Biking, like swimming and long distance running, is an activity best enjoyed alone. Ever since I started using a bicycle regularly while working in Cambodia, it has been relatively rare for me to bike with other people. I’m the type who likes to go off on different routes, discovering bypaths and alternate ways, always trying to see where a path might lead. In that sense I can be adventurous, but of course, only trying something within the capabilities of a senior on a second-hand Japanese city bike — you know, the one with narrow smooth wheels, a wide seat, gracefully curved handlebars, a basket in front, 3 to 6 speed gears, and a little bell.   

I’m not a particular fan of people biking in groups, with their lycra uniforms and the latest, flashiest gadgets on 12-gear mountain bikes. I wouldn’t fit in; everyone’s trying to talk or chat, or take groupfies. Besides, I want to enjoy the scenery, to stop and take photos – of interesting or funny signage, overloaded vehicles, peculiar plants and flowers, old colonial-era houses, murals, or anything that stokes my fancy – or have a coffee by the roadside, without having to drag everyone else with me. 

I’m not quite up to the endurance of serious, thrill-seeking bikers who go off-road onto little trails and hills, ravines, and rivers. Indeed, since I returned to Iloilo almost a year ago, I have not biked beyond a 15-kilometer radius of the city, but still there are nooks and crannies to discover, whether in Pavia, Santa Barbara, Barrio Obrero, or Oton. 

It’s such a wonderful sensation to feel the morning sun and the breeze on one’s face, or see a refreshing view of rice fields, streams, marshes, and herons, and hear nothing but the sounds of birds. One of my favorite routes, on a dry day, outside of the protected bike lanes and the esplanades, is the flood control route, where one goes under several bridges and follows the Jalaur/Aganan river from Santa Barbara as it empties into the Guimaras strait.    

A possible downside is blowing up a tire. If I were in group, everyone would wait until the flat got fixed, or someone would probably have a hand pump. But having experienced several flats in the past year, I’ve always found that there is a vulcanizing shop somewhere within a 15-minute walk.  Also, aggressive dogs can be a problem if you’re biking alone in an unfamiliar area. But to concede, it’s also been a great experience when you’re biking with a friend or two who are not fussy and are easygoing, and who are really there to enjoy the ride, the view, and the company. That’s not always possible, and if that was a prerequisite for a bike ride, then I would have stayed home 9 times out of 10.

Birth pangs of the ‘Bike capital of the Philippines‘

(For the unfamiliar, Iloilo City has received awards in the past five years for ramping up its cycling infrastructure and protected bike lanes – led by cycling advocates and responsive governance.)

It started with a few Facebook posts, of bikers blocking paths on the esplanades, riding three or four abreast, or going fast in some of the esplanades where biking is allowed. Some netizens started to complain about biker behavior, and bikers, stung by criticism, also responded and started to ridicule the city’s tag as “the bike capital.” Some “feeling entitled” people – bikers and non-bikers – traded barbs on social media, and some people were bullied or blocked from posting on public FB goups.

Then a government employee claimed he was prohibited from taking a photo of his bike in Esplanade 1 by overzealous patrollers, pointing out a sign saying that “bikes (among other things – like littering/food, pets) are not allowed.” He took pains to dig up the origins of all the rules and regulations on the use of Esplanades 1 and 2, and came up with the conclusion that there was no such ordinance prohibiting biking – and even got a certification from a city official to say that no such ordinance existed.  

Also, others started to post photos of people and police riding their bicycles on Esplanades 1 and 2. Really beside the point, since they are patrollers and need to be more mobile on the esplanades. A heated discussion between those who favored biking on Esplanades 1 and 2 and those who did not want biking there ensued. Others joined the fray, saying that the esplanade should be open to bikers at certain hours, or that in some areas, people should be allowed to walk their bikes. Then skateboarders, rollerbladers, and those on electric scooters also wanted to be able to use the esplanade. 

Those opposed to this pointed out that there had been near-accidents and collisions in the area between bikers and joggers, that seniors and PWDs felt unsafe with bikers zooming around, and that, besides, the other esplanades (3 to 9) were already shared spaces for all. Bike zealots then said that “protected bike lanes” should be exclusive to bikers, and pedestrians should not use them!

No resolution seemed to be in sight, and there was a rumor that a group of bikers were going to go on a “guerrilla” bike ride in Esplanade 1, confident that they had the legal right to bike there, since no city ordinance prohibiting biking in that area existed. 

It got to the point where the city mayor stepped in, and in a Facebook post announced that Esplanades 1 and 2 were for the use of seniors, PWDs, and children, and that an Executive Order would be forthcoming. End of story?  Not quite: some wags asked whether the statement meant the EXCLUSIVE use of Esplanades 1 and 2 by the above groups, and pointed out that the message was “problematic.” Of course, other nitpickers asked, “What if I am a senior and also a biker?”

Well, if the “bike capital” needs a city mayor to intervene on this matter, it doesn’t say much about our own common sense, or mutual respect for others to use shared spaces for the safety and security of all. Do we really want executive interventions on these things when the city has so many other problems for local officials to address? But I’d say this is also a result of people’s ideas of entitlement and awareness of what being “bike-friendly” means – and a realization that  it can be a short step to becoming “bike fascists.” – Rappler.com

Vic Salas is a physician and public health specialist by training, and now retired from international consulting work. He is back in Iloilo City, where he spent his first quarter century.