Quezon City is the most bike-friendly city in the Philippines for 2023

Quezon City is the most bike-friendly city in the Philippines, according to the 2023 Mobility Awards.

This is the first time Quezon City was nominated in the Mobility Awards and in his acceptance speech, General Elmo San Diego, Head of the Quezon City Departmenr oof Public Order and Safety, expressed joy at being number 1.

"Traditionally, when you say, you mean moving vehicles from one point to another. In Quezon City, when you say traffic, we mean moving moving from one point to another," he said.

According to San Diego, more than 16,000 cyclists pedal through Quezon City's 200 kilometers of bike lanes on a daily basis. "And we intend to improve," he said.

"The general focus and direction is exclusivity of bike lanes for users and enthusiasts," he continued saying they aim "to avoid friction" among "kamote riders and cyclists" by "installing permanent concrete dividers for the bikers para wala na ring ma-aksidente."

San Diego also promised to add end-of-trip and middle-of-trip facilities for bikers including shower areas and CRs.

"Quezon City is 1/4 of Metro Manila — four Manilas will fit in Quezon City ,that's why we are focused in improving...especially our bike lanes," he said.

Iloilo took the 2nd spot with a gold rating, while Baguio was named the 3rd best city for bicycling with a silver rating.

Held on Friday at Novotel in Cubao, the 3rd edition of the Mobility Awards recognizes cities, large and standalone businesses, workplaces as well as individuals who have been championing the bicycle as a mode of transport. It saw some 200 unique nominations, with 20 submissions for the city category, 82 submissions for the commercial establishment category, 27 for standalone establishments, and 59 submissions for workplaces.

Organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), MNL Moves, Climate Reality Project-Philippines, 350.Org Pilipinas, and Pinay Bike Commuter, the Mobility Awards launched in 2020, and took a break in 2022.

“The progress in terms of bicycle infrastructure and programs in cities, offices, and establishments are more prominent this year. The one-year gap in 2022 provided us a good picture of these developments,” said Mobility Awards National Coordinator Arielle Celine Tabinga.

On its website, the Mobility Awards says it was driven by a simple goal to prioritize the needs of 88% of Filipino households in Metro Manila that do not own private cars "According to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), over 80% of road spaces are dedicated for the use of private cars despite only 12% of Filipino households being car owners," it continued.

According to an SWS survey released on September 2023, the number of households in the country that used bikes or cycles for an activity rose to 36% or around 10 million, from 29% or around 7.3 million "cycling households" recorded in April 2022 and the 24% or around 6.2 million in May 2021.

Below are the complete list of winners:

Bicycle-Friendly Cities
1: Quezon City – Gold
2: Iloilo City – Gold
3: Baguio City – Silver

Bicycle-Friendly Workplaces
1: Medical City Ortigas (Pasig) – Gold
2: GSIS Main Office (Pasay) – Gold
3: Cebu IT Park – Silver

Bicycle-Friendly Large Establishments
1: Bonifacio High Street (Taguig) – Gold
2: SM Mall of Asia (Pasay) – Silver
3: Megaworld Iloilo Business Park – Silver

Bicycle-Friendly Standalone Establishments
1: Magdamag Cafe (Quezon City) – Silver
2: Kape Urban (Mandaluyong) – Silver
3: Natoy’s Best Bibingka and Kakanin (Davao) – Bronze

Siklista ng Bayan Awardees
1: Michael Dumasig (Quezon City)
2: Mheeka Orsal (Baguio City)
3: Myla Buenaventura (Pasig City)

Special Awards
? Masikap Awardee: Joseph Matthew Estrella (Pasig City)
? Matulungin Awardee: Pablo Alar Canlas, Jr. (Borongan City)
? Maaasahan Awardee: Leonilo C Arduo, Jr. (Kapalong)

Padyak Champion Awardees
1: Sarah Francesca Aguja (GrabFood)
2: Arnold Samiano De Luna (GrabFood)
3: Junius Arellano (Foodpanda)

Special Awards
? Masikap Awardee: Francis Ian Villamayor (Foodpanda)
? Matulungin Awardee: Neldeo del Mundo (Foodpanda)
? Maaasahan Awardee: Jhon Christopher Gayas (Foodpanda)

— LA, GMA Integrated News