Ejercito: Anti-Lane Splitting bill, motorcycle club registration can worsen traffic, affect delivery services

MANILA: Senator JV Ejercito expressed his disagreement with the Anti-Lane Splitting bill and the proposal for mandatory club registration for motorcycle riders in a news release. He claimed that these may affect delivery services that are significantly contributing to the economy and can also worsen traffic.

House Bill No. 1419, or the Anti-Lane Splitting bill, was originally filed by Pangasinan Fifth District Representative Ramon Guico Jr. in 2019. The bill makes it illegal for motorcycles to pass between two roads of vehicles unless overtaking. It has been refiled for the 19th Congress.

Meanwhile, House Bill No. 32, filed by Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco, requires motorcycle riders to register to accredited clubs before vehicle registration and license renewal.

“Rest assured that the two bills – the Anti-Lane Splitting and mandatory membership in organizations – from Congress, I will not support (them) and make sure it doesn’t pass in the Senate,” Sen. Ejercito stated.

According to Sen. Ejercito, lane splitting helps motorcycle riders avoid pollution, bad weather, and other risks by reducing the time they spend in traffic.

“Other than prohibiting lane splitting, it would be better for the government to develop guidelines on how we can implement safe lane splitting or lane sharing. Let us always focus on how to make our roads safe,” he added.

He also described the bill as discriminatory against motorcycle riders, saying that most of them cannot afford to buy larger vehicles while other forms of vehicles are not subject to the same regulations.

Meanwhile, the mandatory club registration, according to the senator, will just introduce an additional layer of bureaucracy and new expenses on the part of the riders.

“Let’s not punish our fellow riders with unnecessary expenses. Our economic situation is already difficult with the ongoing pandemic,” he stated.

He added that the Congress should focus on making amendments to Republic Act No.11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act instead.

As a motorcycle enthusiast and road safety advocate, Sen. Ejercito filed Senate Bill No. 159 as a priority bill for the 19th Congress, seeking to replace the installation of oversized license plates in motorcycles with a radio-frequency identification scanner system. It also seeks to reduce the penalties under RA 1135 and align them with the penalties for four-wheeled vehicles.

Photo by Joey O. Razon/Philippine News Agency

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