Should the motorcycle lane on EDSA be restored?
Yes, to keep motorcycle riders disciplined and compel them to stay on one lane so they don’t expose themselves to unnecessary danger weaving in an out of other lanes or competing with previous road space with four-wheeled and other vehicles running at faster speed.
The Department of Transportation and the Metro Manila Development Authority are studying the viability of adding a motorcycle lane to alleviate the traffic problem along EDSA.
This is the second time a dedicated motorcycle lane would be set up along the wide roadway that cuts across several cities in Metro Manila.
But this initial experiment that allowed other vehicles to occupy the motorcycle lane did not last long and eventually scrapped as it did not achieve its goal of keeping EDSA traffic flowing smoothly.
Traffic studies indicate that around 170,000 motorcycles use EDSA daily.
This number has increased exponentially with the lack of adequate mass transportation in the city and the popularity of online selling platforms using motorcycles as main delivery vehicles.
Several senators have expressed misgivings over the proposed move of the DOTr to revive the motorcycle lane along EDSA, saying this is band-aid solution to the longstanding traffic congestion along the stretch of EDSA.
But we think this is a necessary step to bring order to EDSA traffic while the national government considers other mass transport options, including rail.
At present, the six-lane EDSA is fully occupied: the innermost lane is for the EDSA Carousel Busway, while the rightmost lane is reserved for bicycles. That leaves four lanes for motorcycles, cars, vans and other vehicles.
The DOTr wants the lane beside that currently occupied by bicycles to be allotted to motorcycles.
Will this work? Frankly, we don’t know.
Motorcycle delivery riders pressed for time in beating deadlines and meeting quotas for the day are likely to go outside the dedicated lane and occupy the other three lanes.
Unless, of course, they are accosted by MMDA traffic enforcers and made to pay hefty fines or having their units impounded.
It’s a choice between having existing traffic congestion in Metro Manila go on and on with the attendant economic cost, which a 2012 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency showed at P2.4 billion a day.
In 2017, the economic cost reached P3.5 billion a day, while the latest study in 2022 indicated the economic losses from traffic is P4.9 billion a day. JICA projected this to balloon to P9 billion a day in 2030.
Given this, the government appears inclined to favor the dedicated motorcycle lane with strict traffic enforcement as among the options on the table.
It’s worth a try, from where we sit.