In a hearing of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development on June 16, 2020, many questions and opinions were raised about bicycle lanes in the metropolis. “Filipinos will never choose to bicycle.” “The weather is too hot and humid for cycling.” “Let’s focus on public transport and forget this nonsense about bicycles.” “The only ones traveling by bicycle today are scavengers.” “Bike lanes are fine, but not on EDSA.” If you share some of these views, I hope to convince you in this column that bike lanes are not only highly desirable, but also absolutely essential now and on major roads, such as EDSA.
As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, millions of Filipinos in the Greater Capital Region (Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces) will have no option but to walk or cycle. Before Covid-19, the different modes of public transport — from tricycles to trains — served over 17 million trips daily in Greater Manila. The actual reduction in public transport capacity imposed by physical distancing is far more than 50 percent.