(Editor’s Note: Bike commuting has become an attractive mode of transportation for a growing number of people in the country and other parts of the globe.

Besides saving on transportation fare, biking has other benefits like making a small carbon footprint and keeping the biker fit. Bicycle lanes in Metro Manila, however, are woefully inadequate.)

I’M a communication specialist working with an NGO health project. A regular working dude—except that I’ve been a bicycle commuter for the past 15 years.

I bike to work three to four days a week from Novaliches in Quezon City to TM Kalaw Street in Manila about 20 kilometers—one way. I start out at 6:30 a.m. or 7 a.m., taking one and a half hours of leisurely riding for the whole route.

I take a bath before starting out, and when I get to the office, I wash my upper body in the men’s room. Our building (Maria Natividad) isn’t bike-friendly so there are no shower facilities and taking a bath is not allowed.

Improvised poncho

During rainy days, I still bike commute. I have an improvised poncho made out of a plastic black or green garbage bag. Holes have been cut for my head and hands. This is enough to keep my torso dry and to maintain my core temperature warm, preventing hypothermia.

I start out from Casimiro Townhomes, Deparo Road (Novaliches), down Susano Road, on to Quirino Highway. I turn left at Mindanao Avenue/C-5 (at the HBC Beauty Center), left at North Avenue, right at Agham Road, right at Quezon Boulevard, right at Blumentritt Street corner España, left at P. Florentino, left at Forbes, right at Earnshaw, straight to Legarda, up Ayala Bridge, left at Taft Avenue, then right at TM Kalaw (where my office is located).

That’s about 40 km in a day, 160 km in a week, 640 km in a month, 7,680 km in a year. Calories burned? Do the math. Money saved in transport fare amounts to P150 a day, P600 a week, P2,400 a month or P28,800 a year.

Own pace

I really didn’t start out a hardcore bike commuter. I learned to ride a bike in 1992. But the appeal of being able to travel at my own pace, being free to choose my route at will, and not get stuck in traffic and gridlock made me choose bicycling as my ideal commuting mode.

The decision to bike to work (and almost everywhere) came at a time I was turned on by all things environmental. They made me very physically fit and mentally laid back. I tended to be cranky, tense and irritable whenever I would get caught in traffic while riding the bus, jeepney or taxi (no FX transports at that time).

By the time I arrived in the office, I’d be like a wilted plant, my mind so fogged by car fumes that it would take me a while to be mentally prepared for work.

So, the segue into bike commuting was almost seamless. Bike to work was not just a commuting mode. It was part of a way of life which I maintain to this day.

Benefits

Aside from the obvious economic benefits, staying healthy is an incentive to keep biking for the past 15 years. I rarely catch a cold or get the flu. I don’t have hypertension or high blood pressure (which runs in my family) even in my 44th year.

Bike commuting keeps my mind sharp and alert, because it’s needed when you’re biking in traffic, with buses, cars, trucks and motorcycles passing you by on all sides. It’s like meditation in motion. By the time I arrive at the office, mind and body are alert.

One advice for newbie bike commuters: don a face mask (or even a gas mask, which I used to do) when traveling on routes where motor vehicle traffic is heavy. You don’t want to be inhaling the fumes. I would personally recommend the face masks sold at any ACE hardware, with replaceable filters.

Socially, I’ve started making friends with other bicycle commuters. There is the black-clad mountain cyclist who has a small backpack with the yellow smiley face on it; there is also the young woman (who I call Manang, or Sister) who bikes from Philcoa to a bike shop in Quiapo.

To date, I am a semi-active member of the Firefly Brigade, a volunteer citizens’ group advocating bicycling as a sustainable means of transportation. It holds the annual Tour of the Fireflies every Earth Day.

Lessons

Lessons I’ve learned from more than a decade of bike commuting include:

When biking on the road, claim the entire lane. After all, your bicycle is a vehicle and you have an equal right to the road. By being visible in the middle of your chosen lane, you are training motorists to respect you as a road user. Just signal them to pass you by, if you are going at a slower speed than they are.

Learn how to look behind without swerving. We call this scanning the road. Don’t rely on peripheral vision. You should be able to turn your head far enough to make actual eye contact.

Make eye contact. To be recognized for what you are, wiggle your handlebar (but not enough to cause instability), and use body English on your bike. This helps you register in their peripheral vision and also helps indicate your direction.

Be seen. Wear bright clothes. Helmets are another potential eye catcher. Use a good rear flasher, a front light with side visibility and as much reflective material as you can bear to put on your helmet and bike frame.

Scan the street (and sidewalk!) ahead. Identify potential hazards. Predict their movements. Decide on a course of action. Execute the maneuver that takes you safely along your chosen line. Vehicles that don’t signal still give notice of their turns by the angle of the wheels or the drivers’ heads.

Check the car alongside—you can often see the turn signals on the dash. In heavy traffic, scan two or more cars ahead for exhaust smoke (indicating acceleration or deceleration) and “shivers,” which indicate potholes and other rough spots.

Don’t get squeezed. Drivers will try to squeeze past you and cut you off to turn right. Stay centered in the lane to make them wait for you—or just slow and stay out of the way. Your call.

Watch out for slippery surfaces. If you find yourself on such roads straighten the bike, level the pedals to 3 and 9 o’clock, don’t brake, keep your elbows and knees flexed and let momentum carry you through.

When you can’t avoid road hazards like potholes, ride over them as lightly as possible. Level your pedals as you approach. Just before impact, lift the front of the bike or at least take your weight off it. When the front clears, lean forward to take weight off the rear wheel. Pedal away.

Pedestrians

Respect pedestrians. You will sometimes use the sidewalk. It is not your place. You are a guest. When passing, don’t ring, whistle or shout within five feet of pedestrians. Don’t dog them, riding on their heels until they let you pass.

Learn to ride the rhythms of the city. One of the most powerful rhythms is “the pulse,” when a series of timed traffic signals create a solid mass of vehicles that catch synchronized green lights. Don’t be forced into meaningless sprints to red lights.

As a bicycle activist and a bike commuter, I predict that in a few years, bicycle commuting will increase, given the continuing price rise in oil products (despite temporary falls), increasingly gridlocked main road arteries in Metro Manila, and affordability of good quality bicycles.

To paraphrase an old activist slogan, the call of the times for commuters is Maki-bike ka, huwag matakot!

(The author can be reached at onydsubing@gmail.com)

Tips on the use of bicycle helmets

1. Wear the helmet flat atop your head. Do not wear the helmet tilted back at an angle.

2. Always wear the helmet with the chin strap firmly buckled.

3. Make sure the helmet fits snugly and does not obstruct your vision.

4. Replace helmets at the first sign of damage. Secondhand bicycle helmets should not be used. Even a tiny crack makes it useless.

Note: A helmet must be constructed with thick, firm polystyrene or other shock-absorbing material. These materials absorb the shock of the fall and reduce the chance of brain injury. The foam pads found inside many typical helmets are for comfort and sizing. They do not provide crash protection.

Other safety reminders

When making a left turn

* Use hand signal to turn left and then turn left.
* Ride straight to the far side of crosswalk and walk your bicycle across.
* Walk your bicycle to the perpendicular crosswalk, then walk your bicycle across. (See illustration.)

When biking at night

* Use lights like headlights and rear reflectors and taillights. Wear clothing with reflective materials.
* Only ride in areas familiar to you. Bike along brightly lit streets, whenever possible.

When biking on steep slopes

* Ride in control going downhill.

When biking on shared paths

* Go slow on shared paths. Give pedestrians audible warning when you pass. Do not ride on sidewalks where prohibited.

What to do if you are in a collision

* You have a duty to report a collision to the police within 24 hours if there is injury to a person or damage to property.

* Write down or record a message on your phone describing what happened. Do this as soon as possible after the collision, while it is still fresh in your mind.

* See a doctor, even if you feel OK. Injuries sometimes show up later and a doctor’s examination can provide vital evidence.

Travel facts

40 kilometers distance covered daily by the author

4x biking commute weekly

90 minutes travel time (one way)

P150 transport fare saved daily

For the video and interview with Dino Subingsubing, go to http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown