EDITORIAL - It is your safety that matters

The proposed ordinance calling for the presence of bicycle lanes in Cebu City is once again thrust into the center of public scrutiny. Authored by Councilor Maria Nida Cabrera, a vocal environmental advocate, the proposal is now being vigorously pushed by the city's so-called health buffs and environmentalists.

However, no less than the city's chief executive is opposing to the proposal creating bike lanes out of the major thoroughfares around the city as a way to promote healthy living and environmental protection.

While saying he has nothing against establishing bicycle lanes in the city, Mayor Michael Rama insisted that the move is very impractical considering the fact that, at present, the city has narrow roads.

Not only Rama, the city's engineering district and the Department of Transportation and Communication are not also amenable to the proposal, fearing it would cause more road-related incidents.

There's really no question that there are tons of good intentions surrounding the proposal. The fact that it aims to promote healthy living and environmental protection is enough consideration for all Cebuanos to rally behind it.

But there's the rub. As Rama has pointed out, the city's narrow roads would only make the proposal more impractical. As far as he is concerned, there is a need to first modernize the city roads before any proposal for bike lanes can be realized.

So it's certainly safety that has compelled Rama and other government agencies to oppose the bike lanes. For them, road accidents would be unavoidable once cyclists are allowed to compete with speeding vehicles along the city's narrow streets.

Of course, we can only watch with envy as those roads in the United States and Europe harmoniously share a considerable portion with bicycles. But Cebu is not New York, Barcelona, London or Paris where streets are far more modern.

Rama has put it correctly when he said that one's safety far outweighs the environmental and health benefits brought by the bike lanes.