Testing MMDA’s Bike-Sharing Program

CHEERS TO ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol for reviewing the bike-sharing program of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), one of the agency’s solutions to Metro Manila’s traffic problem.

First implemented in 2013, MMDA re-launched the program in December to help solve the unending traffic woes of commuters passing through the major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. The bike-sharing program allows commuters to borrow a bicycle from MMDA bike stations and use it on MMDA’s bike lanes.

The TV Patrol report on December 9 said there are eight bicycle stations around Metro Manila: Temple Drive, Ortigas, Santolan, Ayala, Magallanes, Rajah Suliman in Manila, Museo Pambata in Manila and the Quirino Grandstand. The bike lanes, which are painted red and have barricades to ensure the safety of  bikers, are not interconnected so the borrower can only travel from one bike station to another.  MMDA bought 44 new bicycles to replace some of the unreturned and old bicycles purchased in 2013.

For its report, TV Patrol tried the program. It found that from the People Power monument in Ortigas to Col. Bonnie Serrano, biking cuts travel time down to 10 minutes or less. The report pointed out problems, including some parts of the bicycle lane that are not yet barricaded, uneven roads and unpainted lanes. Pedestrians also used the bike lanes, which poses danger to themselves and the bikers.

The MMDA imposes strict policies for the program. Traffic officers will be assigned to each bicycle station. A borrower has to present identification as a guarantee that he or she will return the bike at the next station.

According to the MMDA, 232 bikes were borrowed per month in 2014. The agency expects the number to increase this year.