Sunday, 5 June 2011

Choosing To Be A Biker

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled
in the June 5 to 11, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle
--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Commuting on a bicycle has so much in common with backpacking and mountaineering. All of them are forms of self-propelled travel that brings the traveler into close contact with both the gentle and harsh moods of the natural and the man-made world.

In a planet of limited or dwindling resources, cycling offers unique advantages to those who are concerned about the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. The advantages of a bicycle as means transportation are obvious. It is relatively cheap and very economical. It does not consume fossil fuels (except for the relatively small amounts of fuel needed to build bikes and manufacture replacement parts such as tires).

A bicycle is a highly-personal and unique vehicle. Its engine is its passenger. It is fast and efficient enough to cover considerable distances in reasonable time. It is also compact enough to be parked or stored and can be easily be carried into and out of a building. But you can only do this in bicycle-friendly cities or establishments.

Right now, City Ordinance 55, Series 1989, disallows bicycles within the central business district. Cyclists are virtual outcasts and outlaws. Aside from the legal restrictions on bicycles, business establishments are bias against bikers. Except for Art Tibaldo’s Baguio Media Museum & Animation Studio along Sumulong Street and the Mt. Cloud book store at Casa Vallejo, business establishments in Baguio shoo away bikers.

Aside from its being an anti-biker city which a biker has to deal with each day, deciding to become a bicycle commuter requires a lot of technical considerations.

Mind you, it is always worth buying a really well-made bicycle. According to the Sierra Club Guide to Touring on Wheels, because of its practical uses, the purchase of a rather costly, a good-quality bike actually may save you money in the long run. Avoid buying-mass-produced and department-store bicycles.

Like any other sport, bicycling carries with it inherent risks of injury and damages. By choosing to be a biker, you assume responsibility for the risks. Not the people who sold you the bike or the company who made it. Proper maintenance of your bicycle is your sole responsibility which helps reduce the risks or injuries.

Correct riding habits help reduce risks of injuries and damages to your bicycle. In a city like Baguio where highly-aggressive, arrogant, reckless and anti-biker motorists dominate the roads, your own survival should be your primary concern. Nobody but you alone can ensure your own safety on the road. DO NOT expect your government officials to ensure your own safety. They have their own priorities.

As a biker, learn to be both defensive and assertive. This is called technical riding. Be defensive but not passive and timid. Be assertive but not reckless. Stay alert. Don’t get easily intimated.*

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