Group rejects MMDA plan to remove Edsa bike lanes
THE Move As One Coalition is opposing the proposal of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to eliminate bicycle lanes along Edsa.
In a statement, the coalition said this plan directly contradicts President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent commitment to prioritize active transportation, something that he promised during his campaign.
Expressing deep concern over the implications of such a decision, the coalition outlined three fundamental objections, noting that the removal of bike lanes “on Edsa, or anywhere else in the country for that matter, is a terrible idea.”
On Monday, Aries was quoted by a radio program as saying that the MMDA is studying the closure of the bike lanes along Edsa, citing underutilization with only 1,500 cyclists per day. “It goes against the Philippine
Development Plan (PDP) 2023- 2028,” the coalition said.
The PDP prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists in the hierarchy of road users. e coalition said by advocating for the removal of bike lanes, the MMDA’S actions are deemed to be in conflict with the integrated approach to active mobility outlined in the national development agenda.
Secondly, the coalition said the “apparent failure” of the MMDA to learn from international best practices, particularly evident in their study tour to the Netherlands, renowned for its exemplary bicycle infrastructure.
“If the bike lanes on Edsa are removed, then the study tour would be an expensive junket and a terrible waste of the taxpayer money that funded the trip as well as the salaries of Artes and Undersecretary Frisco S. San Juan, Jr. while they were on the study tour,” Move As One said.
Lastly, drawing on data from the Social Weather Stations, the coalition noted the significant proportion of Filipino households owning bicycles. As of March 2023, 24 percent of Filipino households nationwide own bicycles, resulting in a ratio of bicycle owners to car owners to 4:1.
The removal of bike lanes would not only compromise the safety and convenience of these individuals but also infringe upon their fundamental right to accessible transportation options, it added.
“e coalition calls on Artes to fully adhere to President Marcos Jr.’s policy to support active transportation and to honor the president and vice-president’s campaign promise to make bike lanes permanent in the country. is includes Artes’ rethinking of his ill-conceived ban on light electric vehicles, an important mode of transportation for the 94 percent of Filipinos who do not own cars,” the statement read.
The coalition called on Artes to “devote his time and energies as a public official, whose salary is paid by taxpayers, to the safe and sustainable mobility of this supermajority, many of whom believed President Marcos Jr.’s promise to prioritize them in his transportation agenda.”