In Japan and China, bicycles, motorcycles, electric bikes, and trikes share the allotted side road as well as some portion of the pedestrian lanes.
In the Philippines where there is only a small space to be shared, transportation officials do not seem to agree on what to do.
At the height of the pandemic when public commute was not available, there was an instant growth of bicycle riders which led to the Local Government Units (LGUs) creating an exclusive bike lane in Metro Manila.
With the COVID-19 pandemic waning and public transport slowly going back to normal, the number of bicycle users is slowly decreasing.
The bike lanes are rarely occupied these days but four-wheel vehicles and motorcycles are prohibited from using them.
Why not allow motorcycles to share the bike lane? There’s a motorcycle lane along EDSA and Commonwealth, but four-wheel cars are also allowed to use them.
Putting the motorcycles, bikes, and electric scooters exclusively on the bike lane could help prevent congestion in the major portion of the road that is used more conveniently by four-wheel vehicles.
The Metro Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Office, and the LGUs can look closely and study this proposal which is doing good in Taiwan, China, and Japan.
It’s good that Congressman Bonifacio Bosita of 1-Rider Partylist has initiated discussions with the MMDA to help formulate policies that will ensure better traffic in Metro Manila and safety for motorists and pedestrians.
Bosita, a strong advocate of riders’ rights, plans to involve different rider groups in the coming days for a consultative meeting with government agencies to come up with better policies for road safety.
One measure to consider is the sharing lane for bikers and riders. This has been proven effective in developed roads in China and other countries.
This may or may not work for the Metro Manila setting in the long term, but it’s worth a try.