DOTR wants schools to have bike racks, showers to promote biking

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has encouraged the Department of Education (DepED) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to direct primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions to establish End-of-Trip (EoT) facilities in anticipation of the increased demand for transportation.

“The establishment of the EoT facilities, which include parking spaces for bicycles— sheds, bike racks, as well as showers, will encourage students, teachers, and other school personnel to use existing bicycle lanes," Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a press statement Wednesday.

The DOTr, citing Department Order No. 2020-014, said children up to 15 years old are allowed to utilize bicycle lanes along national and primary roads, provided that they are accompanied by an adult cyclist.

It said the EoT facilities within school areas will allow students, teachers, and other school employees to utilize cycling as their primary mode of transportation.

Meanwhile, the DOTr also appealed to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to deploy more traffic enforcers and marshals at school areas.

DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, on the other hand, reminded motorists to adhere to road safety measures to avoid untoward incidents.

“Road safety is of paramount importance. As students return to face-to-face classes, they are subjected yet again to vulnerability on the road,” Pastor said.

“With this, we would like to remind all our motorists to share the road for the safety of all other road users, especially our cyclists and pedestrians— including our learners,” he added.

The DepEd earlier said that School Year 2022-2023 will open on Monday, August 22, and will end on July 7, 2023.

Schools will only be allowed to hold blended learning schedules and full-distance learning until October 31, 2022.

Starting November 2, all public and private schools should have transitioned to five days of in-person classes.

Based on the DepEd’s latest report, 20,628,682 students nationwide have enrolled for the School Year 2022 to 2023.

Of this number, 18,147,254 are in public schools, while 2,411,042 are in private schools.—Richa Noriega/AOL, GMA News