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Along with vehicle fogs and the bustling facade of Metro Manila roads, commuters face an uphill battleâthe lack of a sustainable active transportation system.Â
The Burrow ranks Manila second with the worst transportation system and the fifth least walkable cities in the world. This is where multi-use transit, bike lanes, and sidewalks are utilized as it prioritizes affordability, safety, and accessibility compared to road control centered on private vehicles. The key component in implementing this strategy is ensuring that authorities sympathize with commuters.Â
âAnother struggle is during rush hour, every jeep or e-jeep is already filled with passengers, LRT and MRT have long lines which you must wait if you want a ride going home,â added Riana.
On road safety and accessibilityÂ
Third-year PUP student Mika Ella Baltazar observed that street lights and security patrols are unavailable in many thoroughfares.Â
âSome part ng Metro Manila [ay] mahirap [ang access sa safety]. Lalo na kapag walang nakalagay na signage kung saan âyung dapat sakayan. So, nahihirapan âyung mga tao kung saan ba dapat mag-antay ng sasakyan,â she stated.
This also extends to cyclists who use their bikes everydayâto work or even just grocery shopping.Â
Janardan das Ladyong, a biker since 2004, shares his experiences as Manila Bike Commuter on Facebook. He said that the âaggressivenessâ of drivers in the city is more prevalent, quite the opposite from the province.
âKahit may bike lane na, hindi pa rin naman totally safe âyung mga bikers sa daan,â he stated.
In 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Order No. 2020-014Â started allowing children up to the age of 15 to use designated bike lanes with the company of an elderly cyclist to go to school. This is to encourage active transport amongst the faculty, employees, and students.Â
âMay tinatawag silang 8 to 80 [which] in terms of road safety, especially with active transport, [ang] ibig sabihin noon, dapat âyung bike lane networks safe sâya for kids as young as eight years-old or for adults or the elderly as old as 80,â Ladyong added.
In roads where private car-centricity is prioritized, traffic congestion adds to the hurdles in achieving active transportation. This is evident in Statistaâs record that says 27 percent of Filipino commuters spend 30 to 59 minutes on their average daily commute.Â
Bye-bye bike lanes?
Furthermore, the moderate air pollution level calls for a better commuting experience via bicycle such as accessibility and safety. Yet, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is studying the possibility of removing bike lanes in EDSA. As for acting MMDA Chairman Romando Artes in a DZBB interview, half of the bike lanes are not âutilizedâ and only 1,500 bikers are seen in EDSA daily.Â
Rowhe Siy, a five-year active commuter, worries about MMDAâs push as it may result in the worsening of the transportation system in the Metro.Â
âI think that they have no good reason to actually want to take out the bike lanes beyond having personal prejudices against bikes and bikers,â they added.
The Communicator reached out to MMDA with a request for an interview, but were referred to DOTrâs Executive Assistant to the Secretary Jonathan Gesmundo. He mentioned that their department disagrees with the MMDAâs proposal and that bike lanes along EDSA should remain.
âThe concept of the bike lanes ay magkakaroon dapat âyan ng mga dedicated [at] exclusive bike lanes. âWag âyan dapat gamitin ng mga iba, not even motorcycles,â he said.Â
As roads in the metro struggle to incorporate accessibility for everyone, an investigative report by Rapplerâs Iya Gozum found out that half of 22 road segments in the 120-kilometer bike loop in Metro Manila have low road obstructions and better bike infrastructures but only the C-6 road had a good overall score among their tally.Â
Siy also echoed the need for continuous bike lanes in the metro. âIt would be great if the quality of our bike lanes followed international standards,â they said.Â
Meanwhile, PUP journalism professor and 11-year biker Aileen Camille Dimatatac said that the government sustained the needs of bikers during the pandemic only and had no follow-through after.Â
âThe bike lanes that we have in Metro Manila ay hindi standard. Underdeveloped âyung iba at hindi siya properly nagawa,â she said. Aileen also mentioned that metro roads are narrow and not as smooth, so, traffic jams and flat tire incidents are more likely to happen.Â
The DOTr, however, recognizes the need to promote sustainable transportation modes as they continue to âsolve the problem of traffic, designating and reclaiming road space to provide safe infrastructure for more efficient and sustainable modes of transport such as bike lanes and walkways.âÂ
Women on their saddle
Moreover, besides road infrastructure challenges, bikersâespecially females, encounter harassment while cycling. In 2023, only four percent of female bike commuters were counted in 17 cities (10 in Metro Manila, 7 in provincial cities) compared to 96 percent of male bikers, as per the Mobility Awards.Â
With all these issues, women who unfortunately experienced road harassment raised their concerns and urged officials to create a law that is effective for the bikers on Rapplerâs Basta Bisikleta forum.Â
â[Biking] is dangerous especially for women, because you suffer a lot of discrimination on the road. Mapayat ka, mataba ka, dini-discriminate ka,â shared Dimatatac when two motorists body-shamed her just when she was near her place. Encounters like this may lead to female bikers to be hesitant in bike commuting, she also noted.Â
On hurdling the challengesÂ
Metro Manila has a plethora of obstacles for active Filipino commuters. Ladyong emphasizes that we should focus â[on] moving people, not vehicles.â Dimatatac also advocates for providing âusable and up to standard bike lanesâ, the safety of pedestrians, and the proper traffic education for everyone.Â
As commuters hurdle the uphill battle, Siy hopes that private vehicle centricity will no longer be the priority of the future transport system by including more at-grade crossings and that peopleâs mindset about having cars as a symbol of success should change.Â
âIt's not just achievable, it's required at this point. But with a caveat that [we are facing], it's not going to be easy, and it's going to take years before we finally catch up to where we should be,â they added.
Article: Franchesca Grace Adriano & Patricia Kate AzicateÂ
Graphics: Aldreich Pascual
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