DOTr seeks P2 billion budget to keep bike lanes on track

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it would need as much as P2 billion next year for active transport projects to stay within its long-term target for bike lanes.

On the sidelines of a European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines forum, Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said the DOTr would ask Congress to raise funding for active transport to P2 billion. Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the active transport sector is proposed to be given just P69.38 million.

He said this amount would not be enough to provide the number of projects the DOTr plans to build for active transport.  The agency plans to complete 2,400 kilometers of bike lanes by 2028.

“It is subjected to the (budget) provisions in our funding. Based on the NEP, we would have P69 million for 2026, but we are very confident with our lawmakers that they would realize the need for additional funding for active transport,” Pastor said.

More than bike lanes, the DOTr is constructing end-of-trip facilities like shower areas, which are particularly helpful for employees who pedal their way to work.

“We are also focusing on the construction of end-of-trip facilities because our weather is tropical, so we have to give structures for our bikers where they can freshen up,” Pastor said.

As of June, the DOTr has invested P5.08 billion to build 982 kilometers of bike lanes across the archipelago, most of which are focused on urban centers like Manila, Cebu and Davao.

Aside from bike lanes, the DOTr has set up 728 pieces of cycling racks and 16 units of transport stops. In Muntinlupa City, the agency has completed 70 percent of a road safety park, with bike lanes, transport stops, road signages and a pedestrian-friendly footbridge.

The DOTr is currently finishing the construction of 50.7 kilometers of bike lanes. The agency is  also planning 32 cycle sheds, 232 cycling racks, 19 transport stops and five end-of-trip facilities.

To sustain the program beyond the Marcos administration, the DOTr is crafting an active transport master plan outlining long-term goals on bike lanes and pedestrian pathways.

The DOTr is putting up active transport infrastructure to encourage Filipinos to adopt sustainable ways of commuting, such as cycling and walking.