If we count the many wrong things on our roads from the point of view of bicycle riders in Metro Manila, we’ll probably need more than a reasonably long article to discuss them. So let’s just focus on the “few” challenges we encounter on our way to work—which, by the way, is just a conservative 2km distance of decently paved asphalt.
To be fair, the road we traverse every day now has what passes for a bicycle lane. Better than nothing, right? Sure. But when cycling is the only way many people travel these days, we certainly deserve better. For instance, why is said bicycle lane made like this? It has obstacles that make you think you’re in a hurdle race. A lot of cyclists, we bet, get into accidents just by avoiding these barriers that jut out of nowhere.
And then, of course, you run into motorists and vendors who believe it’s a bright idea to park inside the lane.
Check out this video we took of motorcycle riders dominating a bicycle lane—so much so that bicycle users were relegated to the sidewalk.
Maybe many are still not used to sharing the road with cyclists. But it has to start now. The latter are here to stay and will only grow in number as the days pass.
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