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Philippine riders face woes

by jayr_patron | August 8, 2007 at 06:06 pm

390 views | 38 Recommendations | 5 comments

Their numbers are increasing -- and so are their woes. The motorcycling public of the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila and outlying provinces, continue to battle road rules and regulations they deem unfair and discriminatory.

Below is a blog entry from 'vespinoy' of motorcyclephilippines.com summarizing the uphill battle against motorcycle bans on freeways (dated 08/07/07):

I just heard over the radio this morning what was being discussed in the forum for weeks now. All bikes are now banned from the SLEX (South Luzon Expressway). As far as the report was concerned they were only talking about the SLEX and have no word about the NLEX (North Luzon Expressway), Coastal Road and the Star Tollways.

This was in keeping with the Supreme Court decision banning all bikes from Limited Access Facilities, and the DOTC(?) order naming the various freeways as LAF’s, according to the report on radio. The funny thing is that, as stated in the report, they will start citing violators but will not issue tickets since they still have to wait for the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the ban.

From the moment this battle started, it was, and still is an uphill battle, even if the community as one came together, we still have to battle public opinion. One text from a listener even went as far as saying that all bikes need to banned from all major roads in the city, including EDSA, C5 and Roxas Boulevard. Now this may seem like a far fetched idea, but it really reflects on one major issue that all motorcyclists have to deal with day in and day out. We have an image problem. This will take a while to fix but this division between the community is not helping this or any cause we are trying to push forward.

Always the optimist, I hope this is a case of a step back to leap to steps forward, maybe it’s time we start acting as a real community and act as one.

In July 20, more than 5,000 riders from the metro and nearby regions staged a rally in front of the Metro Manila Development Authority's (MMDA) main office along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, commonly known as Edsa, one of Metro Manila's main thoroughfares. The rally was a cry against the proposed bill of this government branch to have motorcyclists post their plate numbers on their helmets.

According to MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, the bill would boost law enforcement efforts to fight motorcycle-related crimes (dubbed as "riding in tandem"), which are on the rise.

Days later, the governing body of the MMDA scrapped the proposal in adherence to the riding public's sentiments.

According to statistics from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), there were more than 1.8 million registered motorcycles in the country in 2006, up by 14 percent from 1.5 million in 2005.

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Kaitlin

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:48 on August 9th, 2007

Thanks, jayr_patron. Great stuff...you've shown us the ideal highlighted post here. A model for NP users across the board, and well explained as well. Also, great photos. You're the champ!

ryan

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:31 on August 9th, 2007

jayr_patron, very interesting, Good Stuff.

Vinny

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:38 on August 9th, 2007

jayr_patron, I used to ride a motorbike in my younger wilder days, I found this story very interesting. Good stuff.

Jordan Yerman

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:40 on August 9th, 2007

Great work. Would the ban cover all motorbikes, or only certain displacements? The one I rode in Thailand was 110cc, but faster than one would expect... motorcycles are fantastic traffic-beaters, and should, in my opinion, be encouraged.
(Is "riding in tandem" in reference to two bikes sharing one lanespace?)

jayr_patron

at 17:29 on August 9th, 2007

Riding in tandem refers to the rider and his pillion (backride). Most vehicle-related crimes (ambush, snatching) involves this as it is the most versatile mode of transportation fit for a quick getaway in the mostly clogged streets of many cities in the country.

I'm not sure of the facts that's why I didn't include it in the article but the ban on sub-400cc's started two decades ago. A police escort of a government convoy, with then US President Ronald Reagan, on the way to the International Rice Research Institute in a province south of Metro Manila died on an accident due to head injuries. They were ordered to wear the traditional "hat" instead of crash helmets to impress the visitors.

Since then it has been a battle between rider's rights (it has been proven, in many countries, that riding on the freeway is much safer than on the secondary roads) and what they see as unfair government policies.