BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved a resolution supporting the United Nations (UN) in declaring June 3 of every year as International World Bicycle Day and adopting the same to be the city’s Bicycle Day and incorporating related activities to be conducted on the said day.
The resolution authored by Councilor Elmer O. Datuin stated as an acknowledgement of the important contributions of cycling to the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN has declared the 3rd day of June every year as International World Bicycle Day and invited all member States and relevant stakeholders to celebrate and promote awareness in the conduct of the said event.
The resolution that the International World Bicycle Day which is also the city’s Bicycle Day would be more remarkable if accompanied by related activities to be supervised by the Tourism and Special Division of the Office for Administration to maximize the potentials of the worldwide event.
The UN declaration encouraged member States to devote particular attention to the bicycle in cross-cutting development strategies and to include the bicycle in international, national, regional and local development policies and programs geared towards improving the state of the environment in urbanized areas in the global village.
The resolution stipulated that as a counterpart, the local government has to encourage its citizens to use the bicycle as a means of transportation because aside from evident health benefits derived from cycling, it is considered to be eco-friendly as it does not emit smoke, and it saves money as it does not use fuel.
Further, the resolution added that the use of bicycles will contribute in the efforts of the local government to decongest the worsening traffic congestions around the city’s central business district area even at least for a day and it only needs minimal for parking, thus, the aggressive campaign to help empower residents and visitors to value the use of the alternative mode of transportation.
The resolution claimed that the use of bicycles is one of the recommended alternative modes of transport to help the local government in lessening the worsening traffic jams around the central business district area, reduce pollutants in the city’s air and lessen the use of fuel in the transport industry.
Based on previous findings by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), bad smoke emitted by the increasing number of motor vehicles plying the city’s streets has been pinpointed as one of the major contributors in the deterioration of the air quality in the central business district although the city’s air quality is still within the tolerable threshold level prescribed by existing laws, rules and regulations.
The resolution underscored the importance of the cooperation of residents in the city’s 128 barangays in the implementation of Bicycle Day in the city next month so that they will have a stress-free and convenient travel around the city while contributing in efforts for the people to adhere to the government’s program on healthy lifestyle.
By Dexter A. See
