Yes, that’s today, folks! If you noticed MMDA enforcers in the middle of Commonwealth, that’s because the dry run for the exclusive motorcycle lane starts today. Preparations for the implementation and enforcement of the exclusive lane began last year, and motorcyclists will have a taste of it now.
MMDA assures no apprehensions yet for dry run of exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth
Photo: MMDA
We can remember that towards the end of February, a meeting was held between government agencies and 1-Rider party-list Reps. Bonifacio Bosita and Rodge Gutierrez to finalize the guidelines and implementation for the motorcycle-only lane. As of today, the stretch of Commonwealth from Elliptical Road to Dona Carmen is lined with MMDA enforcers herding motorcycles toward their exclusive lane along the major thoroughfare.
“The dry run is meant to familiarize motorcycle riders traversing Commonwealth Avenue on the said policy. We will have a full deployment of MMDA traffic enforcers and we will be assisted by the local government of Quezon City,” said Atty. Don Artes, MMDA Acting Chairman. “No motorists will be apprehended during the duration of the dry run which will start tomorrow until next Sunday, March 19,” he added.
The implementation of an exclusive motorcycle lane follows statistical data that showed a total of 1,686 or 5 cases of motorcycle-related road crash incidents along Commonwealth Avenue per day in the year 2022. Of that figure, 13 cases resulted in fatal injuries, 930 in non-fatal injuries, and 743 in damage to property. A total of 154,639 motorcycles ply the roadway on a daily average.
Photo: Quezon City Government
1-Rider Partylist Representative Bonifacio Bosita expressed his appreciation for this effort. “I am thankful to the leadership of Chairman Artes as he prioritized the safety of motorcycle riders. As an advocate and representative of 1-Rider Partylist, I am appealing to all motorcycle riders to maintain order and discipline on the roads,” Bosita said. He later added that he appreciated the special attention given to the riding community.
Also present from 1-Rider Partylist was Ramon Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez, who said, “We have high hopes for the success of the implementation of exclusive motorcycle lanes.”
Photo: Quezon City Government
Commonwealth was one of, if not the last wide-open highway in Metro Manila. Numbers don’t lie, though, and the danger posed for motorcyclists and bicyclists alike is very real. To address this issue, MMDA Resolution No. 22-15 assigned the right outermost lane of Commonwealth Avenue shall be designated as an exclusive bicycle lane. The second lane and third lane will be used as exclusive Public Utility Vehicles (for jeeps, UV Express, buses) and motorcycle lanes, respectively. All the remaining lanes of Commonwealth Avenue shall be utilized by all other motor vehicles.
Right now, the immediate “flaw” we noticed is that during the times that the Elliptical Road-bound side of Commonwealth is open, the number of lanes in that direction is greatly reduced, and just this morning, motorcycles were piling into their lanes with all other private and public utility vehicles having to swerve outside the blue lanes. But since this is a dry run, we hope that the MMDA sees this and addresses it thereafter.
Do you think the motorcycle lane and the other exclusive lanes for PUVs and bicycles will help curb the number of accidents on the road? Is this, indeed, the way? We’ll just have to wait and see until its official implementation, don’t we?
