Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. on Thursday urged local government units (LGUs) to promote active transport in their areas of jurisdiction and emulate the best practices of the recipients of last year’s National Bike Day Bike Lane Awards.
“We continuously encourage our LGUs to provide means for active transport through the establishment of protected bike lanes, to help ease traffic congestion and promote sustainable mobility. We can take great inspiration from the LGU Bike Lane awardees who made it happen in their localities,” Abalos said in a statement.
He pointed out that LGUs can gain valuable insights recently shared by the awardees on how they were able to establish safe and accessible bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure in their areas.
The DILG chief was referring to the National Bike Day Awards: Knowledge Sharing Webinar held last Tuesday where last year’s Bike Lane Awardees – Iloilo City, Quezon City, and Mandaue City – shared their experiences and the challenges that they hurdled in establishing bike lanes in their areas.
Exemplary awardees Alaminos City and Pasig City and finalists Baguio City and Taguig City likewise shared their respective initiatives.
Organized by the Interagency Technical Working Group on Active Transport (IATWG-AT) led by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the webinar aimed to share knowledge and various information about government plans, programs, and ongoing projects for the continuous expansion of active transport networks in our country.
The DILG is part of the IATWG-AT.
Meanwhile Abalos said the DILG will continue to work closely with the other members of the IATF-TWG to ensure that the ongoing active transport project led by the DOTr can be replicated and translated to localized projects within provinces, cities, and municipalities.
The DILG has earlier issued Memorandum Circular No. 2020-100 on July 17, 2020 encouraging all LGUs to promote and make active transportation accessible as a means to support people’s mobility within their respective areas of jurisdiction. (PNA)
