EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING

The streets of Manila will soon look like a car-free haven on Sunday mornings.

Joggers, dancers, bikers, vendors and other weekend warriors are expected to take over the streets of Manila after its city council passed the ordinance of having “Car-less Sunday.”

Based on a resolution passed recently, vehicular traffic will be off limits from Padre Burgos Avenue to Quirino Avenue along Roxas Boulevard from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. to give residents from Manila and other areas a chance to do outdoor exercise while enjoying the beautiful Manila Bay sunrise and bonding with their families.

The ordinance was supposed to take place last Sunday but local executives have yet to go full blast with its implementation.

Manila City Councilor Salvador Lacuna said having zero vehicles along Roxas Boulevard is crucial in encouraging the public to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle while serving as a big boost to the city’s environmental protection program.

The Draft Ordinance 8274 or the MOVE (Motor Vehicle Free) Manila is based on Section 21 of the Local Government Code that allows local government units to permanently or temporarily close roads.

Lacuna also assured the public that the closure of a main thoroughfare like Roxas Boulevard on a Sunday will not cause traffic congestion in other streets as less people are traveling.

He also noted the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau would be able to implement the road closure, similar to their enforcement during marathon and fun run events.

“The ordinance was practically patterned after the ‘car-free or car-less days’ in certain metropolitan cities such as Paris, New York, Vancouver etc. It was also tried in nearby cities such as Makati and Pasig,” the Manila City Council (MCC) said.

World Car-Free Day is celebrated every 22nd of September, where motorists are encouraged to give up their cars for a day and use other means of moving around such as jogging, walking and cycling.

The celebration also coincides with the observance of Mobility Week in Europe.

“The filed draft ordinance was encouraged and supported by the members of the council. All of them are looking forward to experiencing a car-free Sunday in the City of Manila. This is also a way of letting people enjoy the natural beauty of the city, particularly the view of Manila Bay,” MCC added.

Manila actually isn’t the first city to close its streets to vehicles on a Sunday.

In Makati City, Paseo de Roxas has been car-free every weekend since 2016, giving people a chance to gather for food, fun and entertainment.

The same goes for Ayala Avenue after the local government blocked off Courtyard Drive to HV Dela Costa/Salcedo Street on Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. There is also a “Fitness Loop” at the borders of the Ayala Triangle Gardens, which is a pedestrianized lane along Paseo de Roxas Avenue, Makati Avenue and Ayala Avenue from 7 a.m. every Saturday to 10 p.m. every Sunday.

Over at Pasig City, the city government came up with the “People Streets” project to give its residents a chance to enjoy the weekend without worrying motor vehicles to get in the way.

A total of eight streets are part of the initiative, including the bustling streets of Emerald Avenue in Barangay San Antonio, Caruncho Avenue in Barangay San Nicolas, Kapasigan Boulevard in Barangay Kapasigan, and Oranbo Drive in Barangay Oranbo.

In Muntinlupa, Spectrum Midway in Filinvest City has been closed to vehicles every Sunday since 2021 with food bazaars available to weekend warriors and outdoor enthusiasts.

Of course, Taguig City has been observing car-less weekends in Fifth Avenue of the Bonifacio Global City, where pedestrians can enjoy food, find, fresh air and a lot of open spaces every Saturday and Sunday.

Manila is supposed to follow the success of cities who implemented it early.

The streets along Roxas Boulevard facing the world-famous Manila Bay are expected to turn into a beehive of activity with pedestrians free to do whatever they want from running to jogging, walking the dogs, cycling and participating in zumba sessions.

Vendors, most of them from the districts of Emita and Malate, are also tipped to have a grand time plying their trades, making it a win-win effort for various sectors, especially the local government, trade, tourism and the general public.

We hope that, just like Manila, more cities would also do the same and make their weekends easy like Sunday morning.