Labella willing to listen to side of Cebu e-scooter group

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said he is willing to listen to suggestions of an e-scooter group here over the supposed ban of the two-wheeled vehicles on major streets. 

This developed after the Sugbo Skooteros, a Cebu-based community that promotes e-scooters as an alternative and sustainable mode of transportation, offered to help the city government draft guidelines for e-scooter users so they may be allowed to ply the streets again. 

Read: Cebu e-scooter group offers to help gov’t

“I am open. I am objective. I am for regulation of the e-scooters. I am willing to listen to the proposal of the e-scooter group and I direct Atty. Jerry Carillo to meet and discuss with this e-scooters group,” said the mayor in a press conference on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. 

Labella said that he is more than willing to accommodate the e-scooter group and discuss with them how the e-scooter community can safely ply the streets. 

The mayor revealed that his own son used scooters when living in Taguig City, but the scooters there were used only in the sidewalks because the sidewalks were big enough to accommodate them. 

A similar arrangement may be done in the city as he acknowledged the importance of the e-scooters in reducing carbon footprint in the streets as well as providing a transportation option for workers. 

Still, Labella said that whatever guidelines the city will draft for scooteros, safety must be of paramount priority and must also follow the guidelines set by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). 

The adhoc committee for the bike lanes led by Lawyer Gerry Carillo will also head the adhoc committee for the e-scooters.  The mayor tasked Carillo to oversee the discussions for the e-scooter regulations. 

The Sugbo Skooteros said in previous statements that they will seek an audience with the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) to offer their proposal for the regulation of e-scooter use. 

/bmjo