A timely idea or "lane" excuse?

Okay, what do you think about the motorcycle lane?

I’ve been on Commonwealth Avenue and the Macapagal Boulevard, and have nominally seen those blue and white stripes put to work – those lanes designated for use of the two-wheeled vehicles we know so well.

I must confess to a sense of satisfaction when I see all those motorcycles that suddenly behave with unprecedented single-mindedness and, gasp, exhibit order when they reach the aforementioned public arteries. I’m sure quite a number of you have muttered under your breath the following three words: “Ayan, umayos kayo (There, get your act together)!

Metro Manila Development Authority’s big kahuna Francis Tolentino, calls these the “blue lanes.” Whatever you christen these quasi-corridors, they inevitably mean change and adjustment for people still trying to get used to the 60 km/h speed limit on the country’s most dangerous stretch of highway.

“Beginning October 24th, traffic tickets will be issued to violators and a P500 fine will be meted to those who breach the designated lane, except when making turns or U-turns, in which case motorcycle riders are to gradually shift lanes 100 meters away from the turning point,” goes a news release on the MMDA website (www.mmda.gov.ph).

The public has been (surprise, surprise) divided on this issue. Some motorcycle riders detest the “curtailment” and are already looked at legal recourses to keep MMDA’s hands off their handlebars. The Motorcycle Rights Organization (MRO) maintains that the Quezon City Council (from which came the ordinance) overstepped its authority as Commonwealth Avenue is a “national road,” hence a domain of the Department of Transportation and Communication. MRO chair Jobert Bolaños opines that the limitations also expose riders to greater danger. He insisted, as reported in several news items, that motorcycles need to have an ability to “move about to avoid any obstacles and contact with other vehicles and objects.” The blue lane restricts this, obviously.

The Commonwealth blue lane is the fourth lane from the sidewalk. On Macapagal, it is the rightmost lane. Truth be told, the Macapagal blue lane doesn’t make as much sense because of its location. Jeepneys regularly stop at will on these lanes, so what’s a biker to do – jump over the vehicle a la Evel Knievel?

Bikers may see all of this as curtailment of their right to ride. But if you want to philosophical about it, doesn’t one’s right to swing his arm end where another’s nose begins?

You can argue until you get a nosebleed that motorcycle riders’ unbridled freedom is a recipe for all those accidents. As I wrote in “Motorcycles: Transportation Means or Menace” (October 27, 2010), I’ve seen bikers texting (really!) while riding (and drifting). I’ve seen poor hapless kids and infants squeezed between adults as they negotiate a major road (must we expose them to such dangers?). I’ve seen motorcycle riders who have no idea where they should be – thinking the right way to ride is to straddle between lanes – effectively rendering both lanes useless and impassable. I’ve seen big bikes accelerating and speeding recklessly as their riders squeeze every horsepower from the machines. There’s no mistaking we need some order – and I don’t mean siopao.

 “I’ve seen those motorcycle lanes in Vietnam, too. Anyway, I think that’s an improvement,” texted Automobile Association of the Philippines president Augusto “Gus” Lagman from Singapore.

When asked if such an idea would be applicable to our megaroad that is EDSA, Lagman clarifies: “It has to be studied carefully because EDSA is not as wide and buses already occupy two lanes.” Oh, snap. We forgot about them darn buses. Speaking of these buses, don’t they also make a mockery of the bus lanes? Are we going to have another case of ningas cogon both with enforcers and the motorcycle riders they are watching over?

But I’m no party pooper, so I say let us see how the blue lanes pan out before we get bummed out and get our panties in a bunch. For motorcycle riders, just as the rest of us mortals who have to take the bitter pill of keeping to 60 km/h (at least on the killer highway), maybe you give peace a chance. Yes, peace.

Here’s to peace of mind; a peaceful trip. Cheers. I raise a glass of cold water to you. Don’t drink and drive, of course.