Traffic Nightmare ( be Ready for even more unexpected chaotic Driving)

I live in Bacong, would be great to go to the airport or the roro to Cebu without going thru town.
The resorts in Dauin would benefit from a direct route to the airport and roro also.
If there was a Ceres bus terminal on the bypass it would eliminate huge congestion caused by the buses stopping every 100 meters going thru town, feeder buses could go to different parts of town from there.
Dumaguete suffers from traffic choke points that will only get worse unless they are addressed.
More roads and more options are always a good thing.
Dumaguete also suffers from many people who have the attitude that it is OK to block traffic, whether it it the buses, trikes, trucks, cars, security guards in parking areas or some guy taking 15 stabs at backing into a parking place.
In California the only reasonable law they have is "gridlock" is a double point double, fine ticket.

 

I went to town yesterday afternoon... the weekend experiment is on going, so there seems to be one way streets still in existence... temporarily... until who knows when. The fun part is that there has never been any One Way street signs installed except at the intersections. Once past the intersection you can do what you want. Yesterday when driving north from the Mall on Perdices Street it took over a Km for most people to figure out they were on a one ways street. One guy was even trying to counterflow, how would he know? So once you make it past the traffic enforcer or intersection sign, you can claim you are going the RIGHT way on the One Way street as there is no signs saying you are NOT going the right way. Just put up a good argument that the one way is YOUR way... most times the LTO office will get probably get confused. The best way I have to get by the traffic "enforcers" is to wait until they are distracted. Usually a young lady in a short skirt will suffice, or a relative of the officers who waves to him/her but sometimes it may take some bigger distraction like someone eating a donut, or walking a dog or goat. Remember driving in Dumaguete is a Survival Sport, with few enforced rules to the sport. Rock On!

 

If they can't deal with one guy who has a tree at the end of a runway, I can't fathom how they would deal with many land owners. Just imagine if you had the last piece of land needed. You could hold out for years.

 

Then they better get started, wouldn't you think?

I wonder if you refer to the piece of new road that narrows to one lane to go around someone's house where there is an "attorney" sign in the window.

 

When my late husband (a natural-born Filipino, grew up in Bais and Dumaguete) was still alive and we were living in Dumaguete, he said that it is too late to teach the locals any kind of "organized" driving. He says it has been this way for too long and it will never change. I am afraid any changes they try to make will just be short-term as the people insist on doing it the way they always have, and the law enforcement finally just give up. I do hope the city law enforcers stick to their guns and get the traffic under control. Something definitely needs to be done.

 

BE CAREFUL, WHEN DRIVING THE ONE WAY STREETS. Although one way street may be a solution to some traffic issues here, the implication is currently a nightmare, with little signing and little notice to the public as to what is happening on a daily basis. There is cross-flow on these streets, so do not assume all cars are traveling in the same "one way" direction as you are going. The reality is not much has change, people are driving with little care still, and with even less information from traffic management as to what the programs will be in the coming day, or Km ahead.

Perdices street seems to be the biggest problems due to speeds and just lack of coordination with the LTO/traffic management guys. I had two incidents yesterday with cars going in the wrong directions, and I can not particularly fault the drivers as there is little information and direction as to what is going on. (One poor guy pulled out of parking spot at the park across from the Catholic Cathedral and was aided by the whistle blowing traffic attendant to go in the wrong direction into facing traffic, anything for a tip ). While traveling North on Perdices just past the cockfight pit, there is a street that comes in from the right, by the tire repair shop that works in the street. No signage or officer there to inform drivers as to what is happening, "one way, two way or no way", nothing. A large truck and trailer coming off of that street pulls onto Perdices HEADING SOUTH, heading right into on coming traffi, and proceed up the street. On my motorcycle and having about 1% of the weight and mass I moved out of his way, as the other drives did also. Rmember SIZE does matter, when driving here in Dumaguete. It is not a situation that is good. Because it is not a "main" intersection" the is not traffic enforcer or signage. If the heavy duty truck driver is from out of town how is he going to know what is happening the streets, when it changes daily, with little direction.

Perdices changes to SOUTH BOUND ONLY ONE WAY at the Catholic Church, a sign and traffic officers is stationed there (sometimes), however cars parking facing into the Park sometimes pull out and head NORTH as they always did in the past right into on coming traffic. Again and head on situation If you look at the cars parked facing the Park you can see they are coming from two different direction to park Some may have come on to the street early in the morning before the one way direction was in force (or recommended street driving direction for the day was established).

The short version of this post, is the streets of Dumaguete are still the wild wild west, as far as driving goes. Drivers are doing what they can get away with... with direction on the one way streets as a suggestion, not a mandates once you get out of the sight of the traffic enforcers. YOU are responsible for you own safety and life, and no one that is responsible for this confusion will accept the blame if you are in an accident, SO BE CAREFUL. Actually same rules as previously when driving.... CYA, and everything else too.