By Atty. Egay Uy
MOTORISTS may take interest in this tale of two main bridges that we often use in moving about between the east and west districts of the city. In doing so, we almost always use these bridges. Yes, I’m referring to the Marcos Bridge along the national highway, and the JR Borja Bridge.
I have recently noticed that there is a sign erected at the right side of the Marcos Bridge near corner Pelaez Boulevard that prohibits motorists going towards Kauswagan from turning right “on a red signal.” This means motor vehicles have to come to a complete stop even if they are on the outermost right lane, the free lane, of the bridge.
Because of that sign, motor vehicles that must wait for the green light have to build up into three lines even as one side of the four-lane bridge was clearly designed to be two-lane only. This being so, the question that popped into my mind, “Was this bridge designed to carry a dead weight equivalent to three queues of motor vehicles?”
I guess this has to be ascertained otherwise the integrity of the bridge could be jeopardized and could become a disaster waiting to happen. I may be wrong but if the carrying capacity of the bridge was not considered when the sign was erected, a second look could really help.
Besides, vehicles along Pelaez Boulevard coming from Barangay Carmen going towards Kauswagan may not be that many and fast to justify the “no right turn on red signal” rule.
I have no problem with a similar sign prohibiting right turns on red signals for vehicles coming from Kauswagan because the national highway is an extremely fast lane. Safety considerations could justify that prohibition.
Then let’s motor to JR Borja Bridge. That bridge was not designed, obviously, to congest the intersections along JR Borja Street at Burgos, Capistrano, Rizal, and Tiano Streets. And, if luck plays well on motorists, exclude the intersections at Pabayo and Corrales Streets from being practically impassable during peak hours. Well, partly thanks to motorists who stop right in the middle of intersections without regard to crossing traffic, especially when the traffic officer is not looking.
JR Borja Bridge obviously was constructed to ease up traffic, not aggravate it. Hence, if the traffic flow along that bridge going to Barangay Carmen were “right turn only,” slowly but gradually traffic at the bridge will always be moving, thus avoiding the domino congesting effect at the intersections mentioned earlier.
Just imagine this scenario: the traffic light at Vamenta is on red signal and the destination of the lead vehicle at the corner JR Borja Bridge and Vamenta is towards Max Suniel Street and the rest of the vehicles behind are going right. The trailing vehicles have to come to a full stop to wait for the lead vehicle to move forward on green before the former could turn right. That results in an unnecessary bumper-to-bumper on the bridge.
That’s the tale of two bridges.
