The Pasig City local government unveiled on Tuesday, May 2, the renovated sidewalk along Market Avenue in Barangay Palatiw as part of the initiative to make the city more pedestrian-friendly and inclusive.
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Vice Mayor Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr., Congressman Roman Romulo, city councilors, members of the Engineering Department and Clean and Green led the inauguration.
The new sidewalk stretches from the San Agustin Creek up to the Mang Inasal restaurant on Market Avenue.
(Photo from Mayor Vico Sotto / MANILA BULLETIN)
The renovations were made since residents in the area, particularly senior citizens, voiced concerns regarding difficulties stepping and walking on the previously raised and inclined sidewalks.
The sidewalks on both sides of the road were filled and made with stamped concrete. They include bollards, which are short concrete posts that would prevent motor vehicles from parking or driving on the sidewalk.
The sidewalks also have appropriately leveled wheelchair ramps for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Sotto said the cost of the construction amounted to around P500,000 per 100 meters of the sidewalk. It also covers the cost of drainage line improvements in the area.
The sidewalk on Market Avenue is the proposed standard design for future pedestrian walkways in the city.
“Lahat ng pinapagawa natin ngayon, ganito na ang disenyo-- mas madaling maglakad kaysa dati dahil mas patag at mababa lang. Hindi na yung akyat-baba akyat-baba (Everything we will build from now on will follow this design – easier to walk on compared to before since the sidewalk is more even, levelled and lower. It no longer goes up and down),” Sotto said.
The mayor said challenges to this design persist such as the electrical posts installed on sidewalks that could not easily be removed or transferred.
Some areas in the city also have narrower roads, he added.
“Pero ito na ang direksyon natin, para sa isang pedestrian-friendly Pasig (But this is the direction we are taking for a pedestrian-friendly Pasig),” Sotto said.
(Photo from Mayor Vico Sotto / MANILA BULLETIN)
Aside from improving sidewalks, the local government has also been installing new LED street lights in various areas of the city in order to secure and safeguard residents, especially when they are travelling and conducting activities at night.
Around 450 meters of street lights on E. Santos Avenue in Barangay Sumilang were installed last April 25.
Meanwhile, 400 meters of new lights were installed at the Greenland Villages in Barangays Rosario and Maybunga on April 27.