MMDA eyes return of motorcycle lane along QC’s Commonwealth Avenue

FILE PHOTO: Trucks, cars and motorcycles negotiate a less crowded Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on August 6, 2021, the first day of the implementation of a two-week ECQ in the nation’s capital to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus-INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is eyeing the return of motorcycle lanes along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, the agency’s acting chairman Carlo Dimayuga III said on Thursday.

Since numerous organizations of motorcyclists have demanded the creation of separate lanes for their vehicles on Commonwealth Avenue and other major thoroughfares in the city, the MMDA is contemplating bringing them back.

Dimayuga said the far right lane would still be designated as the bike lane, the lane beside it would be allocated for the public utility vehicle lane — buses and jeepneys — while the motorcycle lane would be next to the PUV lane.

“One lane for the bike lane, one lane for the PUVs and one lane for the motorcycle,” Dimayuga told reporters in an interview at MMDA Headquarters in Pasig City.

Dimayuga could not yet provide the target implementation of the program, saying the MMDA would still need to convene the Metro Manila Council (MMC) for the approval of the program.

MMC, composed of 17 mayors from 16 cities and one municipality, is the policy-making body of the MMDA.

Dimayuga noted that the registered vehicles in Metro Manila continue to increase to 2.9 million as of 2021, of which 1.44 million are motorcycles.

“With this number, we’re planning to put an exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Avenue to put the vehicles in order and as part of road safety for the motorcycle-riding public,” Dimayuga said in a statement on Wednesday.

Dimayuga, meanwhile, also said that it is studying the installation of exclusive motorcycle lanes in Edsa.

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