ILOILO City – The city government will integrate biking and bike lanes in its updated Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).
Just recently, the Dutch Cycling Embassy presented to Mayor Jerry Treñas the result of the ThinkBike Workshop they conducted here.
Dutch Cycling Embassy is a public-private partnership in The Netherlands focused on urban planning and cycling.
“We are updating our CLUP. It is timely that the Dutch Cycling Embassy came over and presented their output,” said Treñas.
He expressed optimism that the motoring public would be welcoming of road-sharing as a practice.
“It will take time. There must be a change in mind-set. It involves, too, some degree of discipline,” said Treñas.
Dutch Ambassador Saskia Elisabeth De Lang said Iloilo City could be the first city in the country to have specific guidelines for urban related-biking in the zoning ordinance.
“I am pleased to hear that biking can be fitted in those future plans,” De Lang said. “Once the infrastructures are in place, people would use their bicycles more often.”
The ThinkBike Workshop was conducted on Oct. 7 and 8. It was attended by various stakeholders from the tourism and planning offices of the city government, the transport sector, and cycling civic society organizations.
“Biking should be safe, it should easy to take a bike when going to work, shopping, or enjoy biking along the river,” said De Lang./PN
