Metro Manila’s traffic planners are at it again, this time with a proposal that could set public transport back by years.

The government is considering phasing out the EDSA bus lane in favor of expanding the MRT’s capacity and allowing motorcycles to share what are supposed to be protected bicycle lanes. If these ideas push through, Metro Manila will be making yet another disastrous decision that prioritizes cars over public transport and road safety.

Let’s start with the proposal to remove the EDSA busway. Officials claim that since the MRT will soon be able to accommodate more passengers, buses will no longer be necessary. This logic is baffling. While the MRT is an essential part of Metro Manila’s transit network, it alone cannot handle the city’s growing number of commuters.

The Department of Transportation itself reports that the EDSA busway carried over 63 million passengers in 2024, with an average of 177,000 people relying on it daily. Scrapping the bus lane assumes that every one of those commuters will seamlessly shift to the MRT, which is unrealistic given the network’s frequent breakdowns, overcrowding, and limited reach.

The numbers don’t lie: The EDSA busway is the most efficient road transport system in Metro Manila, and that’s a fact. It serves countless people daily at a fraction of the space used by private cars. Getting rid of it in favor of freeing up road space is a step backward, and it’s seriously bewildering that they would even remotely think about doing this. Instead of encouraging more people to take public transport, the move will only lead to more congestion, as displaced bus commuters will be forced to rely on private vehicles or slower, less reliable transport options.

Cities worldwide have been trying hard to get away from private car use and toward public transport and alternative ways to get around, such as bicycles and scooters. We wrote about many of them here, from Barcelona to Paris and Amsterdam. Metro Manila mayors even visited the latter not too long ago, yet it seems few of them understood how awesome Metro Manila could be if only it stopped its unhealthy obsession with private vehicles.

As if removing the bus lane wasn’t bad enough, authorities are also considering allowing motorcycles to use bicycle lanes. The justification? It will supposedly reduce accidents caused by motorcycles weaving through congested traffic. This is another flawed idea that ignores international best practices and prioritizes convenience over safety. Bicycle lanes exist for a reason: to protect cyclists from fast-moving vehicles. Mixing motorcycles with bicycles puts cyclists—already among the most vulnerable road users—at even greater risk. Instead of addressing reckless motorcycle-riding and improving enforcement, this move essentially surrenders safe cycling infrastructure to a mode of transport that already dominates Metro Manila’s roads.

In progressive cities, protected bike lanes are being expanded, not compromised. Amsterdam, Paris, and even London have proven that investing in proper cycling infrastructure reduces congestion, improves safety, and creates a healthier urban environment. In Metro Manila, the conversation still revolves around treating alternative transport modes as an afterthought, rather than essential parts of a well-functioning city. The result? A transport system that remains chaotic, inefficient, and unsafe for those not inside a private vehicle.

These proposals expose a fundamental flaw in the way Metro Manila approaches transportation planning: the refusal to learn from global best practices. Instead of building a sustainable, efficient, and safe transport network, the city keeps bending over backward for private car owners at the expense of everyone else. What has to happen before this changes? How many more hours must commuters waste in traffic? How many more accidents need to happen before real solutions are implemented?

The answer isn’t removing bus lanes or turning bike lanes into motorcycle lanes. The answer is better enforcement, more investment in public transport, and a shift in priorities away from cars and toward people. If Metro Manila ever wants to solve its traffic crisis, it needs to stop making decisions that take it further in the wrong direction.