Cyclists held a community ride on Sunday, Feb. 12, in protest against Make It Makati's project of making all bike lanes along Ayala Ave. in Makati as shared lanes or "sharrows" aimed at accommodating cyclists and commuters alike.
The bike ride, dubbed as Make it Safer Makati, was organized by the Move as One Coalition.
According to the group, the changing of bike lanes into sharrows is a major step back in ensuring the safety of cyclists and commuters as this will allow motor vehicles to enter into the same space as cyclists.
Make It Makati, a collaboration of the Makati City local government, Ayala Land Inc., and the Makati Commercial Estate Association Inc. (MACEA), issued a statement on Saturday, Feb. 11, following the public's negative response to the project.
"We understand your sentiment. However, as businesses and offices already opened, the number of commuters who take public utility vehicles have also increased. As such, we must find ways to better serve the needs of everyone in the community," Make It Makati said in its Facebook post.
"Prior to the pandemic or up to early 2019, a total of 799 buses were authorized by LTFRB to ply Ayala Ave. By January 2023, this number has been increased to 1,073 or a 34 percent increase due to the anticipated increase in commuters. As an indication, commuter traffic at the One Ayala Ave (OAA) terminal has increased from about 10,000 per day in November 2022 to about 37,000 per day as of January 2023. Many of these commuters come from Ayala Ave and other areas of the Makati CBD," it added.
Because of the re-opening of the economy due to the decline in the number of Covid-19 cases, the demand for public transport has increased substantially not only in Makati but throughout Metro Manila.
"This necessitated the need for the sharrow bike lane project along Ayala Ave to make more room for public transport and commuters," Make It Makati said.
"We ask for your support and understanding and we look forward to nurturing the good relationship we have built with the biking community as we come up with more bike-friendly initiatives in the city," it added.
Make It Makati first announced the sharrows project on Friday, Feb. 10.
“Shared Lane Markings (SLMs) or “sharrows” are road markings with a sign showing a bicycle under two wide arrows that’s painted on the road and used to indicate a shared lane environment for bicycles and vehicles."
“This initiative is being done to better serve the commuting public and in preparation for the provision of more and bigger transit sheds along Ayala Avenue. We remain cognizant of everyone’s needs, especially the biking community, and this is why the city is implementing an organized way of accommodating more commuters through sharrows,” Make It Makati explained.
Despite the change in the city’s traffic flow, Make it Makati said that the city continues to be a bike-friendly city with the creation of numerous cyclist-oriented projects and infrastructures such as bike racks, bike repair stations, various sharrows in the Makati City Business District (MCBD), Moovr app bike rental service, and NBO Bike Lessons during the Makati Street Meet.