Bikers bat for bigger, safer use of roads

Once again road sharing advocates took to the streets to call for the establishment of bike lanes and walkable sidewalks.

As part of this year’s Earth Day Green Festival Cebu, around 250 bikers, long boarders and uni-cyclers joined the Bike and Board Green Lungs Tour yesterday morning.

The 15-km ride started outside the West Gorordo Hotel around 6:30 in the morning.

There were stops at the Cebu Business Park, Camp Lapu-Lapu and University of the Philippines (UP) – Cebu campis.

At the UP campus, Psychology students discussed to the participants the importance of parks, promoting green infrastructures, and the need to plant more trees to be able to produce clean air.

The event was participated in by different groups of bicycle enthusiasts and long boarders like the Cebu Low Riders and Cebu Vintage Bicycle Club.

There were also around 20 long boarders who joined the activity.

Mark Canton, co-convenor of MLC said that there were about 95 participants who signed their petition on creating bike lanes and sidewalks.

“We ask the Sangguniang Barangay to consider enacting an ordinance to fairly share our roads. Currently, the less than 5 percent, those who own motorized vehicles use 90 percent of the road system,” the petition said.

“We petition that the Sangguniang Barangay to consider enacting an ordinance to work towards sharing the road achieving the spirit of Executive Order 770 signed in 2008, and to immediately plans to create bike lanes and sidewalks in the major roads,” the petition added.

Joel Lee, lead convenor of MLC said that he is very happy that more people are getting involved in activities that promote sustainable development.

The MLC is a citizen’s group composed of members of the academe, businessmen, urban planners, youth and religious groups, heritage and environment advocates.

The group is advocates towards livable and sustainable development.

The Earth Day Green Festival is organized by the MLC in commemoration of the annual Earth Day today.

The festival also includes several workshops, Green Hotel Launch of West Gorordo Hotel, Green Film showing, and Vinyasa Yoga. /Joy Cherry Quito, Reporter

(Full schedule of activities of the Earth Day Green Festival in page 6.)