Eleazar warns private vehicles: Don't use bike lanes as parking spaces

Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday warned private vehicles not to "invade" lanes designated for bicycles.

According to Eleazar, police have obtained complaints that some private vehicles supposedly use bicycle lanes as parking spaces while others are using them to overtake other cars and avoid heavy traffic.

"The keyword here is respect. Just like drivers of trucks, buses and private vehicles, bicycle riders also have the right to use the roads especially if they are already allowed to go through bicycle lanes that have already been designated by the local government units,” Eleazar said in a statement.

"The use of bicycles as a mode of transportation is already beginning to become popular. We call on the motorists to get used to this by starting to respect the intended users of bicycle lanes,” he added.

Bicycles are now seen as an essential mode of transportation as there is only a limited number of mass transport vehicles for commuters under the general community quarantine.

Various localities have already designated bicycle lanes for users.

Eleazar said the Philippine National Police - Highway Patrol Group and local police chiefs must include in their regular patrols the checking of bicycle lanes to ensure that they are not being utilized by private cars.

Coordination must be made in order to put the ideal barrier to protect bicycle lanes from vehicles, Eleazar added. -MDM, GMA News