite, Eroreco, Alijis, Magsungay, Sta. Fe, Sum-ag, Punta Taytay, Tangub, Singcang and Fortune Towne.

He said the PUJ's that will be made to pass through the reclamation area will be determined by the operators and officials of the jeepney associations who will then submit a list to the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, meanwhile, said it is a misconception that the reason they want all the PUJ's to pass through the reclamation is to favor SM City.

The reason Pangue redirected all the routes is that he wanted to see the situation in the area, he said.

"We are not motivated by anything else except to put order in our traffic system," he said.

Leonardia said they are aware that it is difficult to please everybody and that there are even some in the business sector who want the status quo, or who want the original route maintained.

He said they held a dialog with the business sector to be able to do their best to accommodate all their requests, and to be as fair as possible to everybody.

Leonardia said, "I think this is a phenomenon that had also happened in other cities when a giant like SM comes in, and also experienced by other big cities, but after a while, everything will normalize.

He said they see the coming in of Shoe Mart as an opportunity to widen the downtown area so there will be less traffic congestion.

Leonardia said he is asking for the understanding of those who will be affected.*CGS

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