Representatives from the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay and the town of Cordova received a copy of the new Bike Lane Master Plan 2023 during a ceremonial turnover at Harold’s Evotel, Cebu City on Tuesday, July, 18, 2023.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) led the distribution of the master plan that serves as a guide to comprehensive, inclusive and equitable bike lanes network development for the local government units (LGUs) of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.
Floradema Eleazar, team leader of the climate action section of UNDP, told SunStar Cebu that installing bike lanes will also spur economic development.
However, bike lane implementers and traffic teams from the LGUs that received the master plan raised concerns and challenges to its full implementation, citing the lack of awareness and discipline among motorists and cyclists, narrow roads and streets, issues on infrastructure support and coordination among neighboring LGUs, and the lack of a legal framework concerning the use of the bike lane system in Metro Cebu.
Economic benefits
Eleazar said cycling will be economically beneficial for commuters as they will no longer have to pay the fare for public transportation or buy fuel for their private vehicles for their commute to their respective destinations.
Cycling also promotes a healthy and active lifestyle that minimizes health risks and complications.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), cycling helps reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, depression, as well as cancer. It cited research from the United Kingdom showing a link between cycling to work and a 45 percent lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, compared to commuting by car or public transport.
For those concerned about getting exposed to pollution, Unep said: “The health benefits of cycling daily rather than taking a car for short trips outweigh the risks of inhalation of air pollutants. Daily exercise prolongs life expectancy by approximately 3.4 years whereas inhalation of polluted air reduces life expectancy by one to 40 days.”
Good for business
Eleazar said the public can enjoy a bike-to-work or bike-to-school setup.
Businesses such as restaurants or office buildings can also benefit from the cycling community by providing bike-friendly infrastructure like a table that will be high enough to enable bikers to use their bike as a chair.
Parking a bicycle also requires only a minimal space in comparison to motorcycles and automobiles.
Cycling also helps tourism as more cyclists visit tourist spots by traveling using a bike, she added.
However, Eleazar stressed the importance of government support in achieving these goals such as by funding the necessary infrastructure and campaign initiatives.
Carbon emissions
Cycling is good for the environment as well.
The burning of fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel by automobiles releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, causing global warming and climate change. But cyclists emit much less carbon dioxide.
“Each seven kilometers by bicycle will save an emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide as compared to the same distance covered by car,” according to the Unep.
Master plan
The master plan for comprehensive, inclusive and equitable bike lanes network development includes technical, institutional, and information and education components that may be adopted by the LGUs.
A research team from the University of the Philippines-National Center for Transportation Studies Foundation Inc. led the study of the master plan which was funded through Global Environment Facility.
Four strategies identified in the master plan are (1) expanding the network of protected/exclusive bike lanes, (2) developing the network of streets with shared lanes, (3) developing more bike-friendly infrastructure, and (4) encouraging the use of bicycles for commuting such as bike-to-work and bike-to-school.
Lack of discipline
Lack of awareness and discipline among motorists and the general public have been among the major challenges for the Cebu City Government to fully implement its Bike Lane System, Sugbo Bike Lanes Board (SBLB) executive director Bernard Maraasin told SunStar Cebu Tuesday after the turnover of the Bike Lane Master Plan 2023.
Maraasin stressed that “the ones reflected on the master plan, if I’m not mistaken, the city has (already) implemented (the markings of around) 70 percent of the proposed bike lanes which includes new markings in V. Rama (Ave.) and Duterte St.”
These developments began sprouting during the term of then Cebu City mayor Edgardo Labella in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic when the operation of traditional public utility jeepneys was suspended in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and riding a bike solo was seen as a safer way to go around the city than taking public transport.
However, Maraasin said that as Cebu City removed the mobility restrictions imposed during the pandemic, SBLB has recorded a high number of violators of bike lane rules.
City Ordinance 2408 mandates that bike lanes, particularly dedicated ones, are intended for the use solely of cyclists for their safety.
Drivers of public utility vehicles, ambulances and motorcycles are among the top violators of the ordinance, Maraasin said.
“Kanang ubang ambulance, himoon ug parkinganan ang bike lane, ug naay uban matog sa sulod.”
(Some ambulances make the bike lane their parking space, and some drivers can be found asleep inside.)
Narrow roads
On the other hand, John Michael Feliciano Edar of the Lapu-Lapu City Traffic Management System Office (CTMS) said the current roads of the cities were too narrow to install bike lanes in and that problems were observed even in the roads that already had bike lanes.
“Sa amo [Lapu-Lapu City], daghan kaayo ang tawo. Sa akong experience sa traffic, kana bitaw mga cyclists? Naa ta’y mga bike lane, nya dili muagi sa bike lane. Musagol sa mga utility vehicle,” he said.
(There are a lot of people in Lapu-Lapu City. In my own experience with traffic, we have cyclists that, even though we have bike lanes, do not use them. Instead, they mix with the utility vehicles.)
“Maayo ra man [the Master Plan], pero karon lisod pa gyud. Nindot ang bike lane, pero wa ta kahibaw asa nato ipahimutang,” he added.
(It’s a good initiative; however, its implementation is the challenging part as we do not know where to place these bike lanes.)
Enforcement
To mitigate this problem following the return of the heavy volume of vehicles after the Covid-19 pandemic, Maraasin emphasized that the penalties against violators must be strictly enforced under the city ordinance.
This instills discipline in the motorists, he said, emphasizing that there will be no exemption even for drivers of government vehicles.
The penalty ranges from P500 for the first offense, to P1,000 for the second offense, and then P1,500 for the third offense.
Meanwhile, old bicycle lanes that already have faded paint marking and white stripes will be given a makeover to ensure that these designated lanes remain visible to motorists for the safety of cyclists, especially those who “bike to work.”
Maraasin assured that more bike lanes will be installed once the Cebu City Government has cleared the three-easement zones along the city’s major waterways. The lanes will be incorporated in the cleared zones.
On the other hand, Lapu-Lapu’s Edar said that in order to implement the bike lane plan, the City first has to embark on the widening of the city’s narrow roads.
“Among city gamay, ang mga karsada padak-an or need og road widening,” Edar said.
(Our city is small, hence, our roads need to be widened.)
Bicycle lanes established at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 were not properly used by cyclists as motorists were also not following their respective lanes, Edar said.
He added that as of the moment, the City Government has no ordinances with regard to the proper utilization and strengthening of the policy on bike lanes.
However, he assured that the CTMS is doing its best to reprimand violators of the bike lane policy.
More bicycle owners
According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey in April 2022, one in four Filipino households in the country owned bicycles. It said there were four times more bicycle owners than car owners.
In the Visayas, the survey said, there were two times more bicycle owners than car owners.
Nationwide, the bicycles were used for essential activities like market/grocery and store runs, livelihood, and as transport to the workplace and elsewhere, as well as recreational activities, the SWS survey showed.
An improved bicycle lane network inspired by the master plan may just encourage cyclists to more often pedal to their destinations than take a motorized vehicle, auguring well for their finances as well as the environment. (with CTL AND DENISE MAE CODIS AND ERICA ABELLA, CNU INTERNS)