MANILA, Philippines — Following an uproar from the cycling community, Makati moved the conversion of its bike lanes along Ayala Avenue to March 6,
The city made the announcement on its Facebook page, Make it Makati, on Tuesday evening.
It had previously announced that it would convert bike lanes to shared lanes — “sharrows” — that would merge the spaces for bicycles and vehicles.
“We agree that the safety of all road users should be given utmost importance. As such, we will enhance measures to further protect bikers. To give us ample time to implement these enhancements, the conversion of bike lanes will be deferred to March 6, 2023,” the Facebook announcement said.
The city emphasized that the biking community is among the commuters that they serve.
“We have noted all constructive comments regarding the conversion of Ayala Avenue bike lanes, particularly those that are related to safety,” it said.
On Sunday, cyclists belonging to different groups took to the streets to push for biker safety in response to the planned conversion of bike lanes.