Sharing the road

It took the pandemic and its lockdowns to get our two wheels rolling. The lack of public transportation in Metro Manila led to the bicycle, as well as the electric scooter, becoming the mode of transport of more and more people, to get them to work and back home. Bicycles were no longer for exercise; they practically became a necessity.

Unfortunately the streets of our metro were not planned or built with bicycles in mind. The hastily done bike lanes along many of our roads are hardly ideal for both bikes and cars, not to mention motorcycles and pedestrians.

For one thing, designating a bike lane cuts into road space, usually leaving cars with only one lane. And since motorcycles are not supposed to use the bike lanes, it becomes even more hazardous when these jostle for space with cars, especially bulky SUVs and trucks.

Unfortunately, all kinds of vehicles park on the sides of roads, blocking the bike lanes. So the bikes are forced to go onto the car lanes, sometimes making sudden swerves to avoid the delivery van or the cariton of the buko vendor.

Unfortunately also, since bicycles do not have to be registered, there are no rules that they should have lights of some kind. And when the riders are dressed in black or some dark color (as most of them seem to prefer), at night you just can’t see them. This is really so dangerous – for everyone concerned, biker as well as the one in the car. I am tempted to roll down and window and tell the bikers, “Put lights on your bike or wear a reflectorized vest or at least wear a white t-shirt so I can see you!”

Since bicycles – like motorcycles before them – will be sharing our road space for the foreseeable future, and I’m not in favor of excessive regulation, but can we please put some order or sense into our use of two wheels? For everyone’s safety and peace of mind. – Carlos J. Filemon, Sta. Mesa, Manila