Bicycle ordinance lobbied

The Bicycle Ordinance of the City, otherwise known as City Ordinance 0409-10, is now lobbied at first reading of the City Council under the Committee on Peace and Order and Public Safety of Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta.

The motion is relative to a letter request of Chinkie Peliño-Golle of the Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) to enact an ordinance identifying safe bicycle riding days and hours in the city.

According to the letter, the ordinance has not been fully implemented, materialized, and supported as a mode of transportation within the city’s road network.

“Since its enactment, there were recorded and published cases of bicycle related accidents in Davao City due to lack of strict implementation of the ordinance,” it said.

The letter mentions an accident on June 13, 2015 mentioning a Jian Bus bound for Tagum City which lost control and fell on its side hitting a man who was on bicycle.

On May 2, 2018, additionally, five individuals sustained injuries after a vehicular accident at Sandawa Road, Daang Patnubay St. where among the injured was riding his bicycle in the same road.

The said Bicycle Ordinance made a policy to promote the use of bicycle as a mode of transportation. It is encouraged for providing a safer environment and creating a more efficient flow of traffic for the existing bicycles in the city; rationalizing the efficiency, capacity, and compatibility in the flow of motorized vehicles and bicycle traffic; improving attractiveness and promote bicycle use for health benefits and as an economically and environmentally viable mode of transport and establishing bicycle lanes in select streets and highways.

The said ordinance was enacted by the late Councilor Leonardo Avila III on April 2010. (Julianne A. Suarez)