CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City has outnumbered the City of Mandaue this year on individuals using bikes as mode of transportation for work and other activities.
Based on the last official bike count conducted by the Sugbo Bike Lanes Board (SBLB), Cebu City this year recorded 6,182 cyclists average per day, which is higher compared to Mandaue City’s 5,441 cyclists per day. This is an improved average bike count for Cebu City as compared to two years ago.
Elizar Sabinay Jr. of Cebu Leads Foundation (CLF), which is a member of the SBLB, said Cebu City’s recorded average cyclists in a day is also an improvement from 2021’s count where the city had 5,664 people using bikes as mode of transportation.
“Meaning there is a 9 percent increase of cyclists in Cebu City alone from 2021 to 2023. And 6,182 is a lot,” said Sabinay, who is representing civil society organizations in the SBLB.
“That is already equivalent to 120 buses,” Sabinay added, via the Sugbo Bike Lane Board (SBLB)’s “Sikad Sugbo: Impormasyon ug Kaalam” teleradyo program aired at the Sugboanon channel last Thursday.
From June 29 to July 1, CLF also recorded 13,364 bike commuters and cyclists in four locations in the city, which is also an improvement of the 11,327 recorded numbers of cyclists for three days in Cebu City in 2021.
Of the 13,364 cyclists that were counted, 99 percent were mostly men.
Sabinay hopes women will also utilize bikes as an alternative mode of transport in the future.
He said that SBLB’s findings on this year’s bike count reveals that more people in the city are opting to use bikes to work because of the problems plaguing Cebu’s public transportation system.
“There is an increase of cyclists because there is a problem, there is an issue in moving people such as the lack of public transportation,” Sabinay said, adding that some commuters complain against traditional and modern public jeepneys because of overloading.
The data gathered are expected to help the city and the rest of the country in policy-making on active transport and for better protection for bike commuters who are promoting it as it is cost-effective, healthy, and environment-friendly.
“If the city wants to be Singapore-like, let’s focus on moving people, not cars,” Sabinay added.
Bernard Maraasin, SBLB’s executive director, the report will help them gauge how many cyclists are currently on the street and what projects will the City implement to ensure that bike commuting is safe and secure.
Maraasin is also hoping for the private sector, especially companies, to help the city put up infrastructure for their employees who are into bike commuting just like what some business leaders in the city are doing. — (FREEMAN)