MMDA halts proposal to implement shared EDSA bike lane

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has dropped the idea of letting cyclists share the EDSA bike lane together with motorcycle users.

EDSA. Note the motorcycles on the bike lane.

This idea was previously mulled over by the said agency upon sharing that the bike lane was underutilized. A recent report from ABS-CBN followed up on this after the MMDA’s meeting with stakeholders. It turned out that both motorcycle groups and cyclist groups did not come to an agreement in connection to the agency’s proposal. 

In the MMDA acting chairman Romando Artes' own words: “Walang nag-agree. We have to study kung anong options.” (Nobody agreed. We have to study other options.) 

Artes further added that many motorcyclists are entering the exclusive bike lanes. But even if they are told off and prevented from doing so, it is the agency itself that gets criticized. 

Remember that the MMDA’s Traffic Engineering Center said that as of July, there are 165,000 motorcycles plying EDSA daily and many of these have been entering the bike lane. The same report even adds that around 1,500 have already been apprehended in relation to bike lane violations. 

Now despite being underutilized at least on EDSA, the Department of Transportation is doubling down on its bike lane project. Specifically, it is targeting to expand the said lanes to a total of 2,400 km nationwide by 2028. The additional bike lanes will be put up in nine regions including Davao City, Metro Cebu, Iloilo, and Laguna. 

Concerned parties did not come to an agreement in connection to the bike lane sharing proposal

With that said, the MMDA could implement a similar arrangement to what’s currently in place on Commonwealth Ave. The said thoroughfare also has a bike lane, but it also features an exclusive motorcycle lane. 

The only issue is, Commonwealth Ave. is a much wider road with up to eight lanes in some of its sections. EDSA meanwhile, is narrower. Arguably, EDSA also sees a much greater amount of traffic compared to Commonwealth since it serves as a main road for six of Metro Manila’s 17 local government units. 

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