June 22, 2023

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos, Jr. urged local government units (LGUs) anew to promote active transport and emulate the best practices of the LGU 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,” said Abalos.

During the National Bike Day Awards: Knowledge Sharing Webinar held Tuesday, last year’s Bike Lane Awardees namely 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 imparted their initiatives.

“We thank the LGU Bike Lane awardees for sharing valuable insights on how they were able to establish safe and accessible bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure in their areas. This will go a long way in encouraging other LGUs to follow their example,” said Abalos.

The DILG earlier issued Memo Circular No. 2020-100 encouraging all LGUs to promote and make active transportation accessible as a means to support people’s mobility within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

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.

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.

Original Article at: https://dilg.gov.ph/news/DILG-urges-LGUs-to-promote-active-transport-to-ease-traffic-congestion/NC-2023-1103