MMDA buys 40 new bikes to boost greening program

THE MMDA hopes to turn around the waning interest in its bike-sharing program with these 40 new mountain bikes. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

TO BRING back interest in its 2-year-old bike-sharing program aimed at promoting a greener Metro Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has added 40 new mountain bikes to its fleet, bringing the total to 70.

During the blessing of the new bikes on Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters in Makati City, MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos said the public was welcome to borrow free of charge the eco-friendly mode of transport.

“We foresee this program [will] ultimately promote a greener Metro Manila as people will be using their motor vehicles less,” Carlos added, noting that an alternative cleaner form of transportation was needed. He cited the growing number of vehicles in Metro Manila, with about 100,000 more added this year.

Launched in 2013, the bicycle-sharing program started with a kilometer-long bike lane on the northbound sidewalk of Edsa from Magallanes to Ayala Avenue in Makati City.

It then extended to other routes in the Ortigas area; to White Plains, Temple Drive and Santolan near Camp Aguinaldo then from Rajah Solayman in Manila; on Kalaw Avenue, at the corner of Museo Pambata then going to the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

MMDA Bike-Sharing program officer in charge Jojo Cruz, however, noted that fewer people were participating in the bike-sharing program because a lot of bicycles were not running due to defects as well as wear-and-tear.

“After its launch in 2013, many people patronized the bike-sharing program, especially along Roxas Boulevard in Manila,” he said.

He also noted that they temporarily stopped the operations of the bike lanes from Magallanes to Ayala since residents in Dasmariñas Village complained that the bike racks placed on the subdivision fence were used by robbers to gain access to the area.