Davao City: The City Traffic and Transport Management Office (CTTMO) has started demarcating portions of several streets in Davao as bike lanes.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has earlier this month bared that the local government is initially implementing the bike lanes.
“Unahon sa nato ang route, ang pagconnect-connect sa rota and demarcation kay naa man ta paint machines (The routes will be first, the connection of the routes, the demarcation because we have paint machines), the Mayor said.
She said the Bicycle Ordinance authored by the late Councilor Leo Avila in 2010 has many requirements but had decided to implement the bike routes and bike lanes first.
Cyclists in the city welcomed the bike lane hailed the creation of the bike lanes.
“I think the city’s efforts on creating bike lanes would promote biking. It would encourage people to ride their bikes because they would feel safer on the road, they have a distinct place along with other vehicles compared to before when drivers would honk on slow-moving bikers,” says 21-year old entrepreneur Geia Uy Mendoza, who is a cyclist.
Mendoza spearheaded a cycling campaign, the “Mission for Emission” last March 1, 2020 participated by over 100 cyclists. The event aims to promote cycling as an alternative transportation for Dabawenyos.
The Mission for Emission event held on March 1, 2020 gathered a hundred bikers to call for biking as an alternative to mass transport in the city.
One of the event’s advocacies was the creation of bike lanes and bike parking spaces in the city.
“I hope to see bike lanes around the city. So far I have seen bike lanes in Matina, it will be very good for our city, “ Mendoza said.
The CTTMO had initially demarcated a portion of Quimpo Boulevard as a bike lane.
The demarcation of the bike lanes is also following the directive of the Department of Interior and Local Government for LGUs to establish bike lanes and a bicycle road network. Bicycles are seen as alternative transportation with the shortage of public transportation due to COVID19 quarantine. (PIA/RG Alama)
