Philippines build 500 km of bike lanes in less than a year

The rise of cycling led the national government to allocate more than $22 million for active mobility infrastructure. This translated into the largest bike lane construction program in the country’s history: almost 500 kilometers across Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, according to a blog post on the World Bank's website.

Designing, adapting and building hundreds of kilometers of infrastructure for active transport in less than a year is no easy task. To support this initiative, the World Bank Philippines Transport Team, the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, and the Australian government joined forces to provide technical assistance from the very beginning, with a focus on ensuring the new cycling infrastructure could meet the highest safety standards.

The World Bank team reviewed the initial guidelines produced by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways to confirm they followed the Safe System approach. A series of Road Safety Inspections and Road Safety Audits were also conducted to ensure that national government agencies received appropriate guidance on international best practices through every step of the process, from design to construction.

The World Bank team not only worked with road safety experts but also involved the community, including persons with disabilities, women, and the elderly. A series of surveys and focus group discussions were held to ensure that community feedback was considered in reviewing current and future infrastructure designs.

To build on this work and promote long-term results, the World Bank team with additional support from Netherlands Embassy carried out a series of trainings on topics such as Dutch Cycling Infrastructure principles, which are considered among the best in the world. The trainings brought together a wide range of stakeholders, all of whom have a part to play in creating quality cycling infrastructure and promoting a culture of safety: national government practitioners, local government staff, academia, non-governmental organizations, private institutions, etc.

Within 9 months, the Philippines was able to create almost 500 kilometers of bike lanes along national roads. This multi-sectoral effort went a long way in raising the profile of cycling as a reliable and sustainable form of transport. Importantly, it also empowered and inspired local governments and communities to add on to the new network by building their own bike lanes.

Almost 65 percent of respondents from a post-construction survey said that they used active transport and light mobility vehicles (LMVs) more once the cycling infrastructure was introduced. As the cycling network grows in the Philippines, healthcare workers now have another safe and healthy way to get around.