The Manila Times

Transport infrastructure for the pandemic and beyond

ROBERT SIY

BICYCLE infrastructure delivers the kinds of mobility, health and environmental outcomes highly desired during the pandemic and for the foreseeable future. For this reason, bicycle infrastructure needs to be included in the national budget and in the spending plans of every city. At the moment, the absence of a budget for bicycle infrastructure in the government’s 2022 outlay is a major anomaly.

The insufficient supply of public transport and the health risks of crowding have motivated millions of Filipinos to take up cycling as a means of reliable and independent travel. At the same time, the sprouting of protected bicycle lanes in cities all over the country are encouraging many more Filipinos to use bicycles for daily travel. This is one of the silver linings in the pandemic cloud.

Bicycle shops report brisk sales. Trade statistics indicate that 2.1 million bicycles were imported in 2020, more than double the number (around 1 million) in 2019. In malls, commercial establishments and office buildings, bicycle parking is in big demand and often fully utilized.

Last June 8 in Metro Manila, volunteers recorded 38,932 cyclists along major corridors in four Metro Manila cities. If extrapolated over the entire metropolis, there are likely now over half a million people using bicycles to travel around the metropolis daily. Similar counts on major roads in Pasig City and Naga City show that bicycles already outnumber private

cars during rush hour.

We need to make cycling safe for the growing number of cyclists. On roads where vehicles can travel at speeds above 30 kilometer per hour, barriers or grade separation are needed to keep motor vehicles out of the way of cyclists. On roads without barriers to protect cyclists, it makes sense to lower motor vehicle speed limits and introduce “traffic-calming” measures so that cars, motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians can safely share the same space. Some streets can even be declared as “car-free,” banning all “through traffic” of vehicles.

Safety for cyclists also means providing sufficient road space for bike lanes. Many of the “pop-up” bike lanes established with Bayanihan 2 funding are already too narrow for the volume of cyclists using these lanes. There should be no hesitation to convert a full car lane into a bike lane because a car lane devoted to bicycles will move five to 10 times more people. Our recent experience has also shown that “if you build it, they will come.”

We need to make cycling as attractive as possible. More people on bicycles brings huge benefits for society. When more people adopt an active lifestyle through cycling, they improve their mental and physical health. Employees who cycle are able to reduce their total commuting time; they also have more control over their daily travel. For employers, it means happier and more productive staff.

On the environmental front, more people cycling means less air and noise pollution, reduced consumption of fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions. A cleaner environment means more livable cities with greater potential for tourism and investment. Encouraging bicycle use is also one

of the best ways to push back on climate change.

More people cycling enhances the mobility of the entire population. When public transport users shift to cycling, it means fewer people competing for limited seating on overburdened public transport systems. If a car user shifts to using a bicycle, it means one less private motor vehicle adding to the congestion on our roads.

The recent experience with the Bayanihan To Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) is that bike lanes are fast to implement and can deliver immediate results. In less than a year and with a budget of about P1 billion, nearly 500 kilometers of “pop-up” bike lanes were set up in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao with paint, signs and plastic barriers. Not only was this a meaningful response to the pandemic, it also helped to transform our mobility environment into one that fits squarely with health, environment, economic and climate objectives.

In the coming year, many more kilometers of protected bike lanes

need to be created, including in secondary cities around the country. To enhance their usefulness, many of the existing “pop-up” bike lanes need to be widened, resurfaced and made permanent. Bike parking facilities are also vital infrastructure to support cycling growth. Similar attention needs to be given to safe and accessible walkways and footpaths in every barangay (village).

A livable city is one where walking or cycling are safe and convenient travel options for people of all ages. It is unfortunate that the proposed 2022 National Expenditure Program has no specific provision for walking and cycling infrastructure. This oversight can still be corrected by legislators before the 2022 General Appropriations Act is finalized. Millions of Filipino commuters are counting on them to do the right thing.

Business Times

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2021-09-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/281827171899635

The Manila Times