EDSA boss to cyclists: Obey traffic signals

EDSA boss, Bong Nebrija, says some cyclists do not follow traffic rules

EDSA boss, Edison “Bong” Nebrija, earlier lamented on some cyclists' disobedience of even the most basic of traffic rules.

In his social media post, Nebrija and his team were positioned at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and EDSA, where they observed that a handful of cyclists blatantly disregard traffic rules, especially the traffic lights. A number of bikers were caught on video beating the red light. According to him, this may lead to an accident with a motor vehicle.

“Sayang po yung mga pinaglalaban ng mga grupo na magkaroon tayo ng biker's lane [bike lane] dito sa EDSA, pero, wina-walangya naman nung iba (The hard work of bicycle groups lobbying for bicycle lanes goes to waste when some cyclists blatantly disregard the traffic rules),” said Nebrija.

Nebrija commented that just one speeding motorist could spell disaster to a cyclist who’s beating the red light.

“Yes, pinapayagan na natin ang bicycles sa EDSA (We’re allowing bicycles in EDSA), but you need to be safe. You need to be responsible bikers,” added the EDSA boss.

Because of the pandemic, major cities have been put into lockdowns as a measure to hopefully contain and slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Unfortunately, that also meant that public mass transport was to be put on hold as well, forcing many commuters to switch to alternative modes of transportation such as bicycles.

"The thing is, napakaliit ng profile ng bike, ang hirap makita. And then, gagawa tayo ng mga pag-suway sa mga traffic signals na iyan, [pwedeng] hindi kayo makita ng mga sasakyan, ng motor, diyan tayo nagkakaroon ng aksidente (The bicycle’s profile is very small and hard to see. Then, these cyclists disregard traffic signals. That’s how accidents happen.)”

Currently, there are no laws that penalize cyclists if they do not follow the traffic laws, save for some specific local ordinances that mandate them to wear a helmet. However, if you’re a cyclist and for your own safety, it would be very prudent just to follow the traffic laws to avoid a collision with a vehicle and end up in the hospital.