CEBU CITY, Philippines – The former mayor of Bogota, Colombia will be back in Cebu next month to discuss further Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT), which has been very effective in his country.
Enrique Peñalosa will be the guest speaker for the Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit Inter-city Coordination Conference on May 9 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Spa.
Peñalosa was here last November to explain the BRT system to local public transport drivers in the city, who would be affected by the project.
The conference will be attended by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The BRT feasibility study will cost at least $355,000 or P16 million.
It was earlier reported that the cost of the BRT per kilometer is $500,000 to $15 million and will include the purchase of buses and infrastructure.
But before the conference, a World Bank mission will visit Cebu from April 27 to 29 to follow up the preparations of the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, which will fund the planned BRT project in Metro Cebu.
The mission will work with Cebu City, DOTC to make a metropolitan-wide analysis of traffic and develop a BRT for Cebu City and its neighboring cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay.
The team will finalize terms of reference based on discussions and other related issues.
Meanwhile, The Cebu City government is interested in joining the City Development Strategy (CDS), a World Bank project that promotes participatory governance and partnerships among stakeholders in the city.
City Planning Officer Paul Villarete said the advantage of being included in the CDS is that all the stakeholders will be consulted in planning strategies for development of the city.
Villarete said he is requesting the City Council to pass a resolution to authorize the mayor to request and negotiate with the Cities Alliance, which is the umbrella group of the CDS, and the League of Cities of the Philippines for the city to be included in the next phase of the CDS program in the Philippines.
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Ex-Bogota Mayor to Return for BRT Forum