‘Reflectorized vest’ not needed for cyclists, says Mandaue dad

CYCLISTS passing by Mandaue City don’t need to wear a reflectorized vest as a way to comply with the city’s comprehensive bike ordinance, a local legislator said on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.

Mandaue City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas made the clarification after the city’s new bike ordinance, which he authored, was criticized heavily by cyclists on social media.

Based on Mandaue City’s new ordinance, cyclists could be penalized with a P50 fine if they are caught riding without a helmet, without a reflectorized vest, and without a front or rear reflector or blinker.

while a P100 fine will be issued to those who are caught counterflowing, overloading, backriding, driving outside the designated bike lane and if caught with a faulty brake.

Violators who cannot pay the fine or those who are caught habitually violating the ordinance will have to attend a seminar relative to the operation of the city’s bike system conducted by the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team).

Lumapas told reporters that cyclists can opt to wear bright-colored clothing as not all cyclists can afford to buy reflectorized vests.

But three days before the ordinance could take affect, some cyclists from Mandaue City started complaining about its provisions.

Marty Suico, a cyclist from Barangay Pagsabungan of Mandaue City, told SunStar Cebu that while he was riding his bike towards his workplace, he was already told by Team personnel that he needed to buy a reflectorized vest to avoid getting fined.

“I thought that it was okay to just wear bright colored clothes. But it seems they want us bikers to buy the reflectorized vest,” Suico said, in Cebuano.

Lindon Mark Arcadio, a laborer from Barangay Ibabao, said the ordinance’s provisions are too much for blue-collared workers like him who depend on bicycles as a means of transportation.

“My salary is not enough to buy the safety gear required by the City,” Arcadio said.

Though the city’s comprehensive bike ordinance was enacted in November 2020, the City decided to fully implement it this year due to two road rage incidents involving bikers. (KFD, JKV)