Passenger e-bikes in Barangay Paknaan. CDN Digital photo | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – For dismissed Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, electric bikes or e-bikes are considered a legal mode of transportation.
He said that it was environment-friendly and a cheap transportation option for Mandauehanons.
With these in mind, Cortes is urging Mayor Glenn Bercede and members of the Mandaue City Council to reconsider the total ban on e-bikes that is currently being implemented by the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).
READ: E-bike ban to continue in Mandaue City
Instead, he is proposing to regulate the operation of e-bikes, including e-tricycles, in the city.
“Nagtuo ko nga yawe kini aron malakip nato ang tanang hut-ong sa katilingban sa paglambo, ug nahatagan ug bili ang mga paagi sa pagbyahe nga mas sensitibo sa kinaiyahan.” said Cortes.
READ: E-bike drivers in Mandaue worried over looming ban
(I believe that this (regulation) is the key for us to also include other sectors of society in our progress and to give a chance to alternative mode of transportation that is environment-friendly.)
Ban on e-bike
TEAM earlier announced its decision to prohibit e-bikes from traveling on public roads. E-tricycles, on the other hand, will be allowed on a “case-to-case” basis.
READ: E-bike ban in Mandaue: Mayor Bercede to tackle this with TEAM
The policy has been a cause for worry for e-bike communities in Brgys. Opao and Paknaan, especially on how the ban would affect their livelihood.
Affected drivers are asking TEAM that they be allowed to operate on interior roads.
There are at least 60 e-bike drivers operating in Brgys. Opao and Paknaan. Most of them used to drive trisikads.
Hyll Retuya, TEAM’s officer-in-charge, said in an earlier interview that the ban was necessary to curb the uncontrolled increase of e-bikes on city streets, which has led to safety and traffic issues in other cities.
Retuya said that the proliferation of e-bikes has also affected the operation of tricycles on barangay roads.