Wider sidewalks pushed

A group of environmental planners are pushing the city government to include in its review of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) the provision that will pave the way for people to be able to use sidewalks.
Arch. Leonida Santos, immediate past president of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP) Davao City Chapter, said at the Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape – Abreeza that the city government will provide a wider “walkable urban area” as it looks into enhancing the CLUP.
“My advocacy is to have wider sidewalks, hindi yung grabe ka kitid na 1.2 meters lang,” said Santos, adding that her organization is pushing for this inclusion in the CLUP review.
She said the sidewalks have become parking spaces or have been used by vendors that the people have been playing “patentiro” with rampaging vehicles. “So let’s claim all those sidewalks, atin yun,” she said.
The city government has imposed a one-third, two-third policy that ensure that the bigger portion becomes available to the public as Santos is hopeful that eventually the sidewalks will solely be for pedestrians.
“Kailangan rin naman maghanapbuhay ng mga kababayan natin. Okay na yun one-third (for the vendors) kasi yung two-third sa atin. Pero later on, I am hoping na mawala na ang sidewalk vendors,” she said, adding that vendors can all be transferred to Roxas Ave. so they can sell their goods at night.
She said transferring the vendors to the night market will solve the problem as the street is teeming with people at night.
She added the city government must also find more places where vendors can be relocated.