This poses a lot of benefits.
- People are getting more fit.
Biking is an exercise all on its own. It’s a full body workout and when done regularly, can do a lot of improvement on toning your muscles and enhancing your overall physique.
- There’s less traffic.
Bikers take up less space on the road. Apart from that, more people on bikes means less people in buses, jeepneys, and public AUVs. This means less cars on the road as well.
- There’s less pollution.
Less cars on the road mean less pollution, carbon emissions, and smog! This also lessens the demand for fuel, and the corresponding carbon footprint it contributes (or doesn’t) to Mother Earth. Hooray for the environment, and our lungs!
- There’s less queues in public stops and terminals.
This lessens the crowding of people in one place, and the unpleasant conditions that are brought about due to this – heat, long waiting times, contamination, further transmission of the coronavirus.
These benefits, however, are hopefully allied with support for bikers in the city.
- Are there enough bike lanes in all major and minor thoroughfares?
Bike safety is no joke. The feeling of vulnerability with no shell to protect you, compared to all the cars that intimidate as they drive near you, can be daunting to say the least. It would be great if bike lanes were properly marked and separated from the rest of the road’s bigger players.
- Are there biking spaces for parking and safety?
Are there enough bike parking spaces and locks in establishments all around the city? Bikers need to make sure their bikes are secure and can be left outside as they do their groceries, buy medicines, or go to work.
- Are safety protocols while riding understood, followed, and strictly implemented?
Are the protocols for safety strictly enforced within the biking community – is there a common understanding of what you can’t leave home without when you bike? Things such as wearing a helmet, knee and elbow pads, the proper footwear, the proper garb in general – all the other things and accessories that ensure a safe and smooth ride?
Are all bikes safe to ride any time of the day and do all bikers wear night gear? Cars, for example, are supposed to have both headlights and all signal lights working properly. For bikes – do all have honking capacity, blinkers, brakes? Do all bikers get to wear the glow in the dark gear so they are easily seen when riding at night?
These are some of the most important questions to ask as we evolve into an increased use of the bike in our greater metropolitan area. We can list the important safety tips and gear for another article. Comment below if your city supports these biking essentials, and let us know if there are other things we missed!