Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday urged local government units (LGUs) to promote “active transport and sustain best biking practices.”
“We continuously encourage our LGUs to provide means for active transport, through the establishment of protected bike lanes, to help ease traffic congestion and promote sustainable mobility. We can take great inspiration from the LGU Bike Lane awardees who made it happen in their localities,” Abalos said, addressing the conferment of the National Bike Day Lane Awards.
Last year’s LGU Bike Lane Awardees were Iloilo City, Quezon City, and Mandaue City while those who received exemplary awards were Alaminos City and Pasig City. Also recognized were cities of Baguio and Taguig.
“We thank the LGU Bike Lane awardees for sharing valuable insights on how they were able to establish safe and accessible bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure in their areas. This will go a long way in encouraging other LGUs to follow their example,” the secretary said.
The DILG earlier issued Memorandum Circular No. 2020-100 encouraging all LGUs to promote and make active transportation accessible as a means to support people’s mobility within their respective areas of jurisdiction.
The Interagency Technical Working Group on Active Transport led by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) recently initiated a webinar to share knowledge and various information about government plans, programs, and ongoing projects for the continuous expansion of active transport networks in our country.
Abalos said the DILG will continue to work closely with the other members of the IATF-TWG to ensure that the ongoing active transport project led by the DOTr can be replicated and translated to localized projects within provinces, cities, and municipalities.
A Social Weather Stations (SWS) May 2021 survey showed that one out of five Filipino households owns bicycles, exceeding the car owners by a ratio of 4:1. The survey revealed that there were 4.9 million bicycle owners in the country as of May 2021.
The SWS also noted that bicycle ownership increased from 8 percent in November 2020 to 20 percent in May 2021, mainly driven by the absence of public transport during lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.