ASIDE from the proposed lane for two-wheeled vehicles in the city, the City Council has also been proposing for a specific hour and day for safe biking.
While Councilor Diosdado Mahipus wants to designate a motorcycle and a bicycle lane, Councilor Maria Belen Acosta said on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, that a privilege for bikers will encourage a healthy lifestyle among Dabawenyos.
In an interview, Acosta explained that the ordinance for bikers will not contradict or indicate redundancy on the proposed motorcycle lane because the latter will be on a daily basis.
The proposed ordinance for bikers will be designed specifically from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. where most people may want to exercise through bicycle riding while staying safe as the ordinance suggests.
“Naka-first reading na and naka-first committee hearing na pud ni ang ordinance (The ordinance was passed on first reading and already had its committee hearing),” she said.
However, Acosta said that because of the P3.64-billion High Priority Bus System (HPBS) plan of the city, the routes for bikers have yet to identified as it will be unsafe to have similar routes for cyclists and buses.
“Siguro, mag-refer sa ta sa plano sa (We will refer to the plan of the) City Mayor’s Office regarding the bus transit system. Baka hindi siya isabay sa ruta ng bus. Bus kontra bicycle, (it will be disadvantageous for) bicycle riders. Baka magkaroon ng aksidente,” she added.
Meanwhile, During the Pulong-pulong ni Pulong (PPP) on Tuesday, committee on environment chairperson Councilor Diosdado Mahipus explained that bikers' rights in other countries are respected and it should also be the same in the country.
“The growing clamor of our biking and health enthusiasts, kailangan gyud mag-bike kay maoy dali magamit and if we look at the conservation side, dako kaayo ta og ma-save sa fuel (We need to make use of the bike because it is convenient and if we look at the conservation side, we could save more fuel),” he said.