To celebrate World Bicycle Day (June 3), San Juan City in Metro Manila launched its pop-up bicycle lane within the city. Mayor Francis Zamora spearheaded the rollout. Bike lane signage and yellow markers were strategically placed from N. Domingo St. to Ortigas Avenue (up until Connecticut intersection).
Photo from ABS-CBN News (Twitter)
Mayor Zamora said the initiative is aimed at helping provide the people with a safe transportation option as the metro braces the new normal. He clarified that the pop-up bike lane launched on the day is the first phase of the city’s pop-up bike lane project. Succeeding phases will be launched eventually.
Taguig City
For its part, Taguig City celebrated World Bicycle Day by launching its comprehensive bicycle program to promote biking as a mode of transportation in the new normal. Under this initiative, the city government plans to roll out a bike-lending program for the city hall’s employees in the coming days. The same program is also being considered by the Taguig City Health Office and its barangay healthcare centers.
Sen. Pia Cayetano tries the protected bike lane along C6 Road (Photo from Sen. Cayetano’s website).
At the same time, Taguig City launched a three-day demo for the bike lanes it put up along Cayetano Boulevard and Bayani Road in the city. It also opened the newly renovated protected bike lane along the entire stretch of C6 Road.
Quezon City
In Quezon City, there is a plan to add more bike lanes within the metro’s biggest city to extend the 55-kilometer bike routes so it could reach up to 161 kilometers. In 2018, the Quezon City Government launched the bike network plan to attain sustainable recovery and help lower pollution in the city by the year 2030. In the coming days, the city will start constructing new bike routes, especially those near hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Mandaluyong City is working quickly as well to set up its own bike lanes. The city aims to encourage more of its residents to opt for biking as a sustainable and healthy transport option during the new normal.
Pasig City
But did you know that long before the pandemic and the emergence of the new normal, Pasig City has already been keeping its own bike lanes? In 2011, the city’s council passed an ordinance that aims to promote bicycle transportation in the city. It even pioneered lending bikes within Ortigas Center.
Currently, there are active bike lanes along Ortigas Avenue, Meralco Avenue, Doña Julia Vargas Avenue, F Ortigas Jr Road, and San Miguel Avenue in Pasig City. The bike lanes along Julia Vargas Avenue and F Ortigas Road are even protected with rubberized mini-posts to ensure bikers’ safety. The city even closes several roads during weekends to make those exclusive for bikers.
The bicycle is among the first modes of transportation approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases prior to the implementation of the general community quarantine in Metro Manila. The national government has been encouraging metro residents to use bicycles when going to and from work.