ILOILO City – The city government mulls having an annual “Bike Day” – a day when people go to work or visit places using only bicycles.
At the opening of the 6th Bike Festival on Wednesday, Mayor Jose Espinosa III vowed to sustain the city’s bike lanes and road sharing program.
The bike lanes are on Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue (Diversion Road) and select thoroughfares in the downtown area. They total some 11 kilometers.
Espinosa cited Amsterdam in The Netherlands where the bike population is double the number of its residents using bicycles.
“This is a priority. Biking as a sport brings a lot of health benefits. It also gives opportunity for people to mingle with one another,” said Espinosa during the Bike Festival’s opening program at Festive Walk of the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao district.
However, Espinosa said he was relying more on the private sector to take the lead.
“We will be saving nature. We will be healthy. We will help lower carbon emission in the air and contribute, even just a little, to efforts addressing global warming,” he said.
The festival, anchoring on the theme “Riding for Unity in Bike-Friendly City”, has slated events for the weeklong celebration.
In addition to the Bike Exhibit that opened on May 1 and would run until May 5 at the Festive Mall Event Center (Iloilo Business Park), there is also a Tour D’ Quiñon at the Plazuela De Iloilo (May 1); BMX Street Exhibition (yesterday) at Festive Walk; Impact Jam MTB Salon on Megaworld Boulevard (today); Family Fun Race at the Megaworld Convention Drive and Fourcross and BMX Challenge at the Bike Tyangge Festive Mall (May 4); Fixed Gear Competition and Grand Fun Ride (Iloilo Business Park) on May 5.
Moises Salomon Jr., officer-in-charge of the Iloilo City Sports Division, said they expect more than 2,000 bikers to join the weeklong event as various bike groups have been sent invitations. (PNA)
