Big bikes allowed to use car lanes
SEE HOW THEY COMPLY Authorities may say the No-Contact Apprehension Policy is having the expected effect on road discipline, as shown by this photo taken on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City recently. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — Motorcycles with engine displacements of 400 cubic centimeters (cc) or larger are no longer required to use and stay within the motorcycle-exclusive lanes on major roads in Metro Manila, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“The mere fact that we are no longer allowing them to split lanes means we are not doing them a favor. These big bikes need to share the lane with four-wheel vehicles, which are slower,” MMDA Chair Don Artes said in a forum with Grab and Move It riders in Marikina City on Saturday.
In an advisory on June 6, the MMDA said motorcycles with engine displacement of 400 cc and above are no longer required to use the motorcycle lane, citing “international standards.”
READ: Transport stakeholders: Motorcycle riders need training to avoid mishaps
For comparison, four-wheel vehicles such as sedans have engines starting from 1,000 cc. “However, it is important to note that lane-splitting, or riding a motorcycle between vehicles in two adjacent lanes, is not prohibited,” it added.
But riders of smaller motorcycles complained that the policy was arbitrary and reeked of elitism. Outgoing 1-Rider party list Rep. Bonifacio Bosita, who is a rider of big bikes, said the MMDA’s new policy was wrong and lacking basis and justification.
While motorcycles with 400cc engines and higher are allowed on expressways, as they are deemed safe to travel there alongside other vehicles, the roads of Metro Manila, such as Commonwealth Avenue and Edsa, could not be compared with the expressways, as vehicles could not run there at high speeds.
“The MMDA’s proposal to exclude motorcycles with 400cc displacement and above [big bikes] from the enforced motorcycle lanes is “clearly discriminatory, oppressive and without sufficient basis or justification against riders who use smaller motorcycles,” said Bosita, who is also the founder of Riders Safety Advocates of the Philippines. —Dexter Cabalza
