Amid the suspension of mass transportation due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19 in the metropolis, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) held a trial run of a bike lane along EDSA in observance of World Bicycle Day on June 3.
The MMDA on Sunday temporarily placed delineation cones from White Planes Avenue to Bonny Serrano Avenue in Quezon City to allot a lane for cyclists and users of electric scooters.
The move came on the heels of a growing clamour for using bicycles as an alternative means of transport under the “new normal” once the modified enhanced community quarantine lapses on May 31.
Mass transportation in Luzon has been suspended by the government since March in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In a report by The STAR, MMDA traffic czar Bong Nebrija said that bikers are allowed to traverse EDSA with a speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour.
Meanwhile, a group of cyclist and scooter riders who are advocating for protected bike lanes on Metro Manila roads cooperated with the MMDA to initiate the project.
The group called EDSA Evolution said that at least 5,000 people used bikes in the metro during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.
MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said the agency would support the provision of protected bike lanes in the metropolis.
In a separate report by The STAR, Ronald Oranza, a two-time Ronda Pilipinas champion, welcomed the idea of using bikes as main transport amid the transport restrictions.
“It will be good for our society. Riding a bicycle, especially for nearer destinations, would be a good practice from here on,” the Villasis, Pangasinan native told The STAR. – With Ghio Ong