By Gabriela Baron
More Filipinos own bicycles than cars, according to a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The study, conducted from April 19 to 27, revealed that one in four Filipinos own a bicycle – that is one out of three in Metro Manila, out of three in Balance Luzon, and one out of 10 in Visayas and Mindanao.
Bicycles are primarily used for market runs, livelihood, going to/from the workplace, and going to places.
Others use bicycles for sightseeing, exercising, and playing.
According to SWS, 7.3 million Filipinos own or borrowed bicycles, higher than the May 2021 data of 6.2 million.
The survey also found that there are more male cyclists at 8.9 million than female cyclists at 2.3 million.
Meanwhile, 75% of respondents or 3 out of 4 Filipinos agreed that cycling is just as effective as other types of transportation in going to different places, while 80% believes that more people will use bicycles as transportation if the roads will be safer for them. –ag
