Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 22) — The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is looking into proposals for road sharing and the revival of plans to construct elevated walkways and bikeways in some parts of EDSA.
This came after the agency received complaints from bicycle riders and apprehended motorists encroaching in bicycle lanes.
MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes said they are considering two kinds of road sharing: motorcycles and bicycles sharing the existing exclusive lane, which he described as \”underutilized\”; and bicycles sharing the sidewalk or pedestrian lane with people.
Based on data from the agency, there are 165,000 motorcycles plying EDSA daily. Meanwhile, about 604 bicycles pass northbound and 591 southbound per day.
Other options which the MMDA is studying are expanding existing bike lanes to accommodate motorcycles, and specifying the hours for motorcycles to enter these lanes.
Artes also wants to bring back plans to construct elevated walkways and bikeways along Guadalupe and Cubao. He said the biggest challenge is the utilities under the sidewalk.
“Naipresenta ko na po ito noong nag-budget call sa DBM (Department of Budget and Management) at nagustuhan po ito nila Sec. Amenah (Pangandaman). In fact, gusto sana nila mag-pilot na ngayong 2024. Pero ako po yung nag-beg off dahil gusto ko po matapos yung study,” he explained.
[Translation: I already presented this during the DBM budget call, and the group of Sec. Amenah liked it. In fact, they wanted a pilot implementation in 2024. However, I was the one who begged off because I wanted the study to be completed first.]
The agency will invite bicycle, motorcycle and other advocacy groups to a meeting on Aug. 29. It hopes to be able to present preliminary findings from its studies by this week to get the opinion of stakeholders.
On Monday, the MMDA flagged down motorcycle riders caught using the bicycle lanes but did not issue tickets or fines. The agency said erring motorists will be fined ₱1,000 for disregarding traffic signs after a week of warnings.
Artes noted they cannot suspend the implementation of the exclusive bike lanes pending results of the study since there are existing laws.
He clarified they are implementing a law that has been in effect for three years now. He said they are having difficulty in apprehending all violators since they only have about 2,500 personnel manning 17 local government units (LGUs).
“Kulang lang po talaga ang tao namin para bantayan lahat ng kalsada nasa aming jurisdiction. With the suspension po of NCAP (no contact apprehension policy)], talagang hirap po kami. Dati po kasi ang nanghuhuli diyan ay CCTV cameras, minomonitor lang siya sa aming command center. Ngayon po kailangan mano-mano yung panghuhuli,” he said.
[Translation: We don’t have enough personnel to monitor all streets in our jurisdiction. We really are having a hard time after the suspension of the NCAP. In the past, CCTV cameras were the ones catching violators, and we just monitor in our command center. But now, we must apprehend erring motorists one by one.]
Artes believes if the temporary restraining order on NCAP is lifted, the number of personnel they currently have will be enough for traffic management. If it will not be restored, however, he said they would need 7,500 enforcers to man the roads in all 17 LGUs.
