EDSA had a 4-day pop-up bike lane and here's what that was like

There was a four-day pop-up bike lane in EDSA, and the MMDA together with organizations like Greenpeace Philippines and Biker's United Marshalls (BUM) worked hand-in-hand to guard and watch over it. 

The temporary bike lane activity started on August 15, Saturday and ended on Tuesday, August 18, with some bike groups writing their thanks on the pavement using chalk. #EDSAlamatSaBikeLane, they said.

This is the second wave of the "Share the Road" initiative, first organized by BUM on Commonwealth Avenue.

Photographer and avid cyclist Miguel Nacianceno, who took the bike lane from Quezon City to Makati on Sunday, tweeted his thoughts saying, "Laking bagay to feel some semblance of protection and to be afforded visibility. It makes bike commuting in Metro Manila feasible and enjoyable. Maraming makikinabang."

"Make them permanent please," he added, tagging the MMDA and the Department of Transportation.

Laking bagay to feel some semblance of protection and to be afforded visibility. It makes bike commuting in Metro Manila feasible and enjoyable. Maraming makikinabang. Make them permanent, please, @DOTrPH @MMDA.

— Miguel Nacianceno (@mignac_) August 16, 2020

Speaking to GMA News Online, Nacianceno said he wished for it to be improved on, "and that these things be well and fully integrated permanently. They shouldn't half ass it."

"It would be infinitely be safer if it had permanent barriers to separate from vehicles. It should also be as wide, at least, as a car lane," he added. 

Greenpeace called on Metro Manila mayors "to advance protected bike lanes, as part of a comprehensive, people-centered recovery plan."

"Tweet your mayor now," added the environmental group, which has been advocating for bike lanes as a main transportation for a more livable city.

According to Greenpeace, providing permanent lanes for bikes just like other countries will help the country achieve, what they call a #BetterNormal.

In a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary for Road Sector Mark Steven Pastor said DOT is seeking to get budgetary allocation for its proposed bike lanes network all over Metro Manila under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or “Bayanihan 2.” — Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News