An estimated 1,250 cyclists per hour will be accommodated by the newly-inaugurated Metro Manila bike lane--the longest bike lane network in the Philippines.
Traversing 12 cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), the 313-kilometer (km) Metro Manila Bike Lane Network can cater to about 1,250 cyclists per hour for every meter of road space.
The bike lane cuts through the cities of Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Taguig. It measure between 1.5 to 3 meters in width depending on the road's configuration.
The bike lane network was formally inaugurated by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday, July 27.
It forms part of the 497 km worth of bike lanes created in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.
“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 (We now have a space for our cyclists on our major roads. This is a big step to instill a culture of discipline and order on our roads),” DOTr Secretary Art Tugade said in his message, which was delivered by DOTr Assistant Secretary Mark Steven Pastor during the inauguration ceremony.
Contrary to the claims of critics of the project, Tugade clarified that orange traffic cones weren't used as lane separators for the bike lanes.
He pointed out that the Metro Manila bike lanes use concrete delineators and flexible rubber bollards to separate the bikers from motor vehicles.
The bike lanes also make use of white and green pavement markings using thermoplastic paint, bollards bolted to the ground, bike symbols and signages, solar-powered road studs, and bike racks as safety features.
Meanwhile, Pastor also said that other parts of Metro Manila will also have their own bike lanes soon.
“For the national government, we also have the South NCR bike lanes, which was recently procured by DPWH together with DOTr. This is in Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Parañaque. Our aim here is we will connect these three cities to the existing bike lanes for the networks to be interconnected and used by the public, not only for social activities but also as a form of transportation going to and from work,” Pastor said in mixed Filipino and English.