MANILA: A worrying number of accidents involving e-bicycles and e-scooters has prompted stricter enforcement considerations by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The MMDA is now looking at beefing up the Land Transportation Office (LTO) order to better monitor e-bicycles and e-scooters, the Philstar.com portal reported.
MMDA Traffic Discipline Office for Enforcement, Victor Nuñez, said there have been a worrying number of accidents and this calls for road safety promotion, especially since students also use e-vehicles.
Nuñez said there were 346 road crashes involving e-vehicles along Metro Manila's major roads last year and 82 more this year, thus far
In an interview aired over ANC, Nunez said prior to this, the MMDA was "a bit lenient" in enforcing the LTO's Administrative Order 2021-039 regulating the use of e-trikes and e-scooters because mass public transport was not yet at 100 percent capacity.
"Now, since mass public transport is back to 100 percent capacity and face-to-face classes are about to resume in a couple of weeks, we know that many students might use these e-bikes and e-scooters. We just want to promote road safety," he said.
Under the LTO order, e-bikes and e-scooters are limited to "bicycle lanes, barangay (community) roads, and they must always give way, the right of way to the incoming traffic. They're not allowed to pass in the middle of the major thoroughfares", he said.