SHARED LANE. Motorcycle riders occupy the designated lane for bikers on EDSA's northbound lane in Guadalupe, Makati City in this September 2023 photo. The Department of Transportation and Metro Manila Development Authority are mulling the idea of a side-by-side motorcycle and bicycle lanes. (PNA file photo by Ben Briones)
MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), along with concerned government agencies, are studying the viability of having a motorcycle lane as another measure to solve the perennial traffic problem along the 23.8-kilometer Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).
Based on the DOTr study, around 170,000 motorcycles use EDSA daily.
"'Yung EDSA po natin, four lanes lang po ‘yan. 'Yung isang lane meron na tayong busway. Doon sa right side na portion 'yung bicycle lane. We are looking siguro po 'yung katabi ng bicycle lane ang gawin nating motorcycle lane (EDSA has four lanes. One is for the busway, the right side for the bicycle lane. We are looking at a motorcycle lane beside the bicycle lane)," Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a news release on Sunday.
"Kasi ngayon makikita n'yo sa EDSA, lahat ng lane kinakain (As we are all aware of, almost all the lanes in EDSA are being used by motorcycles). We're working with MMDA on how we can improve the traffic situation relating to motorcycles," he added.
With a motorcyle lane in EDSA, the government also aims to address the economic cost of traffic, the transport chief added.
Bautista cited a 2017 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), stating that economic cost of traffic is PHP3.5 billion a day in Metro Manila.
By 2022, the economic losses from traffic have reached PHP4.9 billion a day.
JICA projected this to balloon to PHP9 billion a day by 2030.
"Economic cost [of traffic], ito po ‘yung additional fuel, additional cost, nawawalang opportunity for growth, lost time natin sa family (these are additional fuel, additional cost, lost opportunity for growth, lost time with the family)," Bautista explained.
The MMDA previously considered a shared bicycle-motorcycle lane but the plan did not prosper.
Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe asked how the agencies plan to open an exclusive lane for motorcycles, noting that the proposal should be backed by actual data and not just mere experiment that could cause confusion.
"Are they intending to share it with bike lanes? Should it be standardized across all highways? The varying placements of motorcycle lanes can be confusing to motorists who traverse multiple highways daily," Poe said.
Apart from these concerns, Poe underscored the need for an independent fact-based agency like the National Transportation Safety Board to collect data and set standards for motorcycle lanes.
Senator Nancy Binay cited the proposal as a "temporary solution" that would not fully address the traffic problem in Metro Manila.
"The reason why such alternative rides exist is because our public infrastructures fail to address urban mobility challenges," Binay said in a separate statement.
The DOTr, Binay suggested, should shift its focus towards efficient, safe, and comfortable mass transportation, including buses, BRTs, and trains. (With reports from Wilnard Bacelonia/PR)
