Amid more motorcycles, MMDA plans dedicated two-wheeler lane on Commonwealth Ave.

MANILA: The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently held a two-day motorcycle consultation workshop.

The goal of the consultation is to reach an agreement and develop an action plan to further improve traffic management along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila, including the potential creation of a motorcycle lane, particularly on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

According to data from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), MMDA Acting Chairman Carlo Dimayuga III stated that the number of registered vehicles in Metro Manila continued to rise at 2.9 million last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels as restrictions continued to be eased.

Of that number, 1.44 million of those are motorcycles.

"Based on our data, the daily average number of vehicles plying EDSA is now at 410,000 and has surpassed the 405,000 pre-pandemic mark because of a number of road activities and face-to-face classes reopening,” Dimayuga observed.

"With this number, we're planning to put an exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Avenue to put the vehicles in order and as part of road safety for the motorcycle-riding public," he stated.

Baltazar Melgar, General Manager of the MMDA, anticipates that knowledge-sharing and debate of specific policy directions and standards for motorcycles and other public utility vehicles would come out of the consultation session.

"We, at MMDA, see ourselves as your partners on the road. We want to ensure your safety by providing good and quality infrastructure, as well as to maintain order and discipline on the roads by enforcing the proper rules and regulations."

“Let us make the roads of the Metropolis safe,” said Melgar during the workshop.

Representatives Bonifacio Bosita and Rodge Gutierrez of the 1-Rider Partylist, who were also present at the event, both expressed support for the MMDA.

“We are one with the MMDA in this kind of initiative which recognizes motorcycle riders as the most exposed and at-risk sector on the roads, right now,” the legislators stated.

Diverse organizations and players from the public and commercial sectors, including academic institutions, bus and jeepney companies, and motorcycle clubs, attended the discussion with MMDA.

Some of the participants are from the DOTr, LTO, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Philippine National Police - Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), Philippine National Police - National Capital Region Police Office (PNP-NCRPO), Quezon City local government unit, bus operators, jeepney operators in Commonwealth, and motorcycle Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS).

Press conference photo from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)

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