Iloilo City is an exceptionally urbanized region that is made out of six political districts. The biggest locale is Jaro, which involves 39% of the all-out land space of 2,672.00 hectares. The City Proper is the smallest region which has an absolute land space of 413.50 hectares and establishes just six percent of the whole of Iloilo City.

The City Proper, being the current focal business region, is the place where the majority of the daytime populace is go-to for the day-by-day work. Accordingly, the movement trips coming all through this space are exceptionally high, and the normal traffic is practically present, particularly during top hours. Commuting via jeepney is one of the fundamental methods of transportation going to the city legitimate, yet considering that the pandemic struck and social distancing is one of the primary concerns, the quantity of units lessens to about 40% as it were.

Individuals were thinking about different modes for them to effortlessly go to work and the pattern presented was through cycling or bicycle to work. Additionally, this got the help of the Iloilo City Government by opening a portion of the Esplanades as bicycle courses circumventing the city.

Through the years, the Iloilo City LGU supported biking not only for leisure but for the daily commute. Councilor Jay Treñas acted on his legislative powers by passing an ordinance requiring all buildings in the city to install bike racks. There were also several activities such as fun rides by various groups and NGOs promoting the bike culture in the city.

Biking to work here in Iloilo City is beginner-friendly, even if the bike lane network is not yet fully established. All of you need to have a bicycle, which, obviously, genially kept, a helmet for protection in case of accidents, and your rucksack or a carriage for one. Likewise, remember to carry spare clothes to change if the climate is warm while you travel.

Let say you are staying in the Jaro area, and the distance to your office is around 5 to 6 kilometers. Utilize a bicycle. Significant streets are crossing from Tabuc Suba going to the Jaro Plaza, and afterward directly to the city downtown by traversing through Luna Street. You can likewise take the Ungka course, where the longest bicycle lane is found going Diversion Road, and to the stoplight UP Visayas region where you can take Gen. Luna Street or Delgado road.

In my case since I am coming from the Lapaz area near the market and Gaisano city, I just cross the bridge and head over to Bonifacio Drive and Iznart street. I have already reached the downtown area. See this video below.

Overall, the mindset of biking to work in Iloilo City is more of a convenience as it gets you to the office quicker, and you get to exercise while enjoying the city scenery along the way. More and more Ilonggos are already into this and you should too.

*header image from Panay News Website.

Yesterday I decided to pass by the bike lanes in the Iloilo City General Luna street area during the rush hours in the afternoon after our office in the City Hall. That is after my objective of dropping by the local game store to give the Magic: the Gathering foil promo packs won by the teammate which he sold to another local player.

From the Iloilo Terminal Market area, I went to Jalandoni Street then going to Gen. Luna street and found somewhat standstill traffic as a lot of vehicles were lining up on the intersection of these roads. I just then realized that the bridge going to Brgy. Nabitasan is under repair and is closed to traffic.

That was my intended route going to the Diversion road. I then saw that beside it is the connecting esplanade bike lanes and so after passing through a short stall of traffic, I got off my bike and carried it up the stairs into the oval area. It was quite satisfying to get out of that traffic and maybe people can notice the benefits of having the esplanade bike lanes there. Now I get to pass by that bike lane route going to the Diversion road and also I was able to check the connecting bike lane along the bridge and to observe the bike traffic on those hours.

I then pedaled through the main bike lane in Diversion Road wherein the plan was to go to Akamon Ramen Bar to try their new Curry Ramen. It was my cravings during these past weeks so that was the ideal time to go there. A few bikers were going home from work and also some joggers who are enjoying the afternoon exercising because of no rain. That was quite a break after almost a month of rainy afternoon weather.

Going back, I know that the SM Strata bike rack was placed on the second floor so I had to a short bike climb going there and I think that was impractical and unfriendly for the bikers as we are not using motorized vehicles that can easily climb up the ramp on to the 2nd-floor parking. There were a few bikes parked there when I arrived and I am sure they also faced the same problem. I have raised this concern to the Iloilo BIke City FB group and hopefully, some officials can take notice and do the necessary actions.

Anyhow, to wrap up the day, a bowl of Akamon’s Curry Ramen to satisfy and lived up to the expectations. This premium dish is priced for only P250 so grab one today. Akamon Ramen Bar is located on the ground floor of SM Strata and can be easily spotted from the bike lane.

Overall, these bike lanes are expected to garner more bike traffic in the coming months as the new normal lifestyle, and people appreciating the benefits of bicycles in their daily routines. Some parts of these lanes also need repairs and maintenance as I’ve noticed broken and disconnected bricks that may cause harm for bikers if they stepped into it. Also, the plants should be trimmed as some of their branches are already inside the lane and hinders the passageway. 

I appreciate all of the continuous support of the local government and I do hope that more programs and projects will come to fruition so that Iloilo City can truly deserve its title of becoming the bike capital of the country.

*banner image from Iloilo Metropolitan Times