Would bikes help lighten Metro Manila traffic?

So I came across this November 4 article in gmanetwork.com, where the MMDA is studying a scheme to give a 1-day “no coding” pass to motorists who bike. If you ride your bike, you get to use your car on its “coding day,” but isn’t the whole idea behind the “number coding” scheme to lessen the volume of cars on the road? So, in theory, by foregoing the use of my car for a certain number of hours I could then use it on its “coding day.” That bold emphasis is important, because according to the article, MMDA Chairman Tolentino gave an example of riding your bike 30 hours a week to get that 1-day pass.

Here is the quote from the story at http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/280851/news/metromanila/mmda-eyes-number-coding-pass-for-regular-bikers,  “Kung magbisikleta ka for a week, 30 hours, matse-check ng constable natin na naka-30 hours ka, the following week kung ikaw ay nag-oopisina sa Makati, bibigyan ka namin ng one-day pass para sa coding exemption,” Tolentino said.

Right away I can tell that the good Chairman doesn’t ride bikes a lot, because any cyclist knows that 30 hours is a heck of a lot of saddle time. I should know; I do bike, and I do it a fair number of hours more than the casual cyclist. It’s a big challenge to log even half that sample quota in one week. Come to think of it, only a doped-up Lance Armstrong could hit that 30 hours a week without breaking a sweat. Actually, maybe that’s the idea! If some brave soul was to actually log 30 hours of biking in one week, he’d be so sick of his bike he really would need that 1-day pass.

But then again, those 30 hours was only “an example.” Or perhaps he was misquoted and he really meant “30 kilometers a week.” Or “30 hours a month.” But while we’re waiting for a clarification—if at all—I’ll share with you my own experiences riding my bike to work years ago (this is different from riding my bike for competitive reasons).

I actually do endorse the idea of riding to work as I think it’s a way to get some exercise while saving on fuel, parking and wear-and-tear costs, but we need good support infrastructure to make it a popular means of alternative transportation. In my experience, I made the best of my resources by riding defensively and figuring out where the nearest shower was.

Here’s how it happened: I rode my bike at least once a day to work on the day that my car was number-coded. Right away we can see there how the number coding scheme already worked at changing my behavior. The distance from our house in Paranaque to my old office in Makati is roughly 18 kilometers, which sounds like a lot for the casual reader but is just an hour’s worth of brisk pedaling for a reasonably fit cyclist.

Because of the poor condition of our roads and the manic driving of other motorists, I chose my mountain bike over my road bike: it was slower than the latter, but was easier to maneuver in traffic and more comfortable to use while wearing a backpack with my work clothes. I took the service road and had many “informal” races with the typical blue-collar guys like carpenters and messengers. When I got to the office, I’d chain my bike to a tree, walk across the street to the gym so I could shower, and then show up for work having saved myself gas money, parking money, toll money, as well as having burned around 500 calories. Later that afternoon I’d change again and ride home.

I did that regularly at least once a week and never once got in an accident, having honed my street smarts by anticipating which buses were likely to cut me off, where all the potholes along my route were, and just generally riding confidently through my body language so other motorists would give me some space.

When I changed jobs to an office much farther away in Quezon City, I had to give up the bike commute as the prospect of riding a total of 70 kilometers (2-way) or 4 hours to and from work was a little too daunting. Plus, the fact that the new workplace didn’t have a shower.

My point is that if the MMDA is serious about encouraging more people to use bikes, they should just think about the things experienced bike commuters look for to make it viable: strictly enforced, well-lit and designated bike lanes; and public bike racks. Chairman Tolentino also mentioned bike-friendly buses, and that’s a good idea for people with a longer commute. I might have taken up that idea if I still worked in Quezon City.

 It’s too much to ask for public showers, but here is where companies can do their part: put a shower in their restrooms so the staff won’t smell like a bus exhaust all day. They’d also do well to educate motorists about the need to extend some courtesy. We can’t really stop on a dime, we need to conserve momentum, and a 1-foot gap may seem like a lot from the safety of your cabin but it’s frighteningly close if you’re on a bike and getting hemmed in by cars from both sides.

As for that 1-day pass idea, the most sensible thing to do is to just forget about it. Rewarding people for not using their car so they can use it when they originally shouldn’t confuses the message. Encourage people to give their car a break so they can use their legs for a change. A daily commute is actually a dreadful (but as yet unavoidable) way to use one’s car: it’s expensive, causes pollution, and adds to traffic. The best reason to enjoy one’s car is when there’s a meaningful occasion like a weekend road trip. Besides, the gas you save by riding a bike for a day can be put to better use on a longer, more enjoyable trip away from work.