Can bike lanes make a comeback along EDSA?

Biking is seen as a beneficial way to get around during the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, but will it have a place along the busiest highway in Metro Manila?

According to a report on GMA’s online newscast “Stand for Truth,” the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and other agencies are planning to make bike lanes along EDSA more permanent following a one-day dry run conducted by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) last Sunday.

READ: MMDA sets up bike lane on EDSA for dry run in preparation for ‘new normal’

“Bike lanes will be part of the new normal,” DOTr Assistant Secretary Mark de Leon said.

“Ongoing ’yung ating mga coordination sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno katulad ng DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), MMDA, para natin ma-identify kung saan pu-puwedeng mailagay itong bike lanes na ito,” he said.

De Leon, however, said there was more work to be done before the plans could be set in motion.

“Meron na tayong naka-plano na puwedeng paglagyan niyan but, of course, subject to site conditions kasi on map baka madaling ilagay, pero sa mismong kalsada, baka meron na tayong mga restrictions,” the DOTr official explained.

“So kailangan talagang masusing pag-aaral niyan, and what appropriate time than now?”

For the dry-run along EDSA last Sunday, the MMDA placed orange cones from White Plains Avenue to the corner of Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue (northbound) to dedicate an entire lane for bike riders and scooter users.

The transport coalition EDSA Evolution embraced the development, stressing the need for bike lanes throughout the highway.

“This is the best time to really change the our of our roads, and to not make Edsa infamous for car traffic but make Edsa safe for everyone,” Keisha Mayuga of EDSA Evolution said.

According to the report, the MMDA expects at least 50 percent of private vehicles and 50 percent of public vehicles to return to EDSA should the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila transition to general community quarantine (GCQ). – Margaret Claire Layug/RC, GMA News