Baguio City To Observe World Bicycle Day On June 3

Outgoing Mayor Mauricio Domogan signed an administrative order allowing bicycle fun rides using the city’s busiest road on June 3. The mayor stated that a 19-hour pass will be given to bicycle riders in Session Road in observation of World Bicycle Day according to a report by the Manila Bulletin. Domogan has ordered that parking will not be allowed along Session from 5 a.m. to 12 a.m., thus turning the parking spaces into bike lanes for the day.

World Bicycle Day: How It Began

In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. How did this happen? It started with an American Professor Leszek Sibilski.  He started an academic project to discover the role bicycles played in modern development.

However, what started out as an individual effort ended up evolving into a worldwide advocacy effort backed by Sustainable Mobility for All. This led him to the UN where his campaign for World Bicycle Day was made a resolution promptly sponsored by 56 countries and counting.

World Bicycle Day In Baguio City

Climate change, overpopulation and above all else, pollution. Baguio is one of the most air-polluted cities in the Philippines and owing much to this are the jeepneys, taxis, trucks and personal vehicles. To combat this, World Bicycle Day offers the city cleaner air and encourages its citizens to engage in more exercise for better health.

Regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic, World Bicycle Day benefits everyone. Baguio City started observing World Bicycle Day in 2018 with simple activities spearheaded by cycling groups. Since then, a city resolution was signed declaring every June 3 as Bicycle Day in the city.

Benefits Of Using A Bicycle Every Week

The environmental advantages cycling offers should be enough to persuade the naysayers to cycle but if it isn’t then there are also numerous health reasons. These reasons, however, would convince you to leave the car at home and use the bicycle to work, school or even just for leisure. The benefits of cycling are numerous so my list will feature multiple reasons cumulated as one.

Protects The Environment

Baguio is slowly but surely becoming an overpopulated city. So to satisfy the influx of individuals, more jeepneys and taxis are needed. This means more pollution, traffic, and congestion.

Planet Saves has identified transportation as one of the leading causes of global warming. So, if you’re concerned about global warming and the environment –as you should be–get a bicycle and help save our planet. Cycling will drastically improve the air we breathe which in turn would save lives.

Monetary & Convenience Advantages

As technology advances yearly, electronics, gadgets, and cars are becoming more expensive. A lot of people purchase vehicles without thinking of gas they’d have to buy or money used for its maintenance.

Which would you prefer? To be stuck in traffic for hours when you could get to work or school earlier? Then there are the accidents, this is not to say that cyclists don’t have accidents because they do but seldom. Bicycles are cheaper and safer. Ditch the car and start cycling instead.

Health Benefits

There are so many health benefits of regular cycling, starting with the stimulation and improvement of the heart and lungs. In addition to that, cycling helps with circulation, thus, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cycling often reduces the risk of stroke, certain cancers, and even diabetes.

I bet you didn’t know regular cycling aids mental state. Depression, stress, and anxiety are all reduced by regular bicycle riding. This is due to the effects of the exercise itself and the release of chemicals such as adrenalin and endorphins which help improve your mental wellbeing. Research has shown that if you cycle, the chances of bowel and breast cancer is reduced.

Other health benefits include loss of body fat, strengthened bones, increased muscle strength and flexibility, decreased stress levels among others.

For lack of being subtle, did you know that cycling helps improve sex life? And a better sex life prolongs life. Additionally, cycling aids better sleep at night, boosts brain health and strengthens your immune system.

So there you go, cycling doesn’t just help our environment, it helps you too. So if you’re not doing it for the planet, do it for yourself. On June 3, where will you be? I suggest we all join in on Baguio’s celebration of World Bicycle Day. And who knows, you could meet a friend or friends.