By JEL SANTOS
After it started rolling out a bike-lending program, the city government of Taguig vowed to maintain the accessibility of the 5.8-kilometer bike lane on the Laguna Lake Highway to provide workers an alternative mode of transportation during the general community quarantine.
The city government ensured that the protected bike lane is clean and repainted as part of its comprehensive push for cycling as a viable mode of transportation for residents and workers on essential travel.
Directional signages were installed during the World Bike Day celebration on June 3.
“We are welcoming everyone who wants to join the city in embracing this love for biking,” Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano said.
“Take advantage to a very safe in-city biking spot. It’s free for everyone,” he urged.
According to the mayor, the project is part of a multi-step approach to promote biking in Taguig City.
Bike lanes were also established on Cayetano Boulevard and Bayani Road for a three-day demo to test the volume of bikers “who can use the routes for essential travels during the general community quarantine for the purpose of establishing an integrated bike path within the city.”
Cayetano commended the national government and the Department of Public Works and Highways for building the bike lane on the highway, which has proven to be of great help for bikers.
Launched in February 2019, it was the first protected bike lane on a national highway in the country, a prototype for new roads and existing roads wide enough to accommodate a bike lane.
The lane is separated from the highway with a planting strip, ensuring a permanent structure protecting bikers against high-speed traffic.
“It’s such a great initiative to have a bike lane like this in the city,” said Primo Longos, 62, a biking enthusiast since the 1980s.
“It’s big help, especially to elder bikers like me. Imagine how unsafe it would be for us to race with vehicles on the highway.”
Earlier, “Bike-Friendly Taguig Ordinance” was issued to encourage City Hall employees, law enforcers, and public health workers to shift into biking through a bike-lending program.
The Taguig LGU partnered with the business sector to increase bike-friendly places and facilities, including protected lanes, showers, and restrooms for cyclists, and bike racks.
