MMDA Mulls Over Replacing EDSA Bike Lanes With Motorcycle Lanes
MMDA Mulls Over Replacing EDSA Bike Lanes With Motorcycle Lanes
(SPOT.ph) The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is mulling over removing bike lanes along EDSA and considering an exclusive motorcycle lane instead as part of a study conducted with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), a possibility that cycle groups are calling “a step backward.”
This comes against a backdrop of the lanes being underused by cyclists, with only about 1,500 daily users compared to the overwhelming motorcycle traffic at 170,000. MMDA Chairman Don Artes added that the bicycle lanes occupy only half of a lane, potentially wasting valuable road space.
“Considering na tayo lang po siguro sa buong mundo ang major highway ay nandoon ang bisikleta, tapos po underutilized po ‘yung bicycle lane… So kasama po ‘yan sa na-receive naming proposal na pinag-aaralan pa,” Artes said in a radio interview with dzBB.
MMDA is also receiving suggestions to expand bicycle lanes or reconfigure them to better coexist with motorized traffic. Last year, the agency even fined P1,000 to motorcycle riders encroaching on bike lanes.
Currently, EDSA has two exclusive lanes—one beside the sidewalk for bicycles and another on innermost lane for city buses and authorized vehicles, with a separate, non-exclusive motorcycle lane further away.
Pushback against the proposed removal of EDSA bike lanes
Recent looks into removing EDSA’s bicycle lanes have sparked significant concern among cycling advocates and urban planners. Mobility Awards argued in a lengthy statement that this move could worsen traffic congestion and undermine efforts to promote sustainable transportation in Metro Manila.
A 2023 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that one in three Filipino households owns at least one bicycle. Additionally, a recent traffic study called Biklang Siklista found that 7,807 cyclists were counted along EDSA in just a four-hour window, which is much higher than MMDA’s cited numbers.
Critics argue that the MMDA’s data underrepresents the actual volume of cyclists who benefit from these lanes, particularly among vulnerable groups such as working women.
“Pitting motorcycle users against cyclists is a counterproductive approach to addressing the worsening traffic congestion in EDSA. Motorcyclists do need a dedicated lane, but it should not be at the expense of cyclists and pedestrians,” Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities director Maria Hilario was quoted as saying in BusinessWorld.
Proposed bike lanes in 2024
Advocates also pointed out that such a decision would not only ignore the safety and needs of cyclists but would also reverse the gains made from substantial investments in cycling infrastructure. After all, a P1 billion budget has been allocated to speed up the development of protected bicycle lanes and pedestrian pathways in the 2024 National Budget—a huge jump from the original P500 million proposal for the Active Transport and Safe Pathways Program (ATSPP).
This P1 billion budget is on top of the existing funding of P2 billion in 2022 and P705 million in 2023 for the construction, maintenance, and improvement of bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways in highly urbanized cities. Included in this budget are the procurement of bicycle racks, upgrade of temporary bike lanes into permanent ones, and placement of other support facilities.
So far, the ATSPP has established over 500 bike lanes in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao, with more to come this year following the planned construction of 400 kilometers more bike lanes. This is part of DOTr’s broader goal to establish 2,400 kilometers of protected bike lanes by 2028.