THE Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (HPG) has apprehended and issued citation tickets to 21 motorists who illegally parked their cars within the bicycle lane along Quezon Avenue.
Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander and PNP deputy chief for operations, PNP Chief Archie Gamboa has ordered the HPG as well as the local police to keep these lanes cleared at all times for the safety of the bicycle riders.
"The key word here is respect. Just like drivers of trucks, buses and private vehicles, bicycle riders also have the right to use the roads especially if they are already allowed to go through bicycle lanes that have already been designated by the local government units," he said.
Eleazar said they were prompted to take action after receiving several complaints from bicycle riders about how private vehicles encroach into the bicycle lanes to overtake another vehicle or use this for parking.
"By using the bicycle lanes as parking spaces, bicycle riders are forced to shift to other lanes which put them at risk of being hit by vehicles tailing them," he said.
"The use of bicycles as a mode of transportation is already beginning to become popular. We call on the motorists to get used to this by starting to respect the intended users of bicycle lanes," he added.
He said clearing bicycle lanes will already be part of the HPG's operations.
Use of bicycles is increasing because of the limited public transportation systems due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
In response, some local government units and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have designated bicycle lanes especially in main thoroughfares including Edsa to ensure the safety of the bicycle users.
Eleazar said coordination should also be made in order to put the ideal barrier to protect bicycle lanes from four-wheeled vehicles. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/VoxPop Philippines)