EDSA now has a protected bicycle lane

MANILA: Watch out for the EDSA protected bicycle lane that was opened up last Saturday, August 15, that stretches from the corner of Aurora Boulevard until Magallanes.

“This will be the longest bike lane that will be launched in Metro Manila comprising six major sections,” said mobility advocate Move As One coalition.

The locations of the protected bicycle lane are the stretches of Aurora to Santolan, Santolan to Ortigas, Ortigas to Shaw, Shaw to Guadalupe, Guadalupe to Buendia, and Buendia to Magallanes.

“Cycling enables those who are unable to access public transport to travel efficiently and with safe physical distancing,” said Move As One coalition transport planner and economist Robert Siy.

He also added that it not only protects cyclists, but also helps the country’s economic recovery by providing a mode of transportation for workers without motor vehicles and eases the pressure on the public transportation system already stretched to capacity because of quarantine protocols.

“Bike lane development needs to be our highest priority in the transport sector. Road space needs to be managed in order to maximize the throughput of people, rather than the throughput of cars. This principle should guide our decisions on the bike lanes on EDSA and on all other major roads,” added Siy.

According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), there are 10,000 regular cyclists in Metro Manila.

“According to the cycling report, for just one bike-sharing service, they provided 2.3 million rides in Wuhan between January 23 to March 12, with an average of 45,000 rides per day. Cycling is a real solution to this pandemic,” said Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia and a member of Bikers United Marshalls.

Photos from Bikers United Marshalls Facebook page

Also read: Duterte bares plans for metro-wide bicycle lanes