While quarantine restrictions are slowly being lifted in the country, public transportation remains difficult for many Filipinos living in Metro Manila because of the limited options. Bicycles seem to be filling this gap, as many of us are turning to the humble two-wheeled vehicle to commute to work or essential duties.
And as bicycles start filling the streets, OG bicycle enthusiasts in the city are sharing why they chose to bike in the city and how their bikes have made their lives better on a new Facebook page.
Similar to the famous Humans of New York page, Mobile in MNL is a newly created Facebook page “that aims to add names and faces to the users of active mobility in Metro Manila.” The page features Metro Manila bicyclists who share why they made a commitment to bicycling instead of using traditional transportation modes.
Trix, a graphic designer, shared how her frustration towards commuting by trains and buses two hours a day led her to resort to bikes instead. “I got frustrated commuting two hours a day. I had to take a train and then a bus. And the bus ride took about an hour from the train station to my office…. Now my daily commute that used to take two hours, takes only one.” She ultimately opted for cycling as it was also good for the environment.
She learned how to ride a bike for the purpose of commuting, not having biking experience at the start. “I didn’t know how to ride a bike, but I realized if I didn’t buy one, I would never learn. So I bought my bike on Saturday. Taught myself on Sunday. Biked to work on Tuesday,” she shared.
Keisha Mayuga found bikes as the best transportation choice for herself when in college.
“I started biking in college because I moved to a place where jeeps didn’t pass, and tricycle rides were PHP 40. That’s a lot when you’re a college student. My school wasn’t really that far, so I decided to borrow my dad’s bike,” she shared on the page.
She’s now a transportation infrastructure consultant and the founder of Life Cycles PH – an organization that helps people donate bikes to frontliners.
69-year-old Oghie Inocencio rediscovered his love for biking after he retired. He started cycling when he was young, but stopped when he began to work.
That was until he consulted a doctor for pain after his retirement. “I was feeling pain in my toes, hips – everything. So my doctor told me to exercise, but not basketball. I turned to biking and the aches and pains were cured,” Inocencio recounted.
Since going back to his passion, he’s already biked to Tarlac City, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Sierra Madre, and even Tagaytay.
A professional cycling marshal, he’s also joined Firefly Brigade-Philippines, a non-governmental organization dedicated to bicycles, to help advocate for cleaner air and using bikes for exercise and physical therapy.
The pandemic has made biking a better alternative for many commuters who still need to get to work during this period.
In the future, once public transportation returns to a more normal schedule, we hope that our favorite two-wheeled vehicle won’t be forgotten, and that bikers such as these Metro Manila bicyclists get better bike laws and bike lane regulations.
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Cover image adapted from: Mobile in MNL
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