We’ve said this before, but we’ll say it again: If there’s at least one good thing to come out of the past few months under lockdown, it’s that the government is finally taking the plight of Filipino cyclists seriously.
According to a report by Inquirer.net, at least one member of Congress is pushing for incentives for cyclists to help promote the use of bicycles. This could come in the form of tax incentives or even food credits, the report adds.
Representative Ronnie Ong of the Ang Probinsyano party list says providing bike riders with incentives will help convince people to keep using bicycles even after the ongoing pandemic comes to an end. The official is calling the current situation a “once in a lifetime opportunity for the government to solve two of the country’s biggest problems: pollution and traffic.”
Ong used the Netherlands, where cyclists are paid to use bicycles, and the United Kingdom, where riders are given a “mileage allowance,” as examples. He acknowledged, though, that these are first world countries and that food vouchers may be a more viable alternative for now.
“Of course, these are rich countries so we could instead provide incentives in the form of food vouchers which can only be used to buy food commodities,” Ong reportedly said, adding that pushing for a cycling culture could result in a long-term solution to traffic.
What do you think of Ong’s suggestion? Do you think giving bicycle riders incentives is a good way to go about solving Metro Manila’s traffic problem? Let us know in the comments.
