Ref.: Maria Kristina E. Cassion
854-0984 / 854-0452 / 854-0456 / 853-0041 to 60 local 8940/8329
Mobile: +63 917 552-6023
November 07, 2009
The Light Rail Authority goes greener as it combines two of the worlds eco-friendly modes of transportation ? bikes and train ? through a new initiative called the ?Bike On, Bike Off (BIKE-O2) Project.?
The project encourages car users to leave their vehicles at home and take the train, bring along their foldable bikes, hop off the station, and bike off towards their workplace, school, and other destinations.
Folding bike users (FBUs) are allowed to enter the station and use the LRT at anytime, with no additional charge for the folding bikes. The last coach of every train will be utilized as a ?green zone? to accommodate the FBUs and their foldable bikes. FBUs will enter the last door of the train to gain access to the green zone.
Great Unifier
LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles said that through BIKE-O2, the LRTA will not only be the great equalizer but will also serve as the great unifier among ordinary people and the more affluent car owners of the society.
?The commuter rail system like this one we have at LRTA is known to be the great equalizer. It makes ordinary people equal to more affluent car owners of our society by providing them with a fast and efficient way to move around the metropolis. If the rich have their cars, the masses have the rail,? Robles said.
He said a lot of people belonging to the middle and upper classes have never tried riding the LRT since the more well-off still prefer to use their cars despite the traffic because of the convenience of mobility.
?While one can use the LRT and enjoy economy and speed, one still has to walk to his intended destination. But with the BIKE-O2, you can enjoy fast, efficient, economical and environmental friendly mode of transportation while at the same time giving you the same personal mobility that you enjoy with a car. Not to mention the health and environmental benefits that you will gain from it,? Robles explained.
He said with this project we can look forward to the day when we will see the rich and the poor standing side by side with each other inside the LRT. One hand holding the handle bar and the other holding a folding bike.
?Only then can we see streets with less traffic and inhale cleaner air. Then the LRTA will not only be the great equalizer but also the great unifier,? Robles said.
The BIKE-O2 Project was launched on Sunday, with Senator Pia Cayetano and DENR Secretary Lito Atienza as guests. Guests and participants took the train to Legarda Station and biked off towards Kilometer Zero in Luneta.
The project, which covers both the Line 1 (Baclaran to Monumento) and Line 2 (Recto-Santolan) systems, is the first of its kind in the country?s urban rail history that offers an alternative mode of moving around the city.
BIKE-O2 is in partnership with the Firefly Brigade, UP Mountaineers, Padyak Project Foundation, and Tiklop Society.
Interested bikers who wish to bring their folded bikes aboard the train are encouraged to read the Bike Rules first on the LRTA website at www.lrta.gov.ph.
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