After getting off-track on Wednesday, let’s try to stick to the plan today, starting with the Philippines:
“Nikko Flores bought his first bicycle with borrowed money when public transit was restricted in the Philippine capital because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The secondhand mountain bike cost nearly half a month’s salary, but it proved essential for getting across metro Manila, a sprawling urban area with nearly 14 million residents and notorious traffic jams.
“Now, Mr. Flores, 23, sees cycling not only as a logistical convenience, but also as a means of personal liberation.
“You just want to go farther and farther away,” he said on a recent morning after working a graveyard shift as a security guard at a Manila condominium. “It’s really fun, like you’ve unlocked something overwhelming.”
Here’s Mr Flores:
He’s the one freaking out in the middle of the picture. Brave dude. Also: the amount of crap that must be filling his lungs every day bears not thinking about.
Which reminds me of a Guardian article where they work out at what level of small particle pollution and after what length of time, it’s actually healthier to stay inside than to go out cycling:
“In cities such as Allahabad in India, or Zabol in Iran, the long-term damage from inhaling fine particulates could outweigh the usual health gains of cycling after just 30 minutes. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this tipping point happens after just 45 minutes a day cycling along busy roads. In Delhi or the Chinese city of Xingtai, meanwhile, residents pass what the researchers call the “breakeven point” after an hour. Other exercise with the same intensity as cycling – such as slow jogging – would have the same effect.”
Icky. Here’s the plot of how long you can cycle before you shouldn’t:
Manila is actually down somewhere near 17-18 for PM2.5 on average, so, outside of the middle of a traffic jam, you’re probably good to go. But I doubt being in traffic all day long is a great idea.
This pithy worry about fucked-up lungs has not however stopped bikes sales going through the roof worldwide:
“Global bicycle sales have surged to the point where even Giant, the world’s largest bike maker, has struggled to fill orders.”
Back to cycling in Manila:
“Biking on Manila’s snarled, potholed roads can be hazardous, in part because some drivers regard cyclists as obstacles. Sidewalks, too, are often clogged with street vendors and makeshift parking areas. The Manila metropolitan area had 19 bicycle-related fatalities last year, according to official figures. By comparison, New York officials counted 28.”
That’s actually not a lot. Of course, it begs the question: how many people were brave enough to go cycling in Manila last year? More than nineteen?
Lol.
“On his first few rides, Mr. Flores, who bought his mountain bike in August, came close to having an accident while weaving through cars in the sweltering heat.
“Which lane is safe?” he wrote in a Facebook group called Bike to Work that now has more than 7,000 members. “Cars honk behind me and I lose my balance.”
“Another user, Mamer Toldo, replied: “It’s better if they’re honking. At least you know they see you.”
Indeed.
“The biking boom prompted Philippine officials to announce a plan in August for building a 400-mile bike lane network that would be financed through a pandemic-related stimulus fund.”
That would be fantastic. Given the pushback about those “goddam new cycle lanes” from drivers in Paris, I should also add: Good luck with that.