Best Posts in Thread: DONT GO DOWNTOWN!

Traffic was gridlock before this attempt at 1 way streets was implemented. Give it a chance, I have seem way worse in smaller cities here.
Pick your travel times (shopping etc) very early and if you have any sense of direction you will have done the mall, HyperMart gone to the bank and are at home having a beer before 11am. If you can't get your daily duties finished by then???? Maybe you need a exit visa and a 6 lane highway where you came from???

 

I agree that it is pretty well screwed up but like others say, all you need to do is choose your days and hours. I would say 99 % of us are retired with nothing to do. The intersection at Robinsons is horrific but after the bridge reopens maybe it will improve. If you are retired then why deal with stress? If i see a lot of traffic ahead I turn around and go back home and do some bonding with my lady. Much better.

 

Traffic is bad for here but not nearly as bad as going into most US cities or Greater Manila or Cebu. So it takes 5-10 minutes longer now. Big deal. Most of us are not working and don't have the "late-for-work" stress to worry about. The beer will be 5-10 minutes cooler when you arrive. If you are going to town for an appointment with someone, chances are they are late as well.

 

Unfortunately I fall into the 1% who is not retired........hopefully in the next 2 to 3 years I will be able to join this club. But I would rather be working here then slogging it out back in the western lifestyle.

 

a bunch more streets closed down or made into impromptu one ways with no SENSE or REASON..GRIDLOCK!even on my scooter was at a standstill until heat almost got me...enter at your own risk...its gone beyond funny

 

I agree. The "gridlock" here doesn't hold a candle to Manila, or other cities anywhere. But if they are going to play musical chairs with one-way streets, at least invest in some signs. (I know...the signs are planned and paid for. Just never delivered for use. The money gets "sidetracked" between the allocation and the execution. Sad, really.)

I read an editorial in the Negros Chronicle a few week ago raving about how great the new traffic patterns were working. Obviously paid to be a cheerleader. It's certainly not an improvement of any sort, but I don't think it's WAY worse than before the bridge began its update. I just can't understand why they see a necessity (even absent the bridge maintenance) to have part-time one-way roads, and why Perdices Street and Real Street (National Highway) through downtown are not one-way 24/7 but in the opposite direction from what they are now. From Silliman Ave to the intersection-from-hell near Robinson Place, Real should be one-way southbound 24/7. Between those same intersections (Calindagan Road near Robinson Place into Perdices, then left for two blocks on Silliman Ave to a right turn on Real St)) should be one-way 24/7 northbound. East-west streets in downtown should alternate one-way. One street east only. Next street west only. And ALWAYS 24/7.

Seems a very logical way to make the flow better. So, you may have to drive around the block to get where you want to be. It's done in most cities. Better yet. Grab the first parking spot you see and walk! Downtown Dumaguete is so tiny. It's not like you're trying to walk across Greater London.

 

Although I will certainly coincide the traffic one way plan was not created with much western type logic, and has created mostly chaos, particularly with few one way signs posted. Maybe when the bridge is totally repaired things will get better.
However MONDAYS are always a BAD day to go downtown for some reason, and this particular Monday with most places closed the previous four days has to be close to someplace satin resides. (Maybe most get paid over the weekend and the wifes/GF go down town to spend the money.)

My suggestion would be to Go to Huiz Pool Swim Park Dumaguete (Monday and Tuesdays there are very few people there) or a similar recreation area, and enjoy the cooler places in Dumaguete. Mostly like what ever you needed downtown will be there tomorrow (or re-stocked soon MAYBE) or you will find the items you went down town were not as critical as your blood pressure was too you personal survival with the Sun baking on you brow too.

I personally try to only go to the downtown area from Tuesday through Friday, and even late Fridays are bad too for traffic. Hypermart and the Robinson Mall are navigational most of the time, and have whatever I need. (I park out along the hiway and walk into the Mall, where the trikes que up, because going around the whole mall looking for a parking place for a car or MC is a pain in the butt and wastes my time too.

 

I tend to think we all knew it would get worse long before it got any better ( as if!)