Sen. Poe asks DOTr to allocate budget for walking, cycling infra
Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to include in its budget some funding for walking and cycling infrastructures under the “new normal” amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nagbibisikleta na para lamang makapasok sa trabaho sa gitna ng pandemya. Ang kanilang pagtitiyaga ay suklian natin ng karampatang proteksyon (Many of our citizens ride bicycles just to reach their places of work. Their perseverance must be met with the necessary safeguards),” Poe said in a statement.
The chairman of the Senate Public Services Committee renewed her appeal after a biker, while traversing
EDSA in Makati City, fell unconscious and died last Friday.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the biker may have suffered from heat stroke.
Public transport operations in the capital remain suspended due to the quarantine measures imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Select business operations have been allowed to resume recently.
Poe filed last year Senate Bill No. 588, the proposed Bicycle-Friendly Communities Act, which seeks to construct exclusive lanes for cyclists in all primary and secondary roads, and provide parking spaces for bicycles in all public and private institutions.
“This is an important step in our bicycle-friendly path to inclusive growth. We should build segregated and covered bicycle lanes to ensure the safety and convenience of our riders,” she said.
The transition to the new normal, she added, “is our chance to make our cities more bikeable and walkable, and thus more liveable.”
Earlier, the “Move as One Coalition” suggested to the government to invest some 1110 billion in programs improving urban mobility.
The proposal includes the construction of 1,600 kilometers of walking and cycling infrastructures, and the purchase of 100,000 bikes and 5,000 bike racks for bicyclesharing programs in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities.
Poe endorsed this proposal to the DOTr in a letter to Secretary Arthur Tugade for assessment and consideration.