Bike Lanes in the Philippines! Senate pushes enactment of Bicycle Law
There’s been a lot of clamor for bicycle lanes in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, there’s already a facebook group (We Want Bike Lanes in RP Movement) dedicated entirely to it. With Pia Cayetano, a triathlete herself in the Senate, do you think this dream can finally be a reality? Another member of the Senate, Sen. Manny Villar is also pushing for the Bicycle Law.
Bike lanes in the Philippines. Yey or Ney? The biggest question is.. do we have enoughroads that are wide enough? Can the car drivers be disciplined to stay out of the bike lanes? Hit the comments and let us know your thoughts. Also vote on our online poll.
Sen. Manny Villar is pushing for the passage of a law which will promote bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation in the face of the increasing price of fuel and fares.
“Bicycle riding not only promotes health and leisure but also provides for an alternative solution to high fuel prices, increasing transport fares, traffic management, air and noise pollution and high cost of motorized vehicles including maintenance and parking fees,” Villar said. Villar authored Senate Bill No. 2688 or the Bicycle Act of 2011 which seeks to provide a framework for a bicycle law on a national level.
Under the bill, all main roads and highways shall be provided with bicycle lanes or bike ways identified by the Local Bikeways Office (LBO). The LBO is the agency which will be in charge of implementing the policies, rules and regulations pertinent to the Bicycle Act, including the registration of bicycles using the bike ways. This agency will be under the supervision of the city or municipal engineering office.
Villar noted that in the Philippines, one of the first laws related to bicycle use was enacted by the Marikina City Council in 1996 which dwells on the use of all streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks, bridges, parks, and other public places as bicycle lanes. Recently, a bicycle ordinance was approved on second reading in Davao City.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex has also integrated a bicycle lane in its road network, he added.
“The worsening pollution problem also calls for the promotion of the use of non-motorized vehicles that is free from harmful emissions,” he added.
The bill also provides for the creation of Bicycle Parks in each city and municipality where provisions for bicycles are present such as bikeways, bicycle parking areas and similar infrastructure.
Funding for the construction of bicycle parks will be sourced from revenues raised from the locality’s miscellaneous activities like parking and license fees.
The bill also includes a section indicating the rights, duties and obligations of cyclists, promoting safety of bicycle riders and all road users.
It mandates the use of helmets and appropriate signals and the use of reflective materials especially at night.
It also imposes restrictions upon cyclists and the right to use a bicycle such as the prohibition for a bicycle to carry more persons than it was designed to carry except when another regular seat or trailer towed by the bicycle is present.
It also prohibits the parking of bicycles in areas not specifically marked as parking areas for bicycles.
Once bike lanes are established on a road, the bill prohibits any person operating a motor vehicle to drive in the bikeway.
whatever the question is, heavy traffic has become a major problem. As well as rising fuel and gasoline prices and the health of filipino people in general. SO it is not the question of “Yes” or “No” anymore.
This has to be done! ! ! THE QUESTION SHOULD BE “HOW TO DO IT”. you asked on your 2nd question about displine of driver,, here in shanghai, bike lanes have their own fences from the city down into the provinces. Bicycles here are well protected by law. WE ARE JUST SO SLOW AND STUPID WHEN IT COMES TO PRACTICAL THINKING…. IT’S REALLY SAD…
The other side of the equation is convenience: is the air clean enough to encourage people to ride their bikes on the streets; are the vehicle drivers disciplined enough to understand the consequences of having bike lanes on their perceived “territory.”
A couple of days ago, my bike training took me to a 200m stretch of EDSA (Annapolis corner to Connecticut corner) during the start of the 7:00am rush hour. As expected, smoke-belching buses cut me as I turned to EDSA and cars did the same as I cornered Connecticut.
So, aside from putting on physical bike lanes on the Metro’s major arteries, the bill should also tweak the clean air act-smoke belching law a notch higher and incorporate bike lane education in driver’s license acquisition.
Is there a lobby group already for the Bike Lane Bill? Where do I sign up?
sharing this! i hope thia pushes thru :) go sen.villar!
Good news! It seems Sen. Miriam pushes the bike lanes here in the PH: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20110416-331539/Senator-files-bill-mandating-bicycle-lanes
definitely gonna share this with my group…hope this year bike laws were already implemented and bike lanes were pushed through
sana lang talaga yung mga motor vehicles magkaron naman ng disiplina..sa macapagal na lang eh..yung motorcycle lane dinadaanan pa din ng mga bus pano pa kaya kung bicycle lane..
ITAYO ANG BANDERA NG MGA BISIKLETA!!! HAHA!! :)
There are bike lanes in Marikina but they hardly are used for bikes only. Motorbikes use them too, which is really nerve wracking for us novice bikers, and many times you will find that bike lanes are used as parking spaces or idiot jeepney drivers would just pull over the bike lane and just block the space or cut a biker off. Urgh. I hate it. check out London’s bike lanes, we need that here. There should be a sort-of fence to separate the bike lanes from the car lane because we cannot expect drivers to be disciplined enough to stay out of the bike lanes.
I think what’s more needed is general traffic education for all. Most of the bikers are motorists as well. I for one doesn’t understand most of the road signs. I think it’s a first step towards the long term goal of pedestrian-bikes–motor vehicles perspective.