Trust your government, Rama tells Colon stakeholders
CEBU CITY (April 29, 2024) –The City has pushed to pedestrianize Colon Street, with Mayor Mike Rama telling stakeholders to trust his administration that “it is driven by good intent and that it means well.”
| 📷 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘢
In a meeting with owners and representatives of businesses and establishments on Colon Street this morning, Rama said means well for the people, especially the succeeding generations.
“The thrust that we are pushing is not for me, it’s for your children, your children’s children. Inter-generational legacy,” he said.
“Please, whatever is going to happen downtown and all the (commercial) districts. We really mean well. Just trust your government. Let us help one another. This will be our legacy to our children,” he added.
The mayor also told them to always be “young at heart”.
“It takes to be young at heart to continue to have the passion (to serve),” he said.
The City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) spearheaded this morning’s meeting.
The thrust that we are pushing is not for me, it’s for your children, your children’s children. Inter-generational legacy.
Mayor Mike Rama to Colon Street stakeholders
Segment 1
Arch’t. Joseph Michael “Yumi” Espina, CDPO head, said the city plans to close a portion of Colon Street from the corner of Osmeña Blvd. to the obelisk in Parian as Segment 1 of the proposal.
Pedestrianization is defined as the “process of converting a street zone or district into an area for the use of pedestrians, by street dieting or minimizing motor vehicles.”
“Public transport will be diverted to parallel roads. Dili lang kanang sa night market, even during the day, maglakaw na ang mga tawo,” Espina said.
Modern cities like Melbourne and those with rich heritage, like Turin and many cities in Europe, have pedestrianized their city centers where only bicyles are allowed to use the roads, whose sides become extensions of restaurants and platforms for local artists to peform.
To better realize the project, the CPDO said developments would also be introduced on the country’s oldest street, like the arcading (constructing covered pathways with arches) of the existing structures, extending the sidewalks, flood control, and construction of storm drains, among others.
Espina said flood control in Colon is important because it is in an area where rainwater runoff gathers, considering that not only that water from the midtown and uptown areas go there but even those from the City Hall area.
He told stakeholders that while the City Hall area is three meters above sea level, the Colon area is actually just one meter above sea level. | PIO / rhm
Cebu City • News & Information 