EDSA motorcycle lane mulled to cut traffic woes

Motorcycles may soon have an exclusive lane along EDSA, Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare, once the Department of Transportation (DoTr) finds it viable to establish.

Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said on Sunday that his agency has already initiated a discussion with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) about the plan.

“EDSA is a four-lane road and one of that is dedicated as a busway, while the bicycle lane is on the right side. We are looking at the lane near the bicycle lane to be a dedicated motorcycle lane,” Bautista said.

“Presently, we see that motorcycles occupy all the lanes in EDSA. We're working with MMDA on how we can improve the traffic situation relating to motorcycles," he added.

Based on the DoTr’s preliminary assessment, around 170,000 motorcycles use EDSA daily.

For DoTr, having a special lane will help address traffic issues, which has been detrimental to the economy.

"Economic cost (of traffic), could be the additional fuel, additional cost, and lost opportunity for growth and even lost time with family,” Bautista said.

Citing a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the economic cost of traffic reached to P2.4 billion daily in Metro Manila in 2012.

In 2017, the economic cost surged to P3.5 billion everyday, while the latest study in 2022 indicated the economic losses from traffic is P4.9 billion a day.

JICA, a long-term partner of the government for transportation projects, forecasted this to balloon to P9 billion a day in 2030.

The country saw a spike in motorcycle users since the pandemic started in 2020 for its convenience and efficiency to transport goods and people from one place to another.

Currently, a pilot study launch in 2019 is still ongoing to assess, in aid of legislation, the viability of motorcycle taxis as safe and affordable mode of transportation.

The study is confined to three cities: Metro Manila, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.

The government regulators legally licensed only three players—Angkas, MOVE IT, and JoyRide—to take part in the taxi pilot study to provide affordable, safe, and reliable transportation to thousands of daily commuters.