Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor has filed a bill seeking to launch an aggressive cycling infrastructure development plan, amid the surge in fuel costs and the swell in the number of working Filipinos using bicycles to avoid public shuttles that could expose them to COVID-19.
“We want the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways to work together in creating a safe and seamless travel environment for bicycle riders,” Defensor said.
Under Defensor’s House Bill 10396, both departments would be mandated to design, construct and/or designate a network of lanes and pathways along primary and secondary roads for the exclusive use of bikers.
The departments would also be compelled to establish parking racks, off-street shelters, service centers as well as specialized traffic signs and signals for use by cyclists.
To safeguard pedestrians, the two agencies would be further required to carry out sidewalk upgrades and bicycle crossing improvements.
Under Defensor’s proposed Bike-Friendly Communities Act, “all public places, government offices, schools, major business establishments, including malls, banks, restaurants, hospitals, and the like,” would be obliged to provide bicycle parking racks.
Bicycle parking facilities “should be secure, visible, accessible, and not in the way of pedestrians or motor vehicles.”
Defensor, meanwhile, vowed to transform Quezon City into “the most bike-friendly city in Metro Manila.”
“We envision the city having the best system of bicycle lanes and parking services integrated with commuter hubs such as light rail transit terminals,” Defensor, who is running for Quezon City mayor in the 2022 elections, said.
“Through a certification process, we want Quezon City to have the most bicycle-friendly workplaces and malls,” Defensor said.
In 2020, Pasig, San Juan and Marikina received recognition as the “most bicycle-friendly cities in Metro Manila” at the first-ever Mobility Awards.