CITOM seeks foreign grants for bike lanes’ study

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Traffic Operations Management seeks foreign grant to make possible a study on the feasibility of bicycle lanes in Cebu City streets.

CITOM Executive Director Rafael Christopher Yap said the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) may help the city government seek for funding as it had helped Marikina City before.

Marikina City was able to establish a 52-kilometer bikeways network around the city in 2001 through a USD1.3 million grant from the World Bank. The bikeways were however abandoned for some time, but were recently revived.

Yap said CITOM supports the idea of having bicycle lanes, however the city’s traffic office cannot do the study on its own due to lack of resources and technical expertise.

He clarified CITOM did not refuse the request of the council as was reported earlier. He said they sought the help of the council to tap DOTC on the proposed project.

The proposed bicycle lane is from Plaza Independencia to Legaspi Street to Juan Luna Avenue to Salinas Drive up to Veterans Drive.

Bicycle lanes only need an additional 1.5 meters in the city’s streets.

Yap said Serging Osmeña Avenue is up for a widening. He said maybe the

Public Works Department may incorporate the bicycle lane to the widening.

Yap said he asked the council to pass a resolution requesting DPWH to factor in the bicycle lanes in the engineering design of future widening or road improvements. —/MIT (FREEMAN)