A few days ago, I returned from my trip to the Netherlands, a country where cycling is a popular mode of transportation. According to Wikipedia, 36% of Dutch people use bicycles as their primary means of getting around on a typical day, compared to 45% who use cars and 11% who use public transport. I learned during a canal boat tour in Amsterdam that the city has so many bikes that 10,000 of them are pulled from the canals each year. It’s quite a sight!
Coincidentally, the latest report from Social Weather Stations (SWS) in the Philippines also mentions the same figure of 36% as the proportion of households with at least one member who cycles for any activity. This report indicates a significant increase from the previous year, with a rise of 7 points since April 2022 and 12 points since May 2021. Applying these percentages to official household projections, it’s estimated that there will be 10 million cycling households in 2023, compared to 7.3 million in 2022 and 6.2 million in 2021.
The cycling report was conducted by Christian Michael “Mic” C. Entoma, a sociologist and avid cyclist with 23 years of experience at SWS. Mic, whose nickname rhymes with “bike,” commutes between his home and office on his bike, covering a distance of 10 kilometers in 45 minutes. He is passionate about cycling safety and has expressed his interest in measuring the hazards associated with biking in future surveys.
The survey also revealed interesting statistics about biking habits. Two-thirds of cyclists use bikes owned by their households, while one-third borrow bikes. A few people own bikes but don’t use them, which raises the question of whether there is a rental market for bikes. The ratio of bike-owning households to households with four-wheeled motor vehicles has increased from 2:1 to 4:1 in the past three years. However, motorcycles remain the most common mode of transportation owned by households.
The reasons cited by households for using bikes vary, including saving on transportation costs, improving health, saving travel time, weight loss, recreation, socializing, and livelihood. The survey also assessed which members of the households were cyclists, their gender, age, and relation to the household head. Based on this data, Mic estimated that there will be 17.4 million cyclists in 2023, compared to 11.2 million in 2022. While men still outnumber women, the gender ratio is becoming more balanced, with a decrease from 4:1 to 3:1 between 2022 and 2023. Additionally, cycling is gaining popularity among the youth, with cyclists aged 17 and below now equal in number to those aged 18-34.
In addition to the cycling data, the SWS report also shed light on the access to modern amenities in households. While there is a growing access to cable TV, home computers, the internet, and other gadgets, there are still significant gaps in access to basic utilities such as electricity, piped water, and sanitation. The bicycle, as a simple mode of transportation, may be overlooked because it is not considered modern enough. The government’s focus on large-scale projects like airports and subways may overshadow the potential of bicycles as a sustainable transport option.
In order to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 11 of “sustainable cities and communities,” it is crucial to ensure personal access to alternative modes of transportation, a well-functioning public transport system, and a safe physical environment. Regular data on personal mobility provided by researchers is a small contribution towards understanding how to efficiently achieve these goals.
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