LIST: Here Are the Most Bicycle-Friendly Cities of 2023

(SPOT.ph) Biking is no easy feat in a country like the Philippines, where bike lanes continue to be more of an exception than a norm. Still, there are small wins: Mobility Awards is recognizing the best places for biking in 2023.

Quezon City takes the top spot in the Mobility Award’s most bicycle-friendly city—almost to no surprise, considering the number of biking initiatives the local government has. Quezon City continuously expands its network of bike lanes in the city, even turning a former dump site into three bike trails. There are also planned bike lanes for the Quezon City Circle and not just the painted kind. Dedicated bike lanes throughout the major interchange are slated for the first quarter of 2024. Notably, this was the first time that cities within Metro Manila were allowed to compete in the Mobility Awards.

“While some define traffic as moving vehicles from one point to another, Quezon City defines traffic as moving people from one point to another. On a daily basis, we have 16,000 cyclists using our lanes. [This is the reason] we hope to improve even more,” General Elmo San Diego, head of the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety, said during the Mobility Awards awarding ceremony.

Joining Quezon City are Iloilo and Baguio in the second and third place, respectively. Iloilo boasts “Green Tunnels” arching over bike lanes along Diversion Road. The city was also awarded the most bike-friendly city in the Phil-Bike Awards in 2018, with the longest bike lane in the country along a major thoroughfare at the time.

Meanwhile, Baguio City pioneers in using concrete plant boxes as protective dividers along its bike lanes, beautifying—and protecting—the route for cyclists in the city. Bike racks are also installed across multiple locations within Baguio City.

Getting somewhere might be easier in these places, but what about having the bicycle facilities for it? Mobility Awards has identified Bonifacio High Street, SM Mall of Asia, and Megaworld Iloilo Business Park among the leading large commercial hubs catering to cyclist needs.

Also read: 10 Best Places for Biking in Metro Manila

Most bicycle-friendly places in the Philippines

From city to workplace to establishments, here are the most bicycle-friendly places in the Philippines according to the 2023 Mobility Awards:

City

1. Quezon City
2. Iloilo City
3. Baguio City
4. Naga City
5. Marikina City
6. Davao City
7. Pasig City
8. Mandaue City
9. Taguig City
10. Cebu City

Workplace

1. Medical City Ortigas in Pasig City
2. GSIS Main Office in Pasay City
3. Cebu IT Park in Cebu City
4. Cebu Business Park in Cebu City
5. Bonifacio Stopover Corporate Center in Taguig 
6. Pasig City Hall in Pasig City
7. Philippine Stock Exchange Tower in Taguig
8. BPI Intramuros in Manila
9. Bonifacio One Technology Tower in Taguig
10. DepED Central Office in Pasig City

Large establishments

1. Bonifacio High Street in Taguig
2. SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City
3. Megaworld Iloilo Business Park in Iloilo City

Standalone establishments

1. Magdamag Café in Quezon City
2. Kape Urban in Mandaluyong City
3. Natoy’s Best Bibingka and Kakanin in Davao City

Also read: LOOK: This Expressway in the South Has Free-to-Use Protected Bike Lanes