The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance institutionalizing an annual bicycle festival every June 3 to July 3 and providing funds for the said purpose.
Under the proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Jose M. Molintas, the institutionalization of the annual bicycle festival would promote and enhance bicycle-related activities and initiate construction of facilities by the city government, other local government units, and private institutions to encourage more citizens to use bicycles as a simple, affordable, reliable, and environment-friendly means of transportation, including the entire Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area and the private sector.
Among the objectives of the proposed measure is to promote the use of bicycles and raising awareness of their benefits for good health and well-being and save the environment from further environmental degradation; support and encourage other individuals and organizations advocating the use of bicycles in the city and serve as a platform to advocate for the integration of cycling into the city and BLISTT infrastructure development to make cycling more accessible and safer mode of transportation.
The proposed festival activities include the celebration of the June 3 United Nation’s World Cycling Day and launching of the Baguio Bicycle Festival; celebration of the June World Environment Day; community bike rides, cycling races, bike parades; bicycle maintenance and safety workshops; public awareness campaigns and educational programs for children and adults and programs for the announcement of initiative related to cycling infrastructure development like bike lanes or bike sharing programs, and bike racks by the city and the private sector and closing and awarding ceremonies.
The ordinance mandated the creation of the Baguio City Bicycle Festival Council which will be composed of representatives from the office of the City Mayor or the City Administrator who shall act as chairperson and as members, one representative of each of the city council committees on environment, public safety and sports and at least 5 representatives from the Baguio Bicycle Association and 5 representatives from academic and other private institutions.
The aforesaid committee is tasked to plan and implement the programs and activities for the festival.
The ordinance authorized the City Mayor to temporarily close roads that will be used for the activities during the bicycle festival.
The city government is compelled to allocate the amount of P500,000 for the effective implementation of the pertinent provision of the ordinance. It may be increased based on the activities that will be adopted for the Baguio bicycle festival celebration.
The ordinance stipulates that the city agrees with the Baguio Bicycle Associations’ advocacy that cycling is a better mode of transport, affordable and environment-friendly and promotes healthy living.
Moreover, the city is fully aware that the United Nations declared every June 3 as the World Bicycle Day to compliment the June 5 World Environment Day.
