DOTr plans to expand bike lanes in major cities, municipalities

DOTr logo / Bike lane / Pedestrian lane. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Friday that it targets expanding bike lanes in major cities and adjacent municipalities in the country by 2028.

The agency said it has allotted P5 billion for its active transport projects, including the creation of 2,400-kilometer protected and dedicated lanes for cyclists nationwide.

READ: Removing bike lanes, banning e-bikes: MMDA counters nat’l policy

“We allocated almost P5 billion for planning and implementation of active transport projects. We plan to expand the bike lanes up to 2,400 kms by 2028,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said during the inauguration and expansion of bike lanes in Tagum and Davao cities, as quoted in a statement.

“Yung construction ng bike lanes we will do this all over the country, inuuna muna natin major cities then susunod mga adjacent municipalities. Sa ngayon, aside from Davao and Tagum, we have bikeway programs in Manila, Quezon City, Lipa, San Fernando Pampanga, Laoag at marami pa,” he added.

(The construction of bike lanes, we will do this all over the country. We are prioritizing major cities first, then the adjacent municipalities will follow. Right now, aside from Davao and Tagum, we have bikeway programs in Manila, Quezon City, Lipa, San Fernando Pampanga, Laoag, and many more.)

READ: DOTr stresses proper bike lane enforcement

Aside from bike lanes, the DOTr said it is also constructing walkways to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

The DOTr also said that active transport projects such as bike lanes and walkways are in line with the government’s National Transport Policy and the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028.