SIDEWALKS and bike lanes have been “sidelined and waylaid” in the government’s infrastructure menu but these “active mobility” facilities should be mainstreamed, House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said today.
And Recto has found a source that can fund these pedestrian-centric pathways: motor vehicle registration fees, which had an unspent balance of P82.2 billion as of end 2021.
Through an amendment of the law creating the Motor Vehicle Users Charge ( MVUC), administration of collections have been transferred to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Now Recto wants the DPWH to include pedestrian and bike ways as “a pillar” of its activities.
“It is time to elevate wide pedestrian and bike lanes, whether ground-level or elevated, covered or not, to the league of major construction works,” Recto said.
At present, Recto noted that safe pathways for people biking or walking are being built by the Department of Transportation.
“But I think DPWH should get into the act, because these projects fall under its mandate more than it does to DOTR,” Recto said.
Recto said building elevated walkways in pedestrian-dense areas will help decongest roads of cars and give people the option of walking to short distance destinations.
“Mas nanaisin ng mga tao na lakarin na lang ang isa o dalawang kilometro kung ito ay nasa ligtas at may bubong na elevated walkways,” he said.
Unfortunately, these facilities are not on the government’s spending radar, Recto said.
“The policy bias is toward people who ride in cars, but not for people who walk or bike, when cost-wise catering to the latter uses fewer government resources.”
The lawmaker believes government has the money and the expertise, “but lacks the will” to build active mobility infrastructure.
“If we have skyways for cars, why not raised walkways for people? If we’re building a subway, then we can surely build a pedestrian walkway above ground. If we have the money for multi-lane highways over hundreds of kilometers, how much more for a one-lane walkway that is 3-kilometers long?”
