by FFE PH News Staff

Bikes seen as a solution to the perennial traffic in Metro Manila.

With the number of new projects spearheaded by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), it’s logical to assume the agency is trying to adopt the biking capital of the world Amsterdam’s road regulations.

MMDA just announced it will build more bicycle lanes around Metro Manila in a bid to decongest traffic in the region’s major thoroughfares, especially with the planned construction of Skyway 3 which is expected to worsen the already problematic traffic conditions. The bike lanes are also being promoted as a cheaper, greener and healthier alternative to owning cars or commuting.

The new bike lanes will be placed along Edsa-Ortigas, Camp Aguinaldo to Santolan and Luneta to Intramuros. There are already existing bike lanes in Marcos Highway, Edsa-Magallanes to Ayala, Commonwealth Avenue, Remedios Circle to Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue.

The agency has called a Traffic Summit on 10 February for the mayors and leaders of the cities in Metro Manila to talk about the proposed new bike lanes. Also on the agenda is the traffic re-routing scheme the mayors plan to adopt called the Unified Traffic Management Scheme that will be implemented until 2016.

MMDA chair Francis Tolentino said ‘All traffic plans will be consolidated in order to have a unified and more effective scheme which will be implemented within two years.’

The scheme is seen as a way to effectively reduce traffic as Skyway 3 and other road projects like the Makati Avenue underpass, Pasay-Taft flyover and Sta Monica-Lawton bridge, begin this April.