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MMDA okay of motorbike lane lauded

October 22, 2022 Jester P. Manalastas 259 views

A neophyte solon lauded the Metro Manila Council (MMC) for approving the plan of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to establish a dedicated motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.

1-Rider Party-list Representative Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, representative of the motorcycle-riding community and advocate of road safety, said MMDA announced that MMC “agreed in principle” to have an exclusive lane for motorcycles, as well as lanes for bicycles and public utility vehicles (PUVs).

The outermost lane of Commonwealth Avenue will be for bicycle riders, the next lane will be for PUVs and the third lane for motorcycle riders.

“We laud and thank the MMC, composed of mayors in the National Capital Region, for agreeing with MMDA that there’s a need to create exclusive lanes for riders and other motorists to prevent road accidents,” Gutierrez said.

“We also expressed gratitude and support to MMDA, especially to MMDA Acting Chairman Engr. Carlo Dimayuga III for this initiative that aims to ensure safety among road users,” he added.

As the voice of the motorcycle-riding community and advocate of road safety, Gutierrez believes that it is important to have exclusive lanes for riders because they are among the most exposed and at risk sectors on the road.

Based on Road Crash Statistics from the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center, a total of 1,010 motorcycle-related accidents happened along Commonwealth Avenue from January to August 2022. Nine out of 1,010 were fatal, while 557 were non-fatal; and 444 caused damage to properties.

The exclusive lanes were among those discussed during the MMDA’s motorcycle consultation workshop from October 12 to 13.

“1-Rider Party-list was invited to the motorcycle consultation workshop conducted by the MMDA. At that time we were given the opportunity to listen to different sides and opinions on the implementation of these lanes,” Gutierrez said.

He also mentioned that some riders were requesting to have at least one and a half or two exclusive lanes along Commonwealth Avenue.

Guttierez clarified that this newly proposed dedicated lane for motorcycles is different from the previous motorcycle lane project of MMDA.