Bike lane’s route in Cebu City goes on a ‘loop’

The Cebu City Planning Office says the bike lanes project will be done in phases with the first phase covering Barangay Labangon, Fuente Osmeña, Plaza Independencia and Banawa. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Planning Office has designed the bike lane in the city to form a loop in the major roads providing access to the public who would want to use bikes as primary mode of transportation.

According to Architect Anne Marie Cuizon, the assistant head of the City Planning Office, the bike lane will be implemented in phases starting from the city centers, then moving outward.

The first phase would begin from Barangay Labangon, Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, going to Fuente Osmeña Circle, then to the old Mango Avenue (General Maxilom Avenue), going to the Cebu Business Park, proceeding to a portion of Mabolo, going back to Imus Avenue, M.J. Cuenco Avenue, passing through Sto. Niño and Plaza Independencia, and connect back to Banawa.

Read more: Bike lanes in Cebu City underway

This will be the main line of the bike lane that would be established first as the roads are wide enough to accomodate the lanes.

These areas are also where most of the traffic are directed and the bike lanes would provide a safer portion of the road for the bikers to use.

The next phase would include a bike lane to Barangay Lahug and Barangay Talamban in the north, while extending to the main road, the Natalio Bacalso Highway, for the south.

The last phase would be the South Road Properties (SRP), which can be tricky as this main highway of Metro Cebu accomodates larger vehicles.

In the end, Cuizon said the bike lane plan would fit perfectly in the Integrated Intermodal Transport System (IITS) of Metro Cebu, comprising of buses, a train, and cable cars and will eventually extend to the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in the future.

“We are hoping to encourage more people to use bikes because these mode of transportation is eco-friendly. We hope that with the bike lanes, more people will ride bikes,” said Cuizon.

Although the timeline had not been revealed, Cuizon said that the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) had already begun establishing the bike lanes and painting on the roads.

She hopes the bike lane will be completed within the year./dbs