CEBU City will soon have shared-priority bike lanes or bike-friendly zones.
After several deferments, the Cebu City Council finally approved yesterday the “The Tindak Sugbo Lanes Ordinance,” which seeks to establish bicycle lanes to safeguard bikers from accidents, decongest traffic in the city, save fossil fuel, promote pollution-free environment, and minimize global warming.
Under the newly approved measure authored by Councilor Nida Cabrera, a 1.5-meter space in the rightmost part of the road in some of the city's streets will be used as a shared-priority bike lane.
Board
The streets where these lanes will be established will be determined by the Tindak Sugbo Board, which will comprise the mayor, the chairperson of the council's committee on environment and committee on laws, the City Traffic Operations Management, the Department of Engineering and Public Works, and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
It will also include five members from a bikers' group, a transport organization, and representatives from civil society and the business sector.
The ordinance also sets the rights and obligations of bikers who will use the shared-priority bike lane.
It provides that users will have to make appropriate hand signals while making a turn, make audible signals before overtaking, and make sure that bicycles are equipped with brakes, lights and reflectors, among others.
'Victory'
Sought for comment, Critical Mass Cebu founder Ryan Noval said the passage of the ordinance is a victory for bikers, saying that they have been rallying and pushing for it for the past three years.
Critical Mass Cebu is pushing for the establishment of bicycle lanes to help lessen the traffic in Cebu.
Noval also said the development is one step towards making Cebu a sustainable city and biker-friendly city, and could encourage the public to use bikes to reduce also air pollution.
The ordinance will take effect 15 days after publication in a local newspaper.
source:
Bike lanes soon in Cebu City | Sun.Star