The local government of Zamboanga City is looking into the possibility of opening bike lanes in the city amid the growing clamor for using bicycles as an alternative means of transport under the “new normal”.
In a report by The STAR, Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar welcomed the plan of the Department of Transportation to open bike lanes in Metro Manila and other urban areas to promote a cycling culture amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019.
“The task really is for the bikers. Perhaps, if we do not have a lane we will designate areas in the city of Zamboanga,” Salazar said.
Meanwhile, the bikers associations in the city are set to launch their “bike to work” advocacy campaign on Wednesday in celebration of the World Bike Day.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto earlier said that the government and commercial establishments should provide dedicated parking areas for bicycles to promote their use as an alternative mode of transportation.
“It is not enough that we set aside passageways for bicycles. We should also see to it that the public places they’re going to have spots where they can leave their bikes safely,” he said.
Recto said that the surge in the sale and use of bicycles should be met with more infrastructure to accommodate them.
“A bike is a social distancing-compliant ride. It will help fill the void in a mass transport with a shrunk capacity. ‘Yung sa LRT 1 na 347 passengers per train car, magiging 52 na lang; sa MRT, from 394 per car down to 51; ‘yung jeeps kalahati,” he said. – With Roel Pareño