By then, the TPUJs with routes covered by the CBRT will be able to carry passengers only up to the CBRT bus stations.
For Package 1, which covers the distance of 2.38 kilometers from the Cebu Provincial Capitol to the Cebu South Bus Terminal, the stations are located at the Cebu South Bus Terminal, Cebu Normal University (CNU), around Fuente Osmeña Circle and the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
CBRT project manager Norvin Imbong told SunStar Cebu Wednesday, May 31, 2023, that the TPUJ routes will be subjected to the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) that will be formulated by the Cebu City Government. In this case, Imbong said, TPUJ routes should not compete with the CBRT bus routes.
“The TPUJs will not necessarily disappear, but they shouldn’t compete. The LPTRP that is being made by LGUs, Cebu has it as well. They are formulating it, and in doing so, they are considering the existence of the BRT. Meaning the route will now only touch the station, then exit. They’ll just feed to the station, then exit immediately so that they won’t compete with the BRT,” Imbong said in Cebuano.
Fuente O next
Around 21 percent of Package 1 of the CBRT project has been completed, three months since the construction started.
Blue boards are now in place in half the area of the Osmeña Circle, indicating that construction will soon begin in the area. The heritage site will remain untouched. Construction work will be undertaken only in the innermost road lane along the area.
Imbong is hopeful that Package 1 will be completed in December and partial operation will begin during that time.
Passengers will be able to access buses through signal lights and crossings that will be placed along the dedicated lane.
Compensation
Imbong also said they had submitted their plans to the Capitol since some areas that belong to the provincial government will be constructed on. They are now waiting for the Capitol to state its demand in terms of compensation.
Last February, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia had demanded “just compensation” from the Department of Transportation for the province-owned lots that will be covered by the CBRT.
Imbong said then that the project would occupy a portion of Capitol’s property, particularly on Osmeña Blvd. from the Capitol to the Fuente Osmeña Circle.
Bad for business
Among the effects of the project so far has been a decreased number of customers for several businesses along Osmeña Blvd. due to the ongoing construction that has narrowed the road for vehicles.
Tight spaces and lack of areas to stop have made it difficult for customers to access businesses in the area.
Representatives of establishments that SunStar Cebu spoke to said they are currently relying on loyal customers since it is now difficult to attract new customers.
Pacific Systems Printing, a print shop, revealed that the blue wall in the construction area has made it difficult for potential customers to see their sign and go to their shop.
“That’s what we’ve observed after it started, that the sales decreased. My boss said that if this continues for the rest of the year, we might need to move to another location,” Marilou Libradilla, the person in charge at Pacific Systems Printing, said last week.
At the Shell gas station on the same road, gas station attendant Geoffrey Tano said: “Currently, only motorcycles and jeepneys with routes here pass through the area. Private cars, not so much anymore. They only pass here now if they have something to do in this area.”
Other casualties of the CBRT construction are two pedestrian skywalks, one near the Osmeña Circle and the other near CNU, that Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo said Monday would be demolished to avoid obstructing the flow of the CBRT.