Bike lanes exclusive for bikers only, mayor says

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas again reiterated that bike lanes on roads all over the city are exclusively for bicycle riders.

Treñas made the call after receiving reports of some motorists parking or obstructing bike lanes.

According to the mayor, the bike lanes were installed in the metro to ensure the safety of cyclists and bikers.

“We want to emphasize that the bike lanes are for bicycle riders exclusively. Bike lanes are designed to put the safety of cyclists first. If you run over or obstruct their lane then that puts them in danger and defeats the very purpose of our bike lane,” he said in a statement issued on Monday.

The mayor has tasked the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) to intensify efforts in apprehending motorists and violators who will obstruct and illegally park on the bike lanes all over the metro.

Iloilo City recently established additional bike lanes and biking infrastructures to support the growing biking community as more residents shifted to bicycles as their new mode of transport amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Iloilo City has more than 11 kilometers of bike lanes at the Diversion Road and in selected thoroughfares in the city.

In 2018, Iloilo City was recognized as a Bike-Friendly City. The city was also tagged as the “Bike Capital of the Philippines.” (ERS)