Council: Suspend P50-M Baguio bike lane project

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- The city council recently passed a resolution urging the Baguio City bids and awards committee for Infrastructure to hold in abeyance awarding of the contract for  Phase 1 of the bicycle lane project worth P50 million.
    This, after the council learned recent guidelines of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways were not considered in preparation of the plan.
    Engineer Orlando Genove of the CEO said the project had already been bidded out, but the contract was not awarded yet to the winning bidder.
    The DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office received a memorandum on July 3, 2021 from the regional DPWH office directing all district engineers to consider updated guidelines and standard drawings for bicycle facilities in the design of national roads for installation of bike lanes.
    The DPWH-BCDEO furnished the city council with a copy of the updated guidelines.
    Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan said the plan prepared by the CEO should conform with said guidelines.
    Genove said the plan was patterned after the earlier guidelines of the DWPH contained in Department Order No. 88 Series of 2020 (Prescribing guidelines on design of bicycle facilities along national roads).
    However, DPWH-BCDEO district engineer Rene Zarate and engineer Cesario Rillera also of the DPWH-BDEO said updated guidelines should be considered.
    Under updated guidelines, prior to installation of bicycle facilities, a feasibility study shall be undertaken by concerned office to determine applicability on  proposed roads.
    Several members of the council questioned the move of the CEO to bid the project out without conducting any feasibility study.
    The councilors cited importance of conducting a feasibility study to ensure the safety of cyclists and motorists when the bicycle facilities installed and ready to be utilized.
    Under the updated guidelines, there are three classes of bike lanes. These are “shared use path” which is completely separate from the roadway, separated bike lane which is a portion of the road designated exclusively for bicycle use and shared roadway.
    According to the DPWH-BCDEO, only the third class, shared roadway, is applicable to the roads in Baguio City.
    A shared roadway is a portion of the road that has been officially designated and marked as a bicycle route but can also be used by motor vehicles as there is a limited carriageway width.
    Under the plan prepared by the CEO, shared roadways with a total distance of 6.45 km and separated bike lanes with a total distance of 7.25 km have been designated along the six identified routes.
    This does not conform with the prescription of the updated guidelines as portions of the proposed roads are designated as separated bike lanes which, according to the DPWH-BCDEO officials, are not applicable to the city’s roads.
Councilor Mylen Yaranon, however, commended the CEO for having planned ahead.
    She said the CEO already started planning for the installation of bike lanes using certain design standards as their starting points prior to the crafting and issuance of guidelines by the DPWH.
    The council urged the CEO to present to the city council, the city goverment’s  modified plan for installation of bike lanes taking into consideration guidelines and requirements set forth by the DPWH for national roads and suggestions of barangay officials on barangay roads.
    The routes identified for the phase 1 of the project are the following:
    Loakan-Apugan Barangay Hall to Leonard Wood Road; BGH Rotonda to Panagbenga Park via Military Cut-off; Justice Hall to Kalaw Street via Harrison Road; Governor Pack to BGH Rotonda; Harrison Road to M. Roxas via Magsaysay Street/ Bonifacio Street; and City Hall to Marcos Highway via Legarda Road.