In September 2020, the Philippines government allocated more than 22 Million USD for active mobility infrastructure. Within 9 months, the government created almost 500 kilometers of bike lanes along national roads across Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao – the most extensive bike lane construction program in the Philippines’ history!
On 27 July 2021, The Philippines Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) formally inaugurated the Metro Manila Bike Lane Network – the country’s longest bike lane and part of the 497 kilometers of completed bike lanes created in Metro Cebu and in Metro Davao. The bike lane network in Metro Manila has an overall length of 313 kilometers and cuts through 12 cities: Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Taguig. The cycling lanes measure between 1.5 to 3 meters in width depending on the road’s configuration.
Here are all my notes and learning reading about this massive undertaking as shared in this World Bank article
Importance of Right Partnerships
Surely an undertaking of this magnitude and turnaround requirements needs a lot of support – from designing to construction. With a focus was on meeting the highest safety standards, the key partners got involved from the beginning:
- The World Bank Philippines Transport Team
- The Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety
- The Australian government
Project review and audits
- Initial guidelines were provided by the Philippines Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
- The World Bank team reviewed them to confirm they followed the Safe System approach. Under a safe system, the whole transport system—including road engineering, user behavior, vehicle safety, policing, and accident response—is optimally designed to protect people from death and serious injury.
- A series of Road Safety Inspections and Road Safety Audits were also conducted to provide guidance on international best practices.
Listening to the Local Communities
The World Bank team also ensured that local communities were involved. This included persons with disabilities, women, and the elderly. A series of surveys and focus group discussions helped ensure that communities’ feedback was considered while reviewing current and future infrastructure designs.
Engaging with Key Stakeholders
A good design alone is not enough for the success of a project like this. Several stakeholders have to play a part in creating quality cycling infrastructure and promoting a culture of safety. This includes national government practitioners, local government staff, academia, non-governmental organizations, private institutions, etc.
To engage all these stakeholders together and promote long-term results, the World Bank team, with additional support from Netherlands Embassy, carried out a series of trainings on topics such as Dutch Cycling Infrastructure principles. Dutch Cycling Infrastructure principles are considered among the best in the world.
Takeaways
The project empowers the citizens with an alternate safe, healthy and sustainable way of transportation through cycling. However, the actual impact, I believe, is more global. The intent, effort, and commitment shown by the Philippines to accomplish 500 KM of bike lanes in less than a year should inspire and challenge every country globally to quickly bring this beautiful and healthy means of transport and recreation to every citizen.