Makati Removes Ayala Avenue's Protected Bike Lanes

(SPOT.ph) More and more cities are heeding the call to protect bikers by providing bicycle lanes and parking spaces (with a Bicycle Act underway in the Senate), but one city appears to be taking a step backward, much to the ire of cyclists. 

On February 10, Make It Makati announced it would convert protected bike lanes along Ayala Avenue into shared lanes in order to “better service more commuters," effective February 15.

This will entail the removal of bollards, which exist as a physical layer of protection to restrict motor vehicle access from bike lanes. Instead, the road will be painted with a sharrow—a marking that informs cyclists to share the road with motor vehicles.

Make It Makati cited the recent surge in commuters who ride buses and other modes of public transportation as the reason for this decision, with daily foot traffic at the One Ayala terminal increasing from 10,000 in 2022 to 37,000 in 2023.

“With the re-opening of the economy, the demand for public transport has increased substantially not only in Makati but throughout Metro Manila,” Make It Makati said in an official advisory. “This necessitated the need for the sharrow bike lane project along Ayala Ave to make more room for public transport and commuters.”

Also read: Quezon City Cracks Down on Motorists Using Bike Lanes

“Cyclists are commuters, too”

With less than two days before the bike lanes are removed, cyclists are now fearing for their safety in a city with roads that arguably cater mostly to private vehicles.

On February 12, more than 300 cyclists and other commuters gathered along Ayala Avenue to protest Make It Makati’s decision to remove bike lanes. Many also lined up to create a “human bollard chain” in attempt to protect the one lane they have left for themselves.

Biking soared in popularity during the pandemic with over a million new cyclists from May 2021 to April 2022, according to the Social Weather Security. The report stated that 7.3 million households owned a bicycle in 2022. In addition, around 80% of respondents also believe that better roads would encourage more people to use a bicycle. This number is only expected to grow with the burden of heavy traffic and the rise of fuel prices.

However, with it comes an increase in the number of bicycle-related road accidents. According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, there were a reported total of 2,397 accidents in 2021 from the lack of bike lanes and traffic calming measures to protect cyclists.

“We believe that it's evil to take away protection from people who get injured and killed by motorized vehicles,” First Bike Ride said in a statement. “Paint is not protection. If there's limited space, it's the private vehicles, the minority, who should adjust and sacrifice.”

Cyclists outside of the metro also chimed in on Twitter to support the movement under the #MakeItSaferMakati and #CommuterDinKami hashtags.

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