Cebu bicycle registration pushed

CEBU CITY – As part of the plan to strictly implement the bicycle lane policy on major thoroughfares, the Cebu City government will now require bikers to register their bicycles beginning November.

Bernard Maraasin, Cebu City Bike Lane Board executive director, said bikers will be required to register their bicycles in their barangay of residence based on the recently passed City Ordinance 2408. Maraasin said penalties might be imposed against those who fail to get their bikes registered.

“We started deploying people for information dissemination for the safety of the bikers. We also need to educate them in preparation for the bike registration,” Maraasin told reporters here, underscoring that registration is free.

The bike lane enforcement office, he said, is now busy with the crafting of systems for bike registration that will also generate data as to the number of bicycle owners. He advised bike owners to get their units registered on time to prevent them from being flagged down and questioned.

“If they get flagged down, it will become a hassle on their part as enforcers may flag them down and hold their bikes if they cannot present documents,” he said.

To date, there are 25 bike lane enforcers deputized by the Cebu City Traffic Office to apprehend cars and motorcycles who park at the designated bike lanes, the official said.

The enforcers could issue citation tickets against motorists who will block bike lanes, he said. From January to August this year, the bike lane office here has recorded over 5,000 apprehensions of cars and motorcycles obstructing bike lanes. (John Rey Saavedra)