The ban on e-bikes on major roads within the National Capital Region starts today, April 15, 2024, as of this writing. This policy is officially known as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Regulation No. 24-022 series of 2024, a resolution that was passed and approved by the Metro Manila Council back in February 2024.
The MMDA says that this regulation will help ensure road safety
As per the regulation, tricycles, pedicabs, pushcarts or “karitons”, “kuligligs (pedicabs with mounted engine),” and light electric vehicles are now prohibited from passing through or traversing national roads, circumferential roads, and radial roads in NCR.
To further clarify, light electric vehicles refer to electric-powered bikes, scooters, and other similar vehicles weighing less than 50 kilograms.
Those caught violating Regulation No. 24-022 series of 2024 will be fined Php 2,500. In addition, their vehicles will be impounded if found that the driver does not possess a valid driver’s license.
According to the regulation's implementing guidelines, however, does have some allowances for the vehicles mentioned above. For instance, they are allowed to cross the prohibited roads (listed below) to reach roads where they are allowed to use.
See below for a complete list of roads where the prohibition will be enforced
Furthermore, light electric vehicles may also use established bike lanes per Republic Act No. 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act. These vehicles may also travel over a prohibited road by not more than 500 meters to use a U-turn slot.
For your reference, here is the list of roads where the prohibition is being enforced:
- Recto Avenue
- Pres. Quirino Avenue
- Araneta Avenue
- Araneta Avenue
- EDSA
- Katipunan/CP Garcia
- Southeast Metro Manila Expressway
- Roxas Boulevard
- Taft Avenue
- South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)
- Shaw Boulevard
- Ortigas Avenue
- Magsaysay Blvd./Aurora Blvd.
- Quezon Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue
- A. Bonifacio Avenue
- Rizal Avenue
- Del Pan/Marcos Highway/McArthur Highway
- Elliptical Road
- Mindanao Avenue
- Other roads and thoroughfares as may be determined by the MMDA
According to the MMDA, this regulation was deemed necessary as a matter of safety. To support this, the agency says it saw an increase in road crash statistics involving the vehicles mentioned above.
Data gathered by the MMDA’s Road Safety Unit (RSU) has tallied a total of 907 incidents in Metro Manila in 2023 alone. That’s three times the number of incidents (309) tallied back in 2019.
Acting MMDA Chairman Romando Artes (right) and MMA President and San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora (left)
As pointed out by MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes at a live-streamed press conference dated April 15, 2024, the prohibition of tricycles, pedicabs, and motorized pedicabs on major and national roads and highways isn’t new. A similar but older policy was released by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). This was issued back in 2020 as Memorandum Circular 2020-036.
Artes further shared that the new MMDA regulation expanded upon the DILG’s ruling by specifically listing down NCR roads where these vehicles are barred from traversing.
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