Photo courtesy ABS CBN
AIMING to promote the use of active mobility to students and school employees, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has encouraged the Department of Education (DepED) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to direct primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions to establish End-of-Trip (EoT) facilities in anticipation of the increased demand for transportation due to the opening of in-person classes for Academic Year 2022-2023.
Under Department Order No. 2020-014, children up to 15 years of age are allowed to utilize bicycle lanes along national and primary roads, provided that they are accompanied by an adult cyclist.
In line with this, the DOTr has asked DepEd and CHED to provide EoT facilities within school vicinities to allow students, teachers, and other school employees to utilize cycling as their primary mode of transportation.
“The establishment of the EoT facilities, which include parking spaces for bicycles— sheds, bike racks, as well as showers, will encourage students, teachers, and other school personnel to use existing bicycle lanes,” DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said.
To ensure their safety, the DOTr has also appealed to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to deploy additional traffic enforcers and marshals at school zones in the upcoming resume of classes.
“Road safety is of paramount importance. As students return to face-to-face classes, they are subjected yet again to vulnerability on the road. With this, we would like to remind all our motorists to share the road for the safety of all other road users, especially our cyclists and pedestrians— including our learners,” DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven C. Pastor concluded.
