Lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, leads a team of traffic enforcer in apprehending motorcycle riders caught encroaching on the city’s bike lanes on March 8. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Motorists especially motorcycle riders are warned not to encroach on the bicycle lanes or bike lanes in the city or they will be apprehended and fined P500.
Lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary of Mayor Jonas Cortes, gave this warning after 30 motorcycle riders were apprehended and issued citation tickets for the violation on March 8.
Ibañez led an inspection team along the route of the bike lanes — from A.C. Cortes Avenue to D.M. Cortes Avenue.
The inspection team was made up of members of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).
Ibañez said most of the motorcycle drivers encroached on the bike lanes during rush hour in the morning because a lot of people were reporting for work.
Read: Wide sidewalks, bike lanes make cities safe
“Nimando atoang Mayor, Mayor Jonas, nga pahimuan gyud og protection atong mga bikers labi natong nag bike to work, bike to school, o bike to office kay usa sila sa kuyaw jud kay paspas kaayo kusog kaayo managan ang mga sakyanan,” he said.
(Mayor Jonas [Cortes] ordered to protect our bikers especially those who bike their way to work, to school to the office because they are put at risk at the roads especially with the fast moving vehicles there.)
“Mao nang gihimuan gyud sila og dedicated lanes sa atong mga highways ug katung mga dan nga mabutangan og bike lanes aron luwas sila,” Ibañez said.
(That is why the city made these dedicated lanes along the highways and on roads where we can designate bike lanes so that they can ride their bikes safely there.)
“Unsaon man nila pagkaluwas kung mismo ang mga motorista mo invade, nga mao anhi na muagi sa bike lanes nga dili mana para sa mga motor,” he said.
(How can they be safe if the motorists would invade area, that these motorists would pass along the bike lanes when these lanes are not for motorcycles.)
Read: Mandaue City has three kinds of bike lanes
Ibañez said their violations were disregard of traffic lanes (bike lanes) with a penalty of P500.
“Mo ana sila nga pahangyua lang mi, Sir. Ang atoa man gud diri dili hangyo-hangyo kay kung sige na lang tag hinangyuay ani kanus-a pa man ta magsugod,” he said.
(They requested that they be let go for once. If this is what we do and accede to your requests then we will just do this again and when will we start to own up to our violations.)
“This is a start of our discipline, to discipline our motorist nga og muagi mo sa bike lane, ug muagi mo sa lugar nga dili agianan sa motor, sidewalk o bike lane, dakpon gyud mo,” he said.
(This is a start of our discipline, to discipline our motorcycle riders who will use the bike lanes, who will use areas that are not for motorcycles. Those who will use the sidewalks or bike lanes then we will apprehend them.)
“Ig hunong nato nila muana sila sus bike lane. Kahibaw na sila nga bike lane pero murisgo gyod gihapon sila. Ila gyod gihapon suwayon og agi sa bike lane. Kahibaw na gyod sila nga violation muagi sa bike lane but they still do it,” he added.
(When they will stopped by us, they will say Oh! It’s a bike lane. They know that it is a bike lane but they will still risk it. They will still try to use the bike lane. They know that it is a violation to pass there but they still do it.)
Ibañez is reminding the public that the bicycle lanes are for the cyclists; thus, he is asking the motorcycle drivers to respect it.
Read: Mandaue cyclist hopes bike lanes will be respected
Meanwhile, Phase 1 of the bike lane is now 80 percent complete.
Plastic bollards and concrete barriers have been installed on the areas that constitute the first phase of the city’s bike lane.
Read: Bike lanes in 24 roads completed in Cebu City