DBM allots P705M for bike system program

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P705 million to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to implement an active transport program that will benefit bicycle users.

The P705 million will be used to construct protected bike lanes, procure bike racks, improve end-of-trip cycling infrastructure, construct safe and accessible pedestrian pathways and sidewalks, and pop-up bike lanes being upgraded into permanent bike lanes.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Wednesday signed the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for DoTr to implement the Active Transport Bike Share System and Safe Pathways Program in Metropolitan Areas.

Pangandaman said the DoTr's programs are aimed at sustainable and active mobility in the Philippine transportation system, saying that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was «particular» when he directed the DBM to provide budgetary support to the transport sector.

«Achieving an improved transportation system toward a better quality of life for all Filipinos calls for a multisectoral approach,» Pangandaman said in a statement on Wednesday.

"[Marcos] was very particular when he directed us to provide the necessary budgetary support to the transport sector, as we see this as one aspect of the solution," she added.