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Bike Safety and Awareness in Manila – What The Bikelane Manila is All About

Opinion & Commentary May 12, 2014

Bike Safety and Awareness in Manila – What The Bikelane Manila is All About

 
During the Martial law years, a radio/TV commentator once said “Sa ikakaunlad ng bayan, bisikleta ang kailangan“. Rumors spread that, because of this comment of his, the Marcos regime allegedly punished him to bike around a military camp until his tongue got tied up. We wouldn’t know whether this is true or not, but the host recently clarified that he was not punished for that comment of his.
 
Come to think of it, though, his comments more than 20 years ago could very well still be applicable today with the rising cost of commute fare, traffic, bogging down of the MRT, over-crowding of the LRT, unworthiness of our public bus transport system, scandal-plagued taxi drivers, and cramped up jeepney systems. Biking would really be a suitable way of moving people from point A to point B. 
 

Bike Safety Bikelane ManilaBike Safety and Awareness in Manila

 

Bikes nowadays have become more affordable, whether you want a folding, mountain, road, cruiser, racer or even surplus bike from Japan. Add up the craze of weekend riders, you have tons of avenues to buy secondhand parts and accessories now. 

 
The biggest challenge, though, is to keep the cyclists safe from a handful of road raging bus drivers, undisciplined jeepneys, and crazy private cars that feel like there are F1 drivers in them as the day goes on. 
 

This challenge could be solutioned by Bikelanes – ones which would be seperated from motor vehicles. A vast bikelane infrastructre could declogged the main arteries of the city by putting it up within city roads or inner roads. 

 
Bike Safety Bikelane Manila
 
The thing is: if more people would use these bikelanes, fewer people would cramp up major throughfares to catch rides to work. 
 

Now, if demand for public transport could be cut down by just a meager 1% and buses; jeepneys and taxis could be minimised, too. Imagine how much crude oil we would be less dependent of. 

 
More advance and highly populated cities have their own bike lane infrastructures. Tokyo, for one, could be a very good example.
 
We here at The Bikelane Manila would like to bring awareness and advocate to all bikers that bikelanes should be properly built, used and be properly implemented here in Metro Manila and maybe one day the whole Philippines. 
 
Bike Safety Bikelane Manila
 
Marikina has one that could be improved to international standards. The one in EDSA is a trying hard one, wherein not only are the lives of bikers compromised so as the pedestrians. 
 
We here at The Bikelane Manila would like to advocate safer avenues for bikers to use their bikes, to awaken LGUs that they should be part of this, and for developers that building this in there projects could be a promising investment and may reap a bigger return of investments. 
 
Photos and text by Bryan Gaw Mancilla.
 
 
 
The Bikelane Manila
 
 
 

Bike Safety and Awareness in Manila – What The Bikelane Manila is All About

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