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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Orbos to meet motorbike riders

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ACTING Chairman Thomas Orbos of the Metro Manila Development Authority will meet today federation of motorcycle riders and other groups to discuss road accidents, traffic problem and other concerns in the metropolis.

The morning meeting, according to Orbos, was scheduled so the government could find ways and solutions to further improve the traffic condition in the National Capital Region, especially along the 23.8-km Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

“Formulating solutions to the traffic condition in the metropolis is a mammoth undertaking and should be participated in by both government and private sectors,” he said.

Metro Manila Development Authority
acting Chairman Thomas Orbos

One of the groups which confirmed attendance in the meeting is the Motorcycle Philippines Federation led by Atoy Sta. Cruz.

The agency will also discuss with the motorcycle riders its plan to revive the motorcycle lanes along Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue, which was initiated by then MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino in 2012.

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“We did this during the time of Chairman Tolentino and we will do it again,” Orbos said.

The designated motorcycle lanes shall be the fourth lane from the right sidewalk and shall run the length of Edsa from Monumento in Caloocan City to SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and vice versa. 

The lanes are “non-exclusive,” which means that private vehicles may also use them. 

The establishment of the Edsa motorcycle lanes is based on Memorandum Circular 12-01 Series of 2012 approved by the Metro Manila Council.

Orbos said the implementation of the motorcycle lanes is necessary to promote a more orderly flow of traffic along the major thoroughfare and reduce the number of fatal accidents involving motorcycles. 

Based on the MMC memorandum circular, motorcycle riders may deviate from the motorcycle lanes when making a turn or u-turn at authorized intersections and u-turn slots, in which case they are to gradually shift lanes not less than 200 meters away from the turning point, while making the appropriate signals. 

Study showed that motorcycle crashes remained the leading cause of death and injury on Metro Manila roads.

The 2015 Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System report stated motorcycles have the “highest fatality accident rate” with 262 the total number of deaths, followed by trucks (129) and private cars (125).

Motorcycles also topped the list of vehicles with the most number of injuries at 11,620, followed by cars (7,427) and public utility jeepneys (2,161).

MMRAS, a program created by the MMDA, aimed at improving road management in the metropolis, recorded 204 deaths and 10,735 injuries involving motorcycles in 2014.

The report noted the number of road accidents in Metro Manila has increased to 95,615 incidents in 2015, up by 5,357 from the 90,258 cases recorded in 2014.

The total number of deaths last year also went up to 519 from the 418 in 2014.

The World Health Organization, in its 2015 report, also said 1.25 million people have died worldwide because of road accidents, with motorcycle riders comprising 23 percent of the fatalities.

Meanwhile, MMDA officials will hold separate meetings in the coming days with operators and owners of schools bus service providers, armored vans, funeral transport providers and driving schools.

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