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Cyclists prep for Tour of the Fireflies on April 17


(Updated 10:19 a.m. on April 11) Around 10,000 cyclists are expected to turn out for the Tour of the Fireflies — a yearly mass bicycle ride through various Metro Manila cities — on April 17. Now on its 13th year, the event aims to raise public awareness about the benefits of using bicycles as an affordable and eco-friendly form of alternative transport.
The 2010 Tour of the Fireflies gathered between 8,000 to 10,000 cyclists. Photo courtesy of Pio Fortuno.
This year's tour will span 42 kilometers, starting at Tiendesitas Complex in Pasig City at 7 a.m. The theme of this year's ride is "Bicycle Revolution." "Critical mass rides" like the tour are organized by cycling groups around the world on a regular basis to draw public attention to the needs and rights of cyclists. The yearly tour has experienced a steady increase in participants since the first one in 1999, which involved around 300 cyclists, according to Firefly Brigade members. Last year’s tour drew between 8,000 and 10,000 cyclists, while this year's event is expected to attract even bigger numbers. A map of the 2011 Tour of the Fireflies route, which starts and ends at Tiendesitas, stopping midway at CCP:
View 13th TOF: Bike Revolution Route in a larger map "More and more bikers are coming out. That’s already a significant example of what we’re doing in terms of clean air," said Karen Crisostomo, this year’s tour director. She added that cyclists of all ages and walks of life, including women, children, and elderly folks, are encouraged to join the Tour of the Fireflies. Women cyclists will lead the ride to ensure a leisurely pace of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour.
Tessa Prieto was among a number of personalities who participated in last year's Tour of the Fireflies. The Firefly Brigade has emphasized that the tour is open to people of all walks, including children, women, and older persons. Photo courtesy of Firefly Brigade.
With the recent hike in oil prices and Metro Manila’s worsening vehicle traffic and pollution, environmental groups like the Firefly Brigade have called on the government to promote pedestrian traffic and the use of non-motorized transport like bicycles. "There are no more roads that we can build in Metro Manila. Pero padami pa rin po ang mga sasakyan. Hindi na po kasya. Kailangan natin mag-paradigm shift dahil tayo rin po ang nagsa-suffer. It’s only apt that we have a bicycle revolution now," said Ricky Pineda, the president of the Firefly Brigade, the cycling advocacy organization that organizes the yearly fun ride. Pineda himself uses a bicycle to travel to his office at the GSIS Complex every day. The Metro Manila Development Authority has expressed support for the tour and also for promoting cycling in Metro Manila, though it has yet to be seen how various plans for making streets more cycle-friendly will be implemented. "Of course, we support bikes as environmentally-friendly mode of transportation because not only is traffic one of the main mandates of the MMDA but so is environmental protection," said Atty. Emerson Carlos, Assistant General Manager of the MMDA. However, he admitted that many Metro Manila thoroughfares are currently not safe for cyclists. "We are studying the imposition of bike lanes along some of our streets in Metro Manila. Of course, we do not encourage cyclists to ply major routes or major highways, dahil masyadong delikado ito. But we can find alternative routes for bikers." The Firefly Brigade has also encouraged local governments to pass ordinances to ensure cyclists’ safety on the roads. "With Quezon City, we’ve been discussing bicycle ordinances that will ensure the safety of the cyclists. It can be either in the form of bike lanes or road sharing, meaning everyone would have an equal share of the road and would be safe on that road," said Crisostomo. Other cyclists believe that the key to convincing governments to prioritize bikes is first to increase the number of bikes on the road. "Our streets are crazy enough with the morbidly huge number of cars, buses, jeeps, and motorcycles fighting for literally inches of space to squeeze into that the feasibility of bike lanes seems like an improbability. We need to first increase bicycle ridership. If we elevate ourselves from behind the minority, infrastructure will fall into place, " says Allen Umali, the founder of Bicycle Rights Now, a loose coalition of bike rights advocates in Metro Manila. Umali, a sound engineer, uses his bicycle to commute to work every day. Last February, Sen. Manny Villar filed the Bicycle Act of 2011 or Senate Bill 2688, which seeks to "provide a framework for a bicycle law at the national level." The bill mandates the establishment of local bikeways offices and the incorporation of bikeways along major roads. Aside from the ride through Metro Manila, simultaneous mass rides will take place in Baguio, Batangas, Bacolod, Cebu, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa. For more information about the Tour of the Fireflies, please visit www.fireflybrigade.org. — RSJ, GMA News
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