HOUSE Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte jointly called for sustainable infrastructure in Metro Manila that would primarily benefit bicycle users and pedestrians.
“One of the most significant advocacies that came up since the pandemic started, which aims to push for a better normal, is a sustainable mobility or sustainable transport in the congested, polluted,and overpopulated Metro Manila,” Legarda, a representative from Antique, told a recent online forum she co-organized with the Climate Change Commission.
Belmonte agreed saying the national government needs to play a major role in achieving goals that would benefit pedestrians and cyclists.
“We really need to change it. I call on the national government to please include cyclists and pedestrians in redesigning our streets,” Belmonte told the forum dubbed “Stories for a Better Normal: Pandemic and Climate Pathways.”
MNL Moves founder Aldrin Pelicano and members of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities last month deputized 168 volunteers in Metro Manila to count cyclists and pedestrians in key intersections in Pasig, San Juan, Marikina and Quezon City during peak hours—6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
MMC organizers and volunteers recorded 38,932 cyclists, 12,787 pedestrians and 1,658 non-motorized users during those hours. From those figures, 54 percent were recorded in the morning rush hours.
In terms of location, the largest number was recorded in Quezon City (16,709), followed by Pasig (11,159), Marikina (6,778) and San Juan (4,286).
“Based on the initial cycling count results, conservatively, it is very possible that half a million cyclists are now on the road,” Pelicano said. “We need to count more and generate more evidence that can guide our policymakers.”
“When you have numbers like this, we should already be implementing wider bike lanes,” said Pasig City Transport Office head Robert Anthony Siy III.
“It’s about time that we start thinking about the needs of people who want to use modes [of transportation other than cars,” Siy said. “If you build bike lanes, sidewalks and high-quality public transportation, Filipinos will surely support these initiatives if you give them the right service and the right facilities.”
The forum drew the support of Mobility Awards, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, MNL Moves, The Climate Reality Project Philippines, 350 Pilipinas and the Pinay Bike Commuter Community.