Bike lane measure on its final  leg at Cebu City Council

BICYCLE lanes will soon be seen in Cebu City’s streets if a proposed ordinance will be approved on final deliberation at the Cebu City Council.

Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. sponsored a proposed ordinance that would mandate the integration of bike lanes in the planning, design and construction and/or expansion of roads and bridges within Cebu City.

“This is to encourage residents of Cebu City to use bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation to reduce traffic,” Gabuya said.

Aside from this, he said that it would also promote health consciousness among the residents of Cebu City.

The proposed measure, however, aims to improve the welfare of pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized commuters and serves as  a springboard to more sustainable environmental solutions to prevent Cebu City from further deterioration.

If the proposed ordinance would be passed, it would require the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to include bike lanes in its program of works and estimates (POWE) for the construction or expansions of roads and bridges in Cebu City.

Representatives from the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), the contractor of the 8.5 km bridge project that will connect Cebu City to Cordova town, expressed their support for the proposed bike lane ordinance during a Jan. 9 public hearing.

Engineer Allan Alfon, CCLEC president, said they would support having bike lanes on the third Cebu bridge.

Alfon said that they do not have any problem with having bike lanes in the third bridge.

He said that they could allocate a 1.7 meter wide area for the bike lanes.