DOTr expands bike lanes in Batangas, Rizal

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation said Monday that it is building bike lanes in Batangas and Rizal provinces, which are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. 

The DOTr broke ground for the establishment of bike lanes in Lipa and Batangas City in Batangas, and in Antipolo, Cainta and San Mateo in Rizal. 

The DOTr and the Department of Public Works and Highways are aiming to establish 76.70 kilometers of bike lanes in Calabarzon by early 2024. The government is eyeing to construct 400 kilometers of bike lanes across the archipelago this year. 

By 2028, the country’s protected bike lane networks should be expanded to 2,400 kilometers. 

Transport chief Jaime Bautista said that the agency is seeking additional funding to expand bike lane networks.

Travel restrictions during the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 led to a bicycle boom in the country, prompting mobility groups to campaign for safer bicycle lanes. 

Cycling continues to be an essential mode of transportation for some Filipinos, with at least one out of three families saying they use bicycles, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released last week. 

More than half of the respondents said they use cycling as an affordable way to get around, and 46% said that they are riding “to improve their health.” — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Cristina Chi