MMDA extends grace period for e-bike, e-trike ban violators

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has extended for a week the grace period on the prohibition of e-bikes, e-trikes, and other light vehicles on national roads in the National Capital Region.

“We will still be not issuing violation tickets this week but we reiterate that they are still prohibited on major roads,” MMDA chairperson Romando Artes said in a statement on Monday.

“This one-week extension will allow owners and drivers of e-bikes, e-trikes, and other similar light vehicles to comply with either registration or getting a driver’s license,” he added.

Artes said the MMDA will continue on reminding drivers of concerned light e-vehicles as well as tricycles, pedicabs, pushcarts, and kuligligs to not traverse national, circumferential, and radial roads in the region.

Starting Monday, the MMDA said violators will receive violation tickets and unregistered vehicles will be impounded.

Meanwhile, the vehicles impounded during the first day of the ban in April were released and violators do not need to pay the fines, the MMDA said.

According to the MMDA, the grace period ordered by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. already lapsed on May 18.

The ban on e-bikes, e-trikes, and other light vehicles covers the following roads:

• Recto Avenue
• Pres. Quirino Avenue
• Araneta Avenue
• Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue
• Katipunan/C.P. Garcia Avenues
• Southeast Metro Manila Expressway
• Roxas Boulevard
• Taft Avenue
• Osmeña Highway or South Super Highway
• Shaw Boulevard
• Ortigas Avenue
• Magsaysay Boulevard/ Aurora Boulevard
• Quezon Avenue/ Commonwealth Avenue
• A. Bonifacio Avenue
• Rizal Avenue
• Del Pan/Marcos Highway/ MacArthur Highway
• Elliptical Road
• Mindanao Avenue
• Marcos Highway
• Boni Avenue
• España Boulevard

Exemptions include crossing points where the identified vehicles could get to the other side of the road, which was divided by the covered roads, according to the MMDA.

Tricycles are exempted from the ban if they are traveling no more than 500 meters on the covered roads going to or coming from a U-turn slot to cross the other side of the road.

Also, light electric vehicles traveling on bike lanes on covered roads pursuant to Republic Act No. 11697 or Electric Vehicle Industry Act are exempted.

The MMDA said violators will be penalized with a P2,500 fine. If the erring drivers have no license or their vehicles have no registration, the concerned units will be impounded.

Several commuter and transport groups earlier called on the MMDA to reconsider the ban, which they said was anti-poor. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News