MMDA to riders on EDSA: Stay on motorcycle lanes starting November 22

MANILA, Philippines – Starting Wednesday, November 22, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will strictly enforce the motorcycle lane policy on EDSA.

The MMDA announced on Friday, November 17, that it will conduct a two-day dry-run of the implementation of the of motorcycle lanes or blue lanes along EDSA on November 20 and 21. Stricter enforcement will begin the following day, November 22. An initial dry-run was conducted along Orense in Makati on Friday.

Violators will be apprehended via the no-contact apprehension policy to avoid obstructions. They will be fined P500 per violation.

According to MMDA Assistant General Manager for Planning Jojo Garcia, this is for the safety of motorists, noting that motorcycle riders are most prone to crashes. 

“We’re doing this for the safety of our motorcycle riders. ‘Di niyo alam na sa pagsingit-singit ay marami ang naaaksidente. Iniiwasan lang natin iyan. Walang kalaban-laban ang motorsiklo kapag binangga iyan,” he said.

(We’re doing this for the safety of our motorcycle riders. For your information, crash incidents happen as motorcycles squeeze in between vehicles. We’re trying to avoid that. Motorcycles are helpless when they figure in a crash with another vehicle.)

Criticisms from motorists

However, the proposed implementation has drawn criticisms from motorists.

Shaun Roberts, a motorcycle rider for more than 30 years now, shared that he is completely against the policy because it brings more harm than good to motorists. 

Motorcycle riders will be strictly required to stay on the motorcycle lane, but it will be a shared lane with other private vehicles.

“How will it promote our safety if cars are allowed to be in that motorcycle lane? It is even more dangerous for us to be sandwiched between cars,” he told Rappler in a phone interview. 

Jobert Bolanos, the interim chairman of Motorcycle Rights Organization, also expressed the same sentiments. 

“Legally, they cant impose it because everyone who has a vehicle has a road user tax. [By limiting motorcycle riders in one lane], you already eliminate equal protection form the law,” Bolanos said.

He added that implementing the policy will result in unfair treatment of riders.

“Motorcycles are discriminated on this one because they are put in a lane and threatened with apprehension. They are basically segregated [when] in reality, everyone on the road suffers from lack of discipline,” Bolanos said. 

“What gives the cars more right than a motorcycle? The only thing that this can work is for them to give us our lane. We are asking for equal rights. Whatever is short for those equal rights is discrimination. That is our frustrations as motorcycle riders. We are fed up.” Roberts meanwhile said.

The motorists believe that the policy will not promote road safety and discipline. Bolanos said that authorities should focus on strengthening existing policies instead of implementing a new one. He cited the faulty licensing system and the weak and selective enforcement of enforcers as the root causes of the problem.

Roberts and Bolanos also said that the motorcyle lane policy may encourage corruption because of the inevitable apprehensions on motorcycle riders.

According to data, motorcycle riders are the most vulnerable to injuries on the road. Some 19,852 cases or 65% of patients injured were riding a motorcycle. (READ: Road deaths in PH: Most are motorcycle riders, pedestrians)

Motorcycle riders have constantly been the top victim of road crash injuries since 2010. From 6,244 injuries in 2010, the number of recorded injuries increased to 19,852 in a span of 5 years. (READ: IN NUMBERS: Road crash incidents in the Philippines)

Across the country, 10,012 people died due to road crashes in 2015 – a 45.76% increase from 6,869 deaths recorded in 2006.– Rappler.com