Malacañan lauds Iloilo Esplanade, bike lanes The Iloilo Esplanade and bike lanes will be recognized by the Office of the President during the launch of Bayanihan sa Daan Awards and Recognition Ceremony at Kalayaan Hall of Malacañang Palace on November 27. Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog and Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa III were invited to receive the award on “cooperative heroism” and road sharing development. Mabilog thanked Senate President Franklin Drilon for initiating the project making Iloilo City beautiful, walkable and bikeable with such best practice that can replicated in other cities in the country. The city hosted the recently-concluded 1st National Bicycle Day Visayas Fun Ride Nov. 23 which saw some 2,000 bikers from all over Panay Island having a fun-filled tour around the metropolis. On this occasion, the Filipino people, joined by the Office of the President and national and international organizations will recognize Iloilo for its path-breaking initiative to create a most beautiful lateral park that is now one-of-a-kind Esplanade, organizers said. Iloilo City is also cited for its trailblazing effort to build safe bike lanes and walkways along the Diversion and Circumferential roads. By doing so, the City of Iloilo has opened the eyes of the rest of the country on the possibility of how roads can be shared. “Most of all, Iloilo has shown the country and the world how ugly highways symbolic of an unsustainable mindset can be transformed into beautiful roads that are meant for beautiful people,” the organizers stated. The endeavor is spearheaded by Juan Romeo Nereus O. Acosta, presidential adviser for environmental protection of the Office of the President; Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Jesus P. Paje; Bayanihan sa Daan convenor Atty. Antonio A. Oposa, Jr.; and Durwood Zaelke, president of Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. Drilon said that the government must be more serious about promoting biking while noting that examples of bicycle-friendly road systems already exist in the country. “This is the case for several road projects in Iloilo which I supported, such as the road-widening project along the 10-km Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue which features a six-lane highway, a pedestrian lane and a 5-m paved bike lane that will extend from Jaro District to Iloilo International Airport,” Drilon noted. He added that the 14-km circumferential road connecting Arevalo District in Iloilo City and the coastal road in Dumangas town in Iloilo, “has been designed to include a 2-meter painted bike lane throughout its entire span.” These initial bike lanes will be looped and integrated into a comprehensive bike lane network system for the city in the near future. “What is really necessary is the cooperation and commitment between local leaders and national agencies, along with strong grassroots support, to effect these type of environmental reforms,” said Drilon./Iloilo City PIO
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 22:06:45 +0000
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