Plant-box barriers, bike ramps, and more: A look at Quezon City's bike-friendly initiatives

Plant-box barriers, bike ramps, and more: A look at Quezon City’s bike-friendly initiatives

In case you missed the news, Quezon City was hailed as the Most Bicycle-Friendly City in the Philippines during the third edition of the Mobility Awards 2023. Quezon City bagged the Gold Award for the first time while Iloilo City and Baguio City were also recognized among the country’s most bike-friendly cities.

As a resident of Quezon City and a cyclist myself, I’ve personally felt the improvements to the cycling infrastructure in the city. The efforts towards active mobility haven’t gone unnoticed. Biking feels safer (in some areas) than it did a decade ago.

Despite the criticisms from car owners of bike lanes “taking up too much space on the road,” efficient mass public transportation and protected bike/pedestrian lanes are the keys to reducing traffic in cities and addressing the needs of the majority.

Surveys from SWS from May 2020 to March 2023 show that there are more bicycle owners than car owners nationwide, with a resulting ratio of bike-to-car owners at 4:1. In fact, 87% of Filipinos said they would prefer bicycles and public transportation to be given priority on the road over private vehicles

Hopefully, with the P1 billion budget allocated for cycling infrastructure in 2024, we’ll be seeing more protected bike lanes and pedestrian pathways this year. All we can say is it’s about time.

Here are some of the notable bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City that we hope to see in other cities as well.

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Clear network of bike lanes

Quezon City protected bike lanes

PHOTO BY Green Transport Office – DPOS on Facebook

These days, while going around, the bike lanes are more visible, with the rightmost lane on the road clearly marked for cyclists. As of January 2024, Quezon City has roughly 200 kilometers of bike lanes around the city, which they plan to extend to 350 kilometers. The intra-city bike lane traverses Quezon City’s major roads such as Commonwealth Ave., Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, and North Avenue, among others. New bike lane routes have also been identified to improve route connectivity. The painted sharrow and buffer lanes along major thoroughfares that we currently see on our roads are meant to indicate exclusive and shared spaces for cyclists.

However, simply painting a line on the road does not make the bike lane safe. There should be clear demarcations and physical barriers to ensure the safety of bikers from other motorized vehicles like buses, jeepneys, taxis, and motorcycles.

Plant-box barriers

bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City

PHOTO BY Kara Santos

While temporary barriers like those orange plastic bollards have been used in the past, these often get shoved aside or run over by other vehicles. Along smaller streets, these are just moved aside so the bike lane can be turned into parking spaces.

The QC Parks Development and Administration Department and Department of Public Order and Safety-Green Transport Office recently installed concrete plant boxes as dividers along the city’s major roads where the bike lanes are located. Cyclists now have better-protected bike lanes along major thoroughfares like Commonwealth Avenue and Katipunan Avenue.

Coming from Elliptical Road, the plant boxes start at Philcoa and currently end before Ever Gotesco. Along Katipunan Avenue, the safe bike lanes start at Thornton Drive up to the Petron/La Vista Gate. These dividers serve as a way to protect cyclists while adding a bit of much-needed greenery to the roads.

Bike ramps

bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City

PHOTO BY Kara Santos

Physically carrying a bike up and down stairs just to cross streets or major lanes can be a real pain. This is a major hassle for regular bike commuters who rely on pedal power to get to and from work. To address this, the QC local government installed bike ramps around the city, so it’s easier for cyclists to push their bikes up and down stairs.

The yellow ramps have been installed in 40 footbridges including the underpass going to the Quezon Memorial Circle, and the footbridges along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, and Katipunan Avenue, which I’ve personally used.

bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City

PHOTO BY Kara Santos

While some of these are pretty steep because of the design of the stairs and can be a bit challenging to use, it’s still better than having to physically carry bikes. Ideally, it would be better to have wider elevated bike bridges where cyclists can pedal seamlessly up to get to footbridges as seen in the design of bike lanes in other countries. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more of these in the future.

Safe cycling ordinances and programs

bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City

PHOTO BY Kara Santos

Quezon City has several local ordinances, city bike programs, and other initiatives that support cyclists or require businesses to provide cycling infrastructure.

This includes the QC Safe Cycling and Active Transport Ordinance of 2020, which promotes safe cycling and active transport as an alternative mode of transportation in Quezon City. QC has a dedicated QCPD Bike Patrol Unit with police officers tasked to keep order and safety around the city while using bikes to patrol around the city.

The local government celebrates an annual ‘Bike to Work Day’ every June 3. They also hold monthly kapihan sessions to discuss plans and activities and consult with the local cycling community.

End-of-trip facilities

bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City

PHOTO BY Kara Santos

Under the QC Safe Cycling ordinance, all local government offices are mandated to put up end-of-trip facilities that support bikers. This includes parking areas for bicycles, shower rooms, and hydration stations.

All government offices in Quezon City as well as at MRT and LRT stations within the city should have parking areas for bicycles. The Bicycle Parking Ordinance of 2014 also requires establishments such as malls, restaurants, groceries, and banks to have bicycle racks.

Repair stations will also be constructed in public areas. Common tools such as bike pumps, hex keys, and wrenches will be installed to prevent theft and vandalism.

The separate shower facilities and changing areas should be installed close to the parking areas, while hydration areas should be located near the entrances of city government buildings.

Bike-friendly green spaces

bike-friendly initiatives in Quezon City

PHOTO BY Kara Santos

Aside from the efforts towards infrastructure, one of the things I appreciate the most about being a resident of Quezon City is the access to bike-friendly green spaces and parks such as UP Diliman, Quezon Memorial Circle, La Mesa Eco Park, and La Mesa Nature Reserve.

In May 2023, the QC LGU converted the former Payatas Dumpsite into a bike park with paved roads for road bikers and natural trails ideal for mountain biking, tree-lined areas with overlooking views, and small lagoons. We all know that our cities could use more green spaces.

Ensuring that all the roads around Quezon City are bike-friendly is no easy feat as the city encompasses almost a quarter of Metro Manila. Biking around the metro is still a far cry behind biking in other progressive areas like Taipei in Taiwan and Osaka in Japan where protected bike lanes are the norm rather than the exception.

But while there’s still a long way to go, we appreciate all these notable efforts and remain hopeful for the future of alternative mobility in the Philippines. What other bike-friendly features and initiatives would you like to see in the future? Do you think we can break free from the car-centric roads?