Share the journey
Precious lessons were learned in the second Road Revolution last year which may have spurred organizers of tomorrow’s Earth Day celebration to intensify lobbying efforts.
The last time Cebu City experienced a “Road Revolution”, many commuters and pedestrians were inconvenienced and jeepneys and taxis lost a substantial chunk of their earnings for the day after the roads leading to Colon Street—the oldest street in the country and one of the busiest in Cebu City—were closed down.
Contrast that with the June 12 Independence Day where the first Road Revolution experiment was held. Since it was a Sunday and a holiday at that, there were fewer people on the streets.
Organizers made a fun showcase of “sharing the road” with bikers and skateboarders turning Osmeña Boulevard into a promenade and a park.
Tomorrow, bicycle enthusiasts will celebrate Earth Day by riding through main streets from Plaza Independencia to the Capitol, showing how pedal power can trump polluting vehicles.
No, the road won’t be closed.
It will be “shared”, said organizers of 350.org Pilipinas, an environment lobby group that links the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with Apocalyptic scenarios of life after climate change.
We hope car drivers look carefully down the road as they traverse the shared lanes.
It’s an 8 a.m. bike run down Osmeña Boulevard, the largest, most historic and one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city.
The participants get out every April 22 to celebrate Earth Day, riding bicycles of all shapes and sizes, from affordable folding bikes made in China to sleek alumnium mountain bikes.
Not all of them are die-hard environment warriors, but they do enjoy the fresh air and camaraderie on the road.
Organizers said they will set up bike lane flags, prepare their route and police their ranks. Citom enforcers will be fielded to keep an eye on the enlarged group of new road users even as they appealed to bikers to avoid dangerous maneuvers like criss-crossing lanes.
Cebu City is far from being bicycle-friendly, lacking painted lanes or driver’s etiquette that would ensure a safe ride. Still it’s a worthy goal to set the city on the path of providing citizens a choice of taking a fossil-fueled vehicle or low-carbon option like walking or riding a bike to work, school or everyday errands.
If green lobbyists can show how options can co-exist without screaming at “unenlightened” parties to change their ways, there would be a better chance of moving things forward.
After all, the majority still ride polluting, but necessary motor vehicles. That’ reality.
Earth Day is a celebrati on for everyone who values life. It’s a journey we all share, whether you mark the distance on foot or on wheels.
