Marcelo Fernan Bridge |CDNDigital Photo/ BRIAN OCHOA
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Individuals who depend on bicycles to cross the Mandaue-Mactan bridges still plied their regular route on Thursday, September 12.
This is despite the announcement of the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) that bicycles will no longer be allowed to enter the two bridges linking mainland Cebu to Mactan Island.
Read more: Bike ban on Mactan-Mandaue bridges starts; Gwen says bridges are not built for the bikes
CDN Digital visited the Marcelo Fernan Bridge or the second bridge that connects Barangay Umapad in Mandaue City and Barangay Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City. Watch CDN Digital’s live situation update at the Marcelo Fernan Bridge on Thursday noon:
Ramil Bongga, a resident of Barangay Umapad in Mandaue City, is one of those whom the CDN Digital team spotted biking at the bridge.
Bongga, who works as a construction worker in Lapu-Lapu City, was biking to save the P16 that he would spend if he would ride a public utility jeepney (PUJ).
He said he did not know that the government has already banned the use of bicycles in the bridge.
With the ban of riding bicycles in traversing the Marcelo Fernan and Sergio Osmeña bridges, people like Bongga will need to find an alternative in going to and from their workplace.
The MCBMB initially agreed to implement the ban on bikes during their meeting last Tuesday, September 10.
This, along with increasing the height of the side railings of the bridges and limiting pedestrian traffic to the right sidewalk of the bridge, were the measures that the board came up with in order to prevent suicide incidents that recently occurred in the bridges. Pedestrians will also be barred from passing through the bridge from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who sits as chairperson of MCBMB, said the measures would be implemented on September 12 “at the latest.”
However, no signages nor policemen were present at the foot of the Mandaue City’s side of Marcelo Fernan Bridge as of Thursday noon to notify the public about the bike ban.
Aside from the presence of bicycles, some pedestrians were still seen walking down the left sidewalk of the bridge.
Read more: Bike enthusiasts speak out: Banning bikes on Mandaue-Mactan bridges isn’t the solution
The implementation of the bike ban earlier drew flak among bike enthusiasts and those who use biking as a means to get to their workplaces.
Some groups said the bike ban is not the solution to the suicide incidents in the bridge. Rather, the local government units should deploy watchmen to prevent persons from committing suicide at the bridge.
Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) Regional Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec, supported the bike ban.
He said the Land Transportation and Traffic Code or Republic Act 4136 does not allow non-motorized transport, like biking, and walking, in bridges. /elb