By Jhon Aldrin Casinas
Mandaluyong City is eyeing to set up bike lanes as more people opt to use bicycles as a mode of transport.
Mayor Carmelita Abalos met with officials from the City Engineering Office, Traffic and Parking Management Office, Barangay Affairs and Community Services, and Traffic Regulatory Office to discuss plans on setting up bike lanes in the city.
“Ang pagkakaroon ng designated bike lanes ay makatutulong sa mabilis na biyahe at magbibigay kaligtasan sa mga nais gumamit ng bisikleta papunta sa kani-kanilang trabaho at pauwi sa bahay habang patuloy ang pag-iral ng community quarantine sa Metro Manila (Having designated bike lanes will help speed up the ride and provide safety to those who want to use their bicycle to work and to their homes while the community quarantine in Metro Manila is in effect),” Abalos said Friday, May 28.
The strict quarantine measures imposed in Metro Manila has paralyzed the operation of mass transport for over two months.
With this, the public were either forced to walk for several kilometers just to reach their destinations or use other modes of transport that does not defy the social distancing rules such as motorcycles and bicycles.
To ensure the safety of cyclists, some local government units and government agencies moved to set up bike lanes along select thoroughfares in the metropolis.
Pasig City has earlier placed traffic cones on the outermost lane of some select roads in the city for cyclists to use.
During the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the local government has also declared biking as an essential form of transportation.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has earlier bared its plan to put up bike lanes along EDSA.