Drilon Urges Bike Lanes On Roads On National Bicycle Day

Drilon Urges Bike Lanes 

On Roads On National Bicycle Day

As the country celebrates its first National Bicycle Day on November 23, Sen. Pres. Franklin M. Drilon reiterated his challenge for heads of local government units (LGUs) and the DPWH to start making major roads friendlier to bikers and other travelers using environmentally-sound forms of transportation.  

Drilon made the statement as a coalition of private and public groups are spearheading the 1st National Bicycle Day, a nationwide event where cyclists from North and South Metro Manila, Pampanga, Iloilo and Davao will conduct simultaneous rides throughout major roads in their localities.

Drilon said that the government must be more serious about promoting biking and non-motorized forms of mobility which “is a sound method of reducing traffic and air pollution.”

“I agree with every Filipino who has made biking their means of transport and hobby and that not only it promotes a healthier lifestyle, it can also provide some answers to our transportation and environmental woes,” he said. 

Drilon said, the government should not ignore biking as a potent way of bringing down the levels of air and noise pollution in metropolitan areas:  “Considering the benefits and rewards of biking, we should adopt it as part of our anti-pollution strategy.”

Such a strategy is neither “impractical nor impossible,” noting that examples of bicycle-friendly road systems already exist in the country.

“This is the case for several road projects in Iloilo, such as the road-widening project along the 10-km Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue in Iloilo, a six-lane highway, a pedestrian lane and a 5-m paved bike lane extending from the Jaro District, Iloilo City to the Iloilo International Airport,” Drilon noted. 

Furthermore, he explained how a 14-km circumferential road connecting Arevalo District in Iloilo City and the coastal road in Dumangas town in Iloilo, “was designed to include a 2-meter painted bike lane throughout its entire span.” 

“What is really necessary is the cooperation and commitment between local leaders and national agencies, along with strong grassroots support, to effect these type of environmental reforms,” Drilon said. /MP