Bikes are the new banana bread—and with tax perks, extra pay credits or food vouchers, a lawmaker believes we can get more people to make banana bread—er, make the shift to cycling.

Ang Probinsyano party-list representative Ronnie Ong said, “By ‘incentivizing’ the use of bikes, the government may be able to convert people to continue using bicycles in their daily commute even after the pandemic is over and life as we know it is back to full normalcy.”

Right now there is no data to reveal just how many people are taking two wheels wherever they go partly because there is no formalized registration initiative throughout the country—heck, even crash reports are incohesive. But people on the streets are a testament to this clamor for bicycles as alternative ways to move—that along with the demand to make cities more bike-friendly and subsequent government reaction to make cyclist-exclusive lanes along EDSA.

(1/2) LOOK: Personnel from the MMDA paint temporary bike lanes along Edsa-Santolan in Quezon City, on Sunday June 14, to provide bikers a special pathway while public transportation is still suspended under general community quarantine. | 📷 Niño Jesus Orbeta/PDI pic.twitter.com/w8WwHv6sCi

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) June 14, 2020

Following the model of the Netherlands—one of the world’s leading biking nations with the highest number of bike per capita—Rep. Ong suggests making a similar payout to Filipino bikes. The Dutch, for one, receives approximately P11 for every kilometer they traverse, said Ong. Similarly, British casual cyclists are afforded P13 “mileage allowance” per every mile.

[READ: There’s no one-size-fits-all-needs bike. Can these customizable Filipino-made wheels be it?]

“Providing incentives for people who bike-to-work is small price to pay for its immeasurable benefits. This would translate to billions of economic opportunities and billions of savings on capital expenditures. More importantly, we are investing for the future of the next generation and the future of our planet,” the legislator said.

According to Ong, more people biking can mean reduced traffic and air pollution. The shift will also likely save the government expenses on infrastructure maintenance and healthcare for citizens.

[READ: Bike loans and safer roads: How Pasig is encouraging more citizens to start cycling]

“A clean environment and a healthy population are the best sign of a wealthy and progressive country,” Ong said.

In online biking communities on Facebook, users are debating about bike registration, which will be likely brought up if Ong’s proposal pushes through.

Earlier this month, Davao City reinvigorated its bike registration efforts, which goes back last year, following its initiative to make the locale more bike-friendly. Cyclists in Davao City pay a P150 annual registration fee. This comes with corresponding life insurance for the rider and the classification of usage.

Meanwhile in Cebu City, its LGU has suspended bike registration, which has been in effect since the 1970s.

“In order to support alternative, sustainable means of transportation, there is a need to temporarily suspend the requirements of bicycle license in the city,” the Executive Order signed by Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella reads.

Header photo courtesy of Jan Belmonte/Cycling Matters

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