Construction of EDSA bike lanes starts on Saturday -MMDA

The construction of bike lanes along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare EDSA will commence on Saturday, June 13, 2020.

This was announced by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday following Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade’s meeting with officials of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), led by its chairman Danny Lim on June 11.

During the meeting, the DOTr and MMDA agreed to start construction of bike lanes on June 13.

Tugade and Lim also decided to fast-track the establishment of the protected bike lanes “on the roads and not on sidewalks, as more people are shifting to this active mode of transport, amid the crisis situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Transportation chief emphasized that, “our goal is to move people while making sure of their safety."

Lim, for his part, said that the bike lane would provide at least 1.5 meters of space for bikers.

The project will be done in two phases —the interim and long term, according to the DOTr.

The DOTr earlier released models of designated bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and bus boarding areas in EDSA under the general community quarantine setting. 

The Transportation department said two-wheel vehicles would play an important role for Filipino commuters once the community quarantines have been lifted and the country transitions into the "new normal."

It said it would push for the use of motorcycles and bicycles as modes of transportation after the lockdowns currently in place to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. -NB, GMA News