(SPOT.ph) Bike lanes are finally getting the push they deserve in the Philippines—and it looks like Metro Cebu is leading the shift. A new section at the South Road Properties in Cebu City underwent inspection by authorities on Thursday, May 6. This pegs the completion of Metro Cebu's bike lane network project at 63.96%. Bottomline: Cebu City's bikers now have a total of 88.84 kilometers worth of designated lanes, with ideally more to come.
Arguably the best thing about the new bike lane section is that it is separated from the main road. It stands as a Class 1 bike lane. This means that cyclists and pedestrians have exclusive use of the path—away from the usual bustle of vehicles on the main road.
The freshly inspected bike lane in the South Road Properties (SRP) spans a full five meters across and is around 2.3 kilometers in length. It is solely for bikers as pedestrians have their own three-kilometer long sidewalk nearby. Solar studs were put in to help light the path for bikers at night.
There is also a shed for bikes and benches, and there are plans to add greeneries alongside the path, according to the Department of Transportation.
"Not only is biking the cheapest in the market but also [for] the health benefits it can give. This is not only for recreational purposes, but [for] going to our work as well," noted Edgar Tabacon, the chief of Department of Public Works and Highways Region VII during the inspection.
Could There Be a Permanent Place for Bike Lanes in the Philippines?
The ultimate goal is for a full 138.9-kilometers worth of bike lanes to be put up in Metro Cebu across four cities: Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu City, and Talisay. The target deadline is on May 31. This network of lanes is a project of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Road Transport Sector and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
There's no word yet on whether the entire Metro Cebu network will consist of Class 1 bike lanes (or a designated protected path that's completely separated from other vehicles by an open space). The usual case with urban areas that didn't include bike lanes into its planning is that folks are forced to make do with sharing between vehicles and cyclists. Read: EDSA.
There is an allotted P1.1 billion pesos for the building of bike lanes in the Philippines under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, a.k.a. Bayanihan 2. With that money, there is the grand goal of doubling the country's existing 296 kilometers worth of bike lanes to 535 kilometers—by the end of 2021.
At the same time this network of bike lanes is being pushed, there is also a push for more tollways, bridges, and in general, admittedly motorist-centric infrastructure across the Philippines. So while there are small wins for the everyday commuter, there is still a long way to go.
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Source: Spot PH
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