Bonifacio Estate Reveals 2018 Road Safety and Traffic Programs

Bonifacio Estate Services Corporation (BESC), the real estate management services behind Bonifacio Global City (BGC), together with the city government of Taguig, is "intensifying its road safety and traffic alleviation programs by implementing new policies and strengthening existing rules" aimed at keeping both pedestrians and motorists safe on the road as well as smoothen traffic flow.

According to BESC, an average of around 80,000 vehicles pass through BGC on a single day, with 80 percent only passing through the financial and lifestyle district to reach their destination.

Currently, BESC monitors the traffic situation in its jurisdiction through its state-of-the-art command center that screens real-time footages from its over 80 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, which it plans to increase to 160 before the end of the year. BESC also has an adaptive traffic system which works with embedded traffic counters to allow the traffic lights to adjust its timing based on the actual flow of vehicles, as well as a traffic simulation software that analyzes its effect on traffic flow without actually impeding it. BESC also has a strict "No Street Parking" policy to prevent congestion and improve traffic flow while its deputized traffic enforcers undergo regular trainings through the Security Transformation Initiative and are being equipped with body cameras “to ensure proper enforcement.”

To improve road safety and the flow of traffic in the district even further, BESC has revealed its three programs and policies for 2018.

First is the installation of speed bumps in pedestrian-heavy areas which, depending on who you ask, has either been a boon or bane to the public. Measuring four inches in height and strategically located in areas with high pedestrian foot traffic as well as those without traffic lights, the specification of these speed bumps are aligned with international standards, BESC claims.

The company also claims that since it installed the speed-deterrent devices, residents who live nearby have thanked BESC for making it safe for them to cross the streets. However, following the numerous complaints of motorists that the speed bumps were too high or too vertical with its design, BESC has installed ramps to make it easier for vehicles to drive over the devices. A BESC official shared with Carmudi.com.ph that, prior to the installation of the ramps, one Lamborghini tried to cross over a bump unsuccessfully that it ended up resembling a giant seesaw, with the speed bump acting as the fulcrum.

The second part of BESC’s road safety and traffic-flow program are its Inter-Agency Council for Traffic-deputized traffic enforcers deployed around BGC whose main priority are to apprehend motorists who do not stop at designated pedestrian lanes. In support of pedestrian safety, BESC also plans to install fences on the sidewalk along 32nd Street by October, starting near Market! Market! and Serendra.

As for the third part, BESC is intensifying its 'No Street Parking' policy by implementing wheel clamping on illegally parked vehicles on the streets of BGC by the second quarter of 2018, "in accordance with the ordinance of Barangay Fort Bonifacio from the City of Taguig." According to BESC, its accredited towing service tows away an average of 400 vehicles per month, or around 20 per day. But with only four trucks enforcing the policy on any given day, it is supplementing the towing activities by resorting to wheel clamping, "as a strong reminder to motorists to keep (the) roads and intersections open."

To aid motorists look for a parking area near their destination, Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, the developer behind BGC, created the BGC App. Available for both Android and Apple devices, the BGC App gives real-time traffic updates and the number of available parking slots in eight of its 24 parking areas. According to BESC General Manager Jun Galvez, BGC provides more than the industry standard of one parking slot for every 100 square meter.