Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
MANILA, Philippines — At least P1 billion has been earmarked for the construction of protected bicycle lanes and other infrastructure for cyclists’ and pedestrians’ safety in the 2024 budget, a lawmaker said on Tuesday.
In the 2024 General Appropriations Act, P1 billion has been allocated to the Department of Transportation’s Active Transport and Safe Pathways Program (ATSPP) — at least P500 million higher than the original allocation in the proposed spending plan for 2024.
The Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) bike safety program — implemented solely in metropolitan areas — covers the construction of protected bike lanes and safe and accessible pedestrian pathways and sidewalks.
The ATSPP also provides funding for the procurement of bike racks, improvement of end-of-trip cycling infrastructure and upgrading of existing pop-up bike lanes into permanent bike lanes.
Rep. Marvin Rillo (4th District, Quezon City), vice chairperson of the House committee on Metro Manila Development, said that the fresh funding is lawmakers’ way of “reassuring Filipinos that cycling is a sustainable alternative mode of mobility.”
“We are absolutely determined to promote cycling and lessen harmful motor vehicle emissions in the interest of public health,” Rillo said.
The P1 billion allocation for the bike safety program in the 2024 budget is lower than the P2 billion it received in 2023 but higher than its P705 million allocation in 2022.
Under the ASTPP, at least 564 kilometers of bicycle lanes throughout Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao have been constructed as of June 2023.
The DOTr targets to expand the country’s protected bike lanes to 2,400 kilometers by 2028.
Restrictions on movement and limited transportation options pushed several workers to use bicycles for their commute during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Since then, cycling advocates and groups focused on mobility have campaigned for the presence of protected bike lanes nationwide, often criticizing what they have found to be cities brimming with car-centric infrastructure and policy.
An initial plan by the Makati City government to convert bike lanes along Ayala Avenue to “sharrows” or shared roads in 2023 was met with widespread opposition from cycling advocates, which led them to temporarily shelve the plan. — Cristina Chi with reports from Jonathan de Santos
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