Ang Probinsyano solon proposes tax perks, food vouchers for bikers

Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong on Sunday said that apart from the provision of protected bicycle lanes for cyclists, the proposed Bicycle Law should also include giving incentives in the form of tax perks, extra pay credits or food vouchers for people who bike to their workplace.

According to Ong, the coronavirus pandemic, which is now forcing a lot people to use bikes for mobility, has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the government to solve two of the country’s biggest problems: pollution and traffic.

By “incentivizing” the use of bikes, the government may be able to convert people to continue using bicycles in their daily commute even after the pandemic is over and life as we know it is back to full normalcy, he said.

Last week, Ong launched a #LibrengBisikleta program, as reported on his official Facebook page.

To date, he has turned over more than a dozen bicycles to various security guards, utility workers, and manual laborers who were left to walk to work because of the lack of jeeps or buses during the general community quarantine (GCQ). Many of them come to Ortigas and Makati to work all the way from Antipolo, Katipunan or Manila.

Previously, they mentioned that they either had to walk for hours, or chance upon a neighbor or relative allowing them to borrow a bike. The #LibrengBisikleta is still ongoing and their team is set to turn over more dozens of bikes to needy workers.

According to Ong, more Filipinos would definitely opt to use their bikes instead of using public transport if the government could provide them not only the infrastructure to keep cycling safe and convenient but also the right incentives to encourage people to prefer bikes over motorized vehicles.

He said that creating a cycling culture in the Philippines can provide a long-term solution to the traffic gridlock in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized areas that cost the government an estimated P3.5 Billion in economic losses per day.

This would also reduce government expense on health care, repair and maintenance and pollution control.

“Providing incentives for people who bike-to-work is small price to pay for its immeasurable benefits. This would translate to billions of economic opportunities and billions of savings on capital expenditures,” Ong said.

“More importantly, we are investing for the future of the next generation and the future of our planet. Maybe, the corona virus was nature’s way of reminding us that we have to protect our environment,” he said.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)