Realistically, the bicycle infrastructure in Iloilo still pales in comparison with other great cities, but the city is now at the forefront of being a pioneer bicycle-friendly major city here in the Philippines, and there are now many pedestrian and bicycle-centered projects being planned within the city, plans that many Filipinos, especially here in Metro Manila, wish to also have.
But what if your metropolis has 15 million people? What do we do with a problem like Metro Manila? I could only give one answer: political will.
If political will in Iloilo is making all of these happen, why not in other cities in the Philippines? It would be really hard to do this in Metro Manila since many more factors are there to consider. The most important one is to develop more transit lines to encourage public transportation to decongest roads and develop pedestrian and biking programs.
But this is the challenge to its politicians and citizens. For the politicians, what would they do in the face of this terrible dilemma? For the citizens, how could they promote biking and change the culture to have greater respect with those with less wheels? Political will and change of culture really works, especially if done fast, efficient, and sustainable.
---Kjerrimyr Andrés, a happy 17 year-old Filipino political science student from Ateneo de Manila University
Distinguished and Ever Loyal
andrecity.tumblr.com
Iloilo just got featured by the Guardian as one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world. In an article last June 1, the city was placed alongside very well-known cycling cities such as Amsterdam, Helsinki, and Santiago through a quote from Diana Mitlin via twitter:
from Iloilo City Government's Facebook Wall http://ift.tt/1M9hHmX
via IFTTT
