The EDSA Greenways Project will encourage walking, while promoting the use of public transportation, according to Department of Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan.
The $140-million EDSA Greenways Project is a 5-kilometer mass transit walkway along EDSA at MRT-3 Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe and Taft stations.
Batan said the pedestrian infrastructure is expected to enhance active transport by connecting the project to mass transit stations.
“This is us walking the talk when we say we should be prioritizing moving people and not cars,” Batan said during Friday’s EDSA Greenways Project’s market sounding activity at the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) headquarters in Ortigas, Pasig City.
“This is the Department of Transportation and perhaps the government of the Philippines’ largest investment in pedestrian infrastructure project,” he said.
Batan said the execution of the DOTr’s pilot investment in high-quality pedestrian infrastructure should be done right from development, design and procurement with the help from the ADB.
“One of the ways for us to make sure that we’re getting this right is by using our infrastructure and innovation from ADB,” he said.
Batan expressed the agency’s gratitude to the multilateral lender for assisting and supporting the DOTr “all the way from the project development up to the project financing.”
The project will also focus on achieving travel time savings of at least 45 seconds for each pedestrian; increasing the number of pedestrians; removal of conflicts of pedestrians and traffic at grade level; and reduction of pedestrian accidents and injuries.
Once completed, the pedestrian infrastructure will be equipped with elevators, monitoring systems, prioritizing accessibility to the elderly, pregnant women, young children, and persons with disabilities (PWD).
