If you’re a bike commuter who wants to combine cycling as your last-mile option with train rides in the metro, chances are you’ve wondered if your nearest LRT-1, LRT-2, or MRT-3 station has safe bike parking. But unless you know bikers who’ve actually parked there, reliable information about bike parking is hard to come by.
Two mobility advocates took it upon themselves to design a detailed system map and database answering this frequently asked question among cyclists.
Check out this useful map and guide showing dedicated bike parking near railway stations in Metro Manila and their usability ratings, put together by Anthony Miles Jacob and Matthew Gan, recently shared in the Facebook group ‘How’s your byahe, bes?’
ALSO READ:
A first-timer’s guide to motorcycle-taxi apps in Metro Manila
Guide: These ride-hailing apps offer EV options
The map creators
Jacob, a graduating college student and commuter who happens to be a railway and aviation enthusiast, created the map to benefit bike or multimodal commuters.
Inspired by Berlin’s BVG system map, he collaborated with Matthew Gan, a software engineer who drives a car, bikes, and uses public transport, to design the map.
“There are plenty of maps of our current railway system that show our lines and stations, but I have yet to see one that shows where you can park your bike near a station and take the trains from there,” Gan said in an interview with Top Gear Philippines.
Gan compiled the information on bike parking from his personal experience, social media posts, Google Street View, and actual site visits to various stations.
“Bike parking at LRT-2 and MRT-3 stations is usually outdoors, so I was able to verify the bike parking just by using Google Street View. For LRT-1, however, most of their bike parking is inside the stations, so I asked LRMC (Light Rail Manila Corporation) for a list of stations with bike parking and then visited those stations to confirm and evaluate them,” said Gan.
Since not all stations have dedicated bike parking, Gan also included nearby establishments within an approximate 1km radius of each station and checked them out personally.
“I also strongly considered this because I usually bike to either Starmall EDSA-Shaw or SM Megamall, park my bike there, then take the MRT-3 or EDSA Carousel,” said Gan.
With this map, the two hope to give bike commuters and persons with limited mobility a quick reference for city rail travel and encourage more establishments to factor in active and sustainable mobility.
Bike parking map near MRT/LRT
Clear and easy to understand at a glance, their system map shows the three train lines (Light Rail Transit Line 1 and 2, and Metro Rail Transit Line 3) with accessibility icons showing which stations have bike parking, elevators, and escalators. The map also integrates the stations of the Pasig River Ferry Service line, which notably allows both folding bicycles and full-size bicycles on board for multimodal transport.
Below the map is a rundown of which stations in the LRT and MRT lines have dedicated bike parking, the capacity of bikes, and their exact location, with the data enlarged on another sheet for easier reference.
A separate database for the bike parking near LRT/MRT stations provides pictures of various bike parking racks and ratings from 0 (not recommended) to 5 (excellent) in terms of each bike parking facility’s location, design, and usability.
They also share tips for those planning to bring their folding bikes on the LRT/MRT. The MRT and the LRT currently allow users of folding bikes or e-scooters (with wheel sizes up to 20 inches only) to bring them inside train carriages. However, users of full-size bikes can’t bring bikes on board, and will likely find the bike parking guide map useful if they want to take the trains to far stations.
Issues for bike parking improvement
Based on their rating criteria, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of good or excellent bike parking options, with most being assessed as fair. According to Gan, this reflects the sad reality for bike commuters in Metro Manila. The main consideration for cyclists is the location of bike parking.
“Many establishments offer bike parking, but they are often placed in not-so-friendly places, like under a staircase, next to loud and noisy machines, in areas that block entrances, walkways, or sidewalks, or in the same place where they store garbage, event props, and construction materials,” Gan told us.
During his assessment, he noted how bike racks are often placed behind car parking spaces, where bikers risk scratching vehicles going in and out. Others are often located on the lowest basement level, limiting mobility for those who can’t climb steep ramps.
Gan said that most spaces were obviously not designed with bike parking in mind, and just made use of whatever limited space to squeeze bike parking into. As a cyclist, he stressed how bikers consider the safety risks and only park in places where they can securely lock their bikes to a bike rack, and if parking areas are guarded or secured by a parking pass or ticket.
“Despite cycling being popular as both recreation and transport across different income classes, some places also seem to discriminate against bikes (whether directly or indirectly), and the way that some places design their parking for bikes shows that. I could only hope that establishments can do better to give bike parking the same care they would give to cars and motorcycles,” said Gan.
And while limited space issues are understandable for older LRT/MRT train stations, sadly, the lack of bike parking is also evident even in newly built stations.
“As a map maker, I felt displeased with the lack of bike parking facilities at the premises of the five new LRT-1 Cavite Extension stations and a few other stations in the current railway network,” said Jacob.
Another point for improvement is the bike rack design itself. While there are some decent bike racks, Gan pointed out that many seem to have been designed by people who “have never even tried to lock a bike on them.”
“Many are designed in a way where it’s hard or impossible to securely lock the frame of the bike to the rack, and others that compress the bikes way too close together to save space. If you think of it, if tight parking spaces for cars and motorcycles are inconvenient and risk scratches and dents, it's the same for bikes,” Gan said.
Opportunities for bike parking areas
According to Gan, establishments near train stations, such as malls, could benefit by integrating proper bike parking and supporting bike commuters, which could, in turn, encourage more foot traffic.
“The best transit systems around the world are multimodal ones where they recognize that a journey begins the moment someone leaves their home. So with new public and active transport projects in the pipeline, I can only hope that both the government and private sector will learn from the mistakes of the past and be proactive in having secure and accessible bike parking in the plans for future train lines and stations,” said Gan.
Jacob pointed out how many developed countries around the world actually prioritize public transport, bikes, and walking for all ages over private vehicles. Many encourage bike and train commutes by allowing all types of bikes on trains.
“I hope that transport agencies and operators promote sustainable and inclusive transport, such as providing secure, accessible, properly designed bike parking facilities at every train station, if possible, and the ability to bring full-sized bikes inside trains like in the Netherlands and Germany. This must be a requirement in all present and future railway infrastructure,” said Jacob.
Download a PDF copy of the 2026 Railway Map with bike parking and barrier-free access here, and check out their bike parking database here.
