(Photo courtesy of DOTr)
MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to improve walkways and bicycle lanes across the National Capital Region (NCR) after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) approved its Active Transport Infrastructure Improvement Program (ATIIP).
In a statement on Friday, the DOTr said a dry run of the ATIIP will include improvements on road configuration, “widening of pedestrian walkways and protected bi-directional bike lanes.”
“The project forms part of the DOTr and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) joint partnership aimed at enhancing the overall active transport infrastructure along EDSA -- particularly in Santolan, Ortigas, and Shaw,” it said.
The project was approved during an alignment meeting at the MMDA’s Makati Office led by MMDA General Manager Ret. P/Col. Procopio Lipana and Assistant General Manager for Operations lawyer Victor Pablo Trinidad on Tuesday.
The DOTr is committed to executing the strategies set out in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 which was approved by President [Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. last December 16, 2022. In the PDP 2023-2028, pedestrians and cyclists will be accorded the highest priority in the hierarchy of road users, the statement said.
In addition to improving the safety and comfort of pedestrians and cyclists, the ATIIP aims to encourage motorists to leave their vehicles at home with the goal of improving vehicular traffic in NCR.
“The national government firmly believes that the only way traffic congestion will be solved along EDSA and all other metropolitan areas in the country is through building better and more active transport and mass transportation systems,” it said. (PNA)
