SCENIC LANE | Iloilo City is ramping up initiatives to keep its status as a walkable and bike-friendly destination as more Ilonggos use bicycles to commute between home and work along the scenic Iloilo River and streets featuring restored buildings. —PHOTO COURTESY OF ILOILO CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — Amid its continued infrastructure boom, Iloilo City is ramping up programs to promote the Western Visayas regional capital as a walkable and bike-friendly city.
The Iloilo City government has launched walking tour services and will hold a bicycle count as part of its efforts to develop the city as a walkable tourist attraction and community-friendly to bikers.
The free hourlong walking tour started on June 2 and was aimed at raising awareness and appreciation of the rich cultural heritage and history of the city, according to a statement from the city government’s public information office.
A tour guide is assigned per 10-person tour group which will take off from City Hall and pass JM Basa and Iznart Streets (Calle Real) toward Casa Real, the restored old provincial capitol.
The area hosts historic sites and structures, including the restored Art Deco buildings.
Mobility, road-sharing
The city government has also initiated a bicycle count to gather data on bicycle users in the city as part of efforts to develop the city as the country’s biking capital.
The count started on June 3 and will continue for three more consecutive Fridays and is being conducted together with the Iloilo Folding Bike Riders, Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Visayas, and Mobility Awards, according to the public information office.
The bike count is being conducted by teams assigned in 20 locations during peak hours (6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.). Data gathered from this survey will be used in crafting policies encouraging “mobility, road-sharing and safety.”
In November last year, Iloilo City won major bicycle-friendly awards.
It bagged the gold award of the Bike Lane Awards 2021. The award recognizes “exemplary efforts” of local governments “that have pushed for active transportation through the establishment of new infrastructure and the implementation of various support programs in the last two years.”
The city was also named the country’s most bicycle-friendly city during the Mobility Awards 2021.
—NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.
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