While listening to the radio yesterday morning during my Sunday morning coffee, I caught the MMDA segment on DZBB. This broadcast was surprisingly level headed, though still containing a lot of misconceptions regarding MC riders, like the use of the sidewalk, the weaving in and out of traffic and of course the ever popular, making “silong” under walkways when it rains, the show was generally and surprisingly pro MC.

Their topic shifted towards motorcycle riders. They were throwing figures about how many accidents there are and how they’ve increased due to the sudden upswing of users the past years. They mentioned a figure of 2000 reported accidents involving Motorcycles with 51 of them proving fatal, I am not sure about the time frame of the figure they gave, I think it was for 1 month or 1 year. Whatever the numbers this figure has definitely got to be lowered. Rider education should be a number one priority now for all those seeking their first bike.

Here are a couple of examples of how the radio segment went.
Anchor: Shouldn’t MC’s be restricted to 2 lanes on the road, instead we see them all over the place?
MMDA Director: Being a rider myself we usually keep to the driver half of the lane making ourselves more visible. There is no restriction as to where MC’s can go just as long as they observe common sense and follow regular traffic rules.

Anchor: Sometimes they surprise you appearing beside you all of a sudden?
MMDA Director: Lane splitting is normal when the traffic is slow or stopped but lane splitting during moving traffic is dangerous and prohibited.

Anchor: Shouldn’t MC’s be forced to take the service road instead of the various tunnels along EDSA (Shaw Tunnel)?
MMDA Director: MC’s are allowed anywhere, in fact its natural for them to take the tunnel because it’s the faster route. As long as they follow regular traffic rules they’re ok.

And the final word of MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando on this segment.
Even motorcyclists have rights. All they have to do is observe regular traffic rules. You have the same rights as cars, specially when parking. “Taas noo ang nag momotorsiklo”.

It’s a refreshing change from all the gloom media is reporting regarding MC’s.
So maybe there is hope after all.