Davao City has been chosen as one of the three areas in Asia-Pacific where a new bicycle-sharing scheme launched by the Asian Development Bank and the Japanese government will be tested.
"This initiative will show that urban transport conditions can be improved through the low-cost and zero-emission solution of bicycle-sharing systems," ADB senior transportation specialist Lloyd Wright said in a statement.
Aside from Davao, also chosen as demonstration sites for the new project are Vientiane in Lao PDR and another city yet to be named in Indonesia.
The cities were selected after consultations with local, national and international stakeholders, ADB said.
"The project will help improve air quality, as well as reduce the rate of pedestrian accidents and fatalities linked with too many private vehicles on the road," it added.
Bicycle-sharing will also allow users to travel on short trips that are too long to walk.
It is also "a way to close the gaps between public transport and a rider's final destination--otherwise known as the 'last-mile' issue," ADB said.
The project will be assessed for possible replication across developing Asia-Pacific countries, ADB said further.
The effort project was launched in anticipation of a vehicle boom in Asia-Pacific.
"By 2030, it is estimated that nearly half of the world’s projected 1.5 billion vehicles will be in the region," ADB said.
The $2-million project is funded on a grant basis by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and administered by ADB.
0 Comments