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Protected Bike lanes along Edsa. In cooperation with Bikers United Marshals, MMDA and Greenpeace, these protected bike lane will run along the highway of EDSA starting Aug 15, 2020 from 6am to 10am. Jilson Tiu / Greenpeace
KASABAY ng pagsisimula ng deliberasyon ng Kongreso sa 2024 proposed budget ng Department of Transportation (DOTr) umapela ang isang grupo na ikonsidera ang interes ng mga walang sariling sasakyan.
Partikular ng tinukoy ng grupong Move As One (MAO) ang kawalan ng budget para sa bike lanes ng mga siklista at bangketang nilalakaran ng mga pedestrian.
Pinuna rin MAO ang pananabla sa mga sektor ng operator at drayber ng mga pampublikong sasakyan.
“Based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for next year, the needs of millions of Filipinos, who rely on public and active transportation, got little or no attention with the budget for this likely to suffer a massive cut while the budget for improving public utility vehicles is getting zero,” saad sa isang bahagi ng pahayag ng naturang grupo.
“The cut in funds for active transportation, or that which relies on public systems, will expose pedestrians and cyclists to the risk of injury and death due a road crash, while the zero budget for PUV modernization will “tip transport workers into even greater poverty.”
Batay sa 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) na isinumite sa Kongreso ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM) at inaprubahan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., doblado ang nakalaang pondo para sa DOTr – tumataginting na P214.3 billion.
Pangamba ng MAO, magdudulot ng aberya sa publiko ang ang kawalan ng alokasyon para sa mga dapat anila’y binigyang prayoridad ng gobyerno.
“While the proposed P214.3 billion is really massive, budgets for active transportation and PUV modernization, even service contracting, which are road sector programs that are crucial for filling the immense shortage in transport supply until 2030 were slashed.”
Pinuna rin ng grupo ang anila’y sobrang laking pondo para sa ‘Build Better More’ na isinusulong ng Pangulo.
“We are extremely disappointed at the NEP. UniTeam promised that it would incorporate bike lanes into roads,” dismayadong pahayag ni Dr. Robert Siy Jr., isang transport economist at tumatayong convenor ng grupong MAO.
