A bike lane blocked by a footbridge’s pillar along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City earned online buzz.
The earliest Google Map Street View recorded in 2014 indicated that there has been a pillar on the road before the existence of the bike lane.
Based on the web-mapping platform’s history, the bike lane was only seen in January 2019.
The bike lane recently earned witty and hilarious comments online.
Some social media users compared it with the “Harry Potter” series’ fictional location Platform 9 3/4, the portal to ride the Hogwarts Express train.
“Nasobrahan yata ng panood ng Harry Potter ang nag-design ng bike lane na ito. Ginaya ang King’s Cross Station Platform 9 ¾,” a Facebook user jokingly said.
“It’s not a concrete post, it’s a portkey. Tetestingin talaga kung dederecho ka sa kabilang mundo,” an online usersaid jest. In the “Harry Potter” series, a portkey is like a magical portal that allows a person to travel to a predetermined destination.
“Diretso lang, wag ka magaalangan. Makakarating ka rin sa Hogwarts,” an online user quipped.
Last September, a PWD ramp blocked by posts was also compared with platform 9 3/4.
RELATED: ‘Mag-adjust sa poste’: Quips and online buzz over odd placement of PWD ramps
Meanwhile, despite the banters over the bike lane, others lamented how dangerous the infrastructure is for bikers and drivers, citing the perceived lack of urban planning.
“Even the pillar of the footbridge itself should not be there in the first place. Accident prone ang ganyan structure lalo na daanan yan ng mga tao at sasakyan,” a social media user said.
“Alanganin na nga yung pwesto ng poste, wala pang reflectors or other warning devices para mapansin ng mga road users na may hazard sa daan,” a Facebook user wrote.
“These bobo structures are the basic core of Pinoy urban planning. They’re everywhere,” a Facebook user said.
“Yung walang blueprint ng project proposal, basta lang nilagyan ng linya para may masabing kunwari nag-ke-care sa mga bikers at ma-please lng yung mga nakaupo,” a Facebook user wrote.
Based on Social Weather Stations survey conducted from April 19 to 27, 2022, 7.3 million households owned a bicycle. This is more than a million higher compared to May 2021 report showing that only 6.2 million households own a bike.
This survey prompted calls to increase and improve current bike-friendly lanes.
RELATED: Survey showing bicycle owners outnumber those with cars revives calls to fix NCR bike lanes