Bongbong, Sara to include bike lanes in gov't road plans if they win in Eleksyon 2022

Published March 15, 2022 01:17 PM

Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, vowed to integrate protected bike lanes in the government's future road plans should they win in the May 2022 elections.

Marcos and Duterte on Tuesday said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to develop active transport as a practical and healthy alternative to the existing modes of transportation.

“By including the provision of bike lanes in the planning and design of our roads, we ensure that our people have options to move around," they said in a news release.

The tandem also vowed to complete the planned upgrade of the bike lanes from Class 1 to Class 2 “to ensure that it has separators to provide added safety for cyclists and motorists.”

"We need to ensure that these bike lanes are safe and in compliance with international standards. It will increase the people's confidence to use bicycles as their preferred mode of transportation," the tandem said.

They added that having bike lanes would boost local tourism because this will encourage more people to visit nearby tourist destinations.

Marcos and Duterte noted that this is beneficial for the country’s economic recovery.

"We think that bicycle-riding tourists will be a boon for our local tourism.  We have seen an increasing trend among Pinoys who use bikes to visit distant sites and well-known places," they said. 

With the planned integration of bike lanes, the tandem is eyeing to give zero-interest loans to those who cannot afford to purchase a bicycle of their own.

"We are still looking into the possibility of offering zero-interest loans to the poor and the marginalized to allow more people to have a bicycle.  This will be a crucial component of our vision of a seamless intermodal transport system in the country," they said. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News

View on GMA News