Safe cycling should be taught in primary school, says public transport advocate

Children should be taught safe cycling practices in primary school to promote better active commute, a public transport advocate said Tuesday.

Robert Siy, a development economist and city planner from the Move As One Coalition, said including safe cycling practices in the educational system would make a “big difference” in active transport.

“One suggestion we have is for the Department of Education to also include cycling good practice as part of their physical education (PE) program,” he said in a Department of Health (DOH) forum.

“It would be great if every primary school student would also become a good cyclist so they would learn how to use a bicycle as part of PE but also learn good cycling and safe cycling practice,” he added.

Citing 2015 data from technology consultancy firm Thinking Machines, DOH Director IV Dr. Beverly Ho said road crashes involving cyclists end in injury or death “almost 70% of the time.”

Siy said this was why motor vehicle users need to think about cyclists and bike lanes “in a different way.”

“The more people shift from using a motorcycle or a car… we will actually reduce traffic congestion and even for the PUV operators, many people who are pedestrians or who choose to walk, they also will use now public transport more actively,” he said.

“We need to have a more welcoming and open mind about bicycle lanes. It will be a lot better for all of us, especially [the] concept [of] pollution… If more people walk and cycle we will have a much more liveable city and that’s, I think, what all of us would want.”

A November 2020 poll found that 87% of Filipinos believed roads would be better off if public transportation, pedestrians, and cyclists were prioritized over private vehicles. 

The government last year said it was eyeing bike lanes in seven Metro Manila areas as more commuters took up active transportation amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

In Taguig City, a bike program was launched to promote active transport. — RSJ, GMA News