In the spirit of the season, here are some recommendations or suggestions (if this term is preferred) for the bike lanes drawn along Circumferential Road 5. First, rather than a token lane that will fit exactly the width of a pedicab, I suggest that an entire lane be allocated for either side of C5/Katipunan Ave. But at the very least perhaps it should be half a lane rather than a third. Second, instead of a green line that can be invisible to many during the night time and on days like this rainy Saturday, have a double yellow as a delineator. This definitely has more clout than the solid green line, which is unfamiliar to most road users. Third, the bicycle lane must be painted for it to be clearly marked for bicycles. And last, the lanes must be protected, physically, from likely encroachments of motor vehicles. Perhaps bollards can be installed similar to what Pasig has done along Julia Vargas. Here are a couple of illustrations I quickly made using PowerPoint as I updated my lecture material for complete streets.

Suggestions for the bike lane along the NB side of Katipunan Ave. (C-5)

Suggestions for the bike lane along the SB side of Katipunan Ave. (C-5).

The NB side of Katipunan is less challenging with respect to the design details required for driveways and public transport stops. That is mainly because this is where the two schools, Ateneo and Miriam, are located. The SB side is more complicated due to the way the establishments there were developed. Note the roadside parking on the photo and there are numerous driveways from the condos, shops and restaurants on this side of Katipunan. Recall that this side used to have a service road where the two outermost lanes are, and a tree lined island separate this two-way road from the main carriageway of C-5. Perhaps it would be nice to re-imagine Katipunan with this service road again. I will leave the intersection and driveway details as a challenge to my readers and students. The same for a more complete re-imagining of Katipunan Ave.