DAVAO CITY – The city government on Friday rolled out a survey to get the public’s view on the current traffic and transportation situation and how Dabawenyos generally travel.
The survey, which targets 1,500 respondents, will help the government provide the public with better, safe and efficient transportation system.
It will also be used for the ongoing crafting of the Davao City Master Plan aimed at implementing the most viable mass public transport system and public transport routes for the city.
In an interview at the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony of CebuLandMasters project in Matina on Friday, Mayor Sara Duterte said part of the master plan is the opening of transfer routes in response to the impending Mindanao railway project.
“We need transfer areas from the Mindanao Railway of the national government to our local monorail which we have under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership). And we have the interim bus routes leading to our High Priority Bus System (HPBS),” she said.
Mayor Sara added that the city wanted all routes under the HPBS system implemented by 2022.
In the survey’s message, the city wanted to know how Dabawenyos are experiencing traffic and transport problems and their ideas on how to improve the system better.
The 15-minute survey has about 20 questions, and selected survey respondents will have a chance to win prizes. One winner will receive a roundtrip airfare to Manila or Clark for two, while the other winners will receive consolation prizes.
Assistant City Administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo said the results of the survey will be analyzed and used in conjunction with the previous other surveys and studies conducted in the city related to the subject.
“Important to know that the management of the traffic is simply not the implementation of what has been found to be popular. It must consider all other factors that have potential impact on its management,” Domingo said.
In her State of the City Address (SOCA) on October 2, Mayor Sara said local officials conducted a benchmarking activity in Australia early this year on effective transportation and traffic management system.
She said the city is already on the final stage for HPBS implementation, adding that the Libreng Sakay sa Kadayawan in August has confirmed the conclusion highlighting the need for a modern and convenient mode of public mass transportation in the city.
The HPBS will not only put new and modern city buses on the road but will also pave the way for the future road infrastructure developments, the mayor said. –PNA
