In time for the World Bicycle Day on Wednesday, the Taguig City government launched a comprehensive plan to emphasize the role of biking as an essential mode of transportation for both residents and workers.
The local government set up bike lanes along Cayetano Boulevard and Bayani Road, and renovated the protected bike lane along C6 Road, all for a three-day demo showcasing that biking is doable in Taguig.
Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano said the program would also test the volume of bikers "who can use the routes for essential travels during the general community quarantine for the purpose of establishing an integrated bike path within the city.”
He said the city government created an Active Transport Office dedicated to studying the ways Taguig could champion biking to citizens and become a bike-friendly city.
This was made possible through the “Bike-Friendly Taguig Ordinance,” which was signed on June 1. This is part of the city’s push for biking as an important step in a bigger agenda to champion healthy and sustainable living.
Elsewhere in the metropolis, the Quezon City government will soon develop a 161-kilometer bike lane network as part of its recovery program amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic.
On the eve of the International Bike Day, Mayor Joy Belmonte said as part of their commitment to sustainable recovery and the global clean air initiative, the city government was determined to build network of bike lanes totaling 161 kms throughout the city.
The city government is set to begin construction of the bike routes through its Parks Development and Administration Department and the Task Force on Transportation and Traffic Management "in the next few weeks," she said.
With more workers, including health-care employees relying on bicycles, the city government is now working on expanding and improving its bike network, she said.
“This was a priority for us even before COVID-19 happened as part of our global commitment to reducing air pollution by 2030, but due to the pressing need for transport during the pandemic, and the bike culture that emerged as a result of this, we are fast-tracking its implementation,” she added.
To make Quezon City a “walkable and bikeable” place is part of Belmonte's efforts to promote a sustainable development under her 14-point agenda of governance.
From the existing 55 kms of bike routes established since 2018, the city plans to extend its bike routes to 161 kilometers, almost three times longer than the existing bike routes.
According to Belmonte, they plan to upgrade its routes by placing barriers, signages, markers and other necessary engineered infrastructure to ensure the safety of the bike-riding public.
She said they would work with Move As One Coalition, which has donated bikes to front liners, in identifying other possible routes, especially those near hospitals and community care facilities, in a bid to ease the daily transport struggles of health workers.