Here’s some good news for cyclists: the Department of Transportation (DOTr), together with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), inaugurated the Metro Manila Bike Lane Network—the country’s longest bike lane network to date.
Spanning 313 kilometers, the new bike lane network cuts through 12 cities, including Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Taguig.
With the new lanes, the government assures an inclusive, safe space for bikers in the metro.
“Ngayon, may lugar na para sa ating mga siklista dito sa ating pangunahing kalsada. Malaking hakbang po ito nang sa ganoon ay mabago natin ang nakagawiang sistema at maitanim natin ang kultura, disiplina at kaayusan sa ating kalsada,” said DOTr Secretary Art Tugade in his message delivered by DOTr Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor.
The transport chief added that they did not use orange cones as lane separators and instead used concrete delineators and flexible rubber bollards to separate bikers from motor vehicles. The lanes also have white and green pavement markings in thermoplastic paint, bollards bolted to the ground, bike symbols and signages, solar-powered road studs, and bike racks.
According to Asec. Pastor, the new lane network can accommodate 1,250 bikers per hour for every meter of road space.
He adds that other parts of the metro will also have their own bike lanes soon: “For the national government, meron pa po tayong tinatawag na South NCR bike lanes, which was recently procured by DPWH together with DOTr. Ito po ay nasa Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, at Parañaque. Ang intensyon po natin dito is we will connect these three cities po dito sa existing bike lanes para interconnected po talaga at magamit ng ating mga kababayan, not only for social activities but also as a form of transportation going to and from work.”
The Metro Manila Bike Lane Network is part of the completed 497 kilometers of bike lanes created in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.