The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said road projects since 2016 were built to include lanes for bicycles.
In a Facebook post, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said they have started incorporating lanes for bicycles in their major road projects particularly those under the Build, Build, Build program such as the Laguna Lake Highway.
“Since 2016, DPWH has incorporated segregated bicycle lanes to major infrastructure projects.”
“Since 2016, DPWH has incorporated segregated bicycle lanes to major infrastructure projects, like the Laguna Lake Highway. #BuildBuildBuild,” Villar said.
There are proposals to build more bike lanes in Metro Manila as alternative transportation as part of the “new normal” under the general community quarantine being implemented to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We have built bike lanes e.g. in the 10-km Laguna Lake Highway.”
“We have built bike lanes e.g. in the 10-km Laguna Lake Highway; in all our road projects, we want to put a bike lane if there is a space,” Villar said.
Last February, the DPWH opened to cyclists the 5.58-kilometer bicycle lane along the stretch of the Laguna Lake Highway in Taguig City.
The 3-meter wide bicycle lane is protected by a 2-meter planting strip to make cycling safe and comfortable for everyone.
The bike lane component was added to the 6.94-kilometer Laguna Lake Highway which was built to serve as an alternative route to EDSA and the C-5 Road.
The DPWH has allocated P1.28-billion for the construction of the highway, including the bicycle lane with provisions for street lights and road safety signs.
The multi-billion road project also features 1.5-meter sidewalks on both sides for pedestrians and an elevated dike to protect the people against flooding.
Under the ‘Build. Build. Build’ program, the government is set to construct roads, bridges, airports, railways among others, covering the 2017 to 2022 period, with a total budget of P8 trillion.