Environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) is urging the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) to harmonize rules on bike lanes to avoid confusion from the general public.
This after the CTTMO announced recently that the desired time for stopping or dropping in designated bike lanes is four minutes. Beyond that, violators will be issued a citation ticket.
“Sulti sa CTTMO, allowed ang mu-park ug mugamit sa bicycle lane as long as dili mulapas ug four minutes. Kung tan-awon nato ang traffic code, nakabutang didto na ang bike lanes dapat dili gyud siya agian sa mga motorists and vehicles and dili pud siya dapat gamitong parking area. Wala gibutang didto kung pila ka minutes or seconds, basta bawal siya,” said Lawyer Mark Peñalver, executive director of IDIS, in a phone interview.
IDIS commended the CTTMO for its efforts to minimize the obstructions on bike lanes, however, emphasized that this act contradicts the Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code of Davao City, particularly Section 23, which provides that motor vehicles are prohibited from being driven or parked on any lane of a public street or path reserved exclusively for bicycles and provided with a sign bearing a symbol of a bicycle.
The CTTMO has already installed and demarcated streets and pathways in the city exclusively or shared with bicycles.
The group is also calling on the the Committee on Transportation of the 19thCity Council to fast-track harmonizing the Bicycle Ordinance to the Traffic Code of Davao City.
“Unta ma-fast track ang pagpasa sa pagharmonize both traffic and the bicycle ordinance of 2010 kay medyo ang implementation niya naka on-hold ug kung naa man provision nga gina-implement karon medyo libog pa,” Peñalver said.
Peñalver reiterated that based on the Traffic Codebike lanes should not be obstructed by parking vehicles at any given time and also bike lanes should not be used as loading and unloading areas much more a parking area.
While the City Council is still working on this, IDIS urged the CTTMO to harmonize its rules and regulations to both ordinances for the proper utilization of the existing bike lanes.
“Ang CTTMO, habang gina-review ang bike ordinance ug atoang traffic code dapat naa pud sila rules and regulations kung paano nila i-implement kani nga mga policies,” Peñalver said.
The group is hopeful that the abovementioned committee will finalize the ordinance so that it will be formally approved on the Council and be signed by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The group is optimistic that this will be a great help to the cyclists to ensure their safety while on the road.
