Senator seeks speedy release of funding for bike lanes, green spaces

Senator Grace Poe has asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to facilitate the immediate disbursement of funds for bicycle lanes, walkways, and green spaces in the national budget for 2021.

“The proof of the funding is in the spending. The sooner these amounts are released, the faster we can build appropriate infrastructure for our cycling and walking demographic,” said Poe.

Under the 2021 General Appropriations Act, the amount of PHP350-million was under the Assistance to Cities Program for highly urbanized cities in Metro Manila as well as in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Davao. The fund can be used to establish a network of in-city bicycle lanes and walkways from public open spaces to centers of commerce, employment, and social services, and places of residence, leisure, and recreation.

This would complement the PHP1.36-billion which Poe successfully pushed to include under the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act for the construction of bicycle lanes along major circumferential and arterial roads.

“The reduced capacity of public transportation due to COVID-19 protocols has really made cycling and walking to work a necessary alternative. Not everyone has a car or can afford one. So, we really owe it to ensure they have safe pathways,” said Poe, who noted that 1,759 bicycle-related accidents occurred in Metro Manila in 2019 alone. 117 pedestrians also perished due to vehicular collisions in the same year.

In addition, the funding under the Assistance to Cities Program can also be used to build or rehabilitate open spaces such as esplanades, parks, and public gardens. According to the Green Cities Index, Metro Manila has only 5 square meters of green open space per inhabitant- well below the 9 square meters recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Green spaces could have provided relief for citizens who are delirious due to cabin fever and quarantine exhaustion,” said Poe, who noted that open-air parks provide better ventilation compared to the closed setting of malls and other commercial establishments.

“The lack of humane facilities for carless Filipinos already existed before the pandemic. Let us make sure we come out of this crisis better than before. We should not just aim to recover but to build back better,” said Poe.