BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
TO BE FIT and healthy you need to be physically active. Regular physical activity can help protect you from serious diseases such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, diabetes, and arthritis. Riding your bicycle regularly is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of developing health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
With the coronavirus pandemic keeping most commuters away from public transport, cycling has quickly emerged as a safe and convenient alternative.
This bicycle boom is rooted in common sense that it is much easier to comply with social distancing guidelines when you’re riding a bike out in the open than in an enclosed and potentially crowded space such as a bus or a train.
In addition, the overall decrease in car traffic and the temporary speed limit reductions are making city streets a lot friendlier to cyclists.
Bicycle sales are soaring and around the world, a number of national and local governments have taken measures to support the shift to cycling. Cities are repurposing some of their major thoroughfares to create pop up bike lanes. In many communities, bike shops have been granted essential status so they could remain open and serve bicycle commuters during this unprecedented time.
Iloilo City is dubbed the “Bike Capital of the Philippines”. Mayor Jerry Treñas supports bikers; bike lanes have been designated.
Bike enthusiasts are flooding the metro.
“Nag-bike ako sang nag-start gid pandemic para makalagaw man kag exercise,” says Toto, a biker.
“Nami pa gid kay may bike lane na kita diri, safe kami nga bikers. Kag kanami mag-bike, maglantaw sang mga landscapes,” Vic added.
Cycling is a healthy, low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from young children to older adults. It is also fun, cheap and good for the environment./PN
