METRO BIKE LANES MOVING FORWARD

THE Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) lauded on Wednesday efforts by concerned government agencies on the building of a bicycle lane network in Metro Manila.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos convened a dialogue with representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOTR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the civil society network Move As One Coalition to discuss the construction of the bike lanes.

Abalos clarified MMDA’S stance that it will not stand in the way of building the bike lane network that will traverse Edsa and Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare.

The 338.53-kilometer proposed bike lane network is part of the Bayanihan Ii-supported Active Transport Projects identified by the DOTR and DPWH.

The interconnected bike lanes that will traverse through Edsa, as per DPWH’S design, will be a combination of Class 2 (separated bike lanes by bollards) and Class 3 (shared roadway in narrow carriageway width portions of Edsa).

“ICSC welcomes the collaboration of the DOTR, DPWH, and MMDA to establish the bike lane network along Metro Manila’s major roads,” said Aldrin Pelicano, inclusive transport advisor of the ICSC and founder of MNL Moves.

“We particularly commend the pronouncement of Chairperson Abalos and the collaborative leadership of MMDA on this, DOTR’S policy guidance to promote active transport, and DPWH’S design guidance,” Pelicano said.

“It is a good start to help ensure the safety and build confidence of the majority of Filipino commuters who do not have cars and are dependent on the limited public transport system but contribute to our economic recovery by choosing to cycle as transport, especially amid the pandemic,” he said.

“We look forward to using the Edsa bike lanes, and we hope that more improvement will be instituted as we continue to learn from the model,” he added.