Parts of the city’s famed Iloilo River Esplanade have been reopened to bikers, with local officials eyeing to pass ordinances and policies that will lay down rules to foster a safe shared space for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Cycling is quickly emerging as a more sustainable means of adequately socially-distanced transport in this time of COVID-19 – aside of course from the benefits of biking as an active hobby and lifestyle. With public transport at reduced capacity as Iloilo City shifts to a new normal, the upside bikes are becoming more and more apparent.
Touted as the longest linear park in the Philippines, the scenic Iloilo River Esplanade stretches 8.1 kilometers, tracing the path of its namesake waterway as it runs along major thoroughfares in the city. Designed by celebrated Filipino architect Paulo Alcazaren, it was recently hailed a “Haligi ng Dangal” awardee for Best Landscape Architecture by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts.
Touted as the longest linear park in the Philippines, the scenic Iloilo River Esplanade stretches 8.1 kilometers, tracing the path of its namesake waterway as it runs along major thoroughfares in the city. 
Touted as the longest linear park in the Philippines, the scenic Iloilo River Esplanade stretches 8.1 kilometers, tracing the path of its namesake waterway as it runs along major thoroughfares in the city.
Envisioned as a place of leisure for Ilonggos and as a potential tourist spot, the Iloilo River Esplanade started out as a 1.2-kilometer public park that ran from Diversion Road (officially Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue) to Carpenter Bridge in Molo District. It now features several completed phases that snake around Iloilo City.
Bikers were allowed to traverse the park when it first opened, but safety concerns led to the city government banning cyclists from the Esplanade. Now, parts of the Esplanade have been reopened to Ilonggo bikers to traverse.
In a bid to put in place road safety, the biking community can also be excited to brace for longer bike lanes – almost double the existing ones.
This, after Mayor Jerry Treñas discussed with advocates, representatives of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), City Engineer’s Office, Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO), and Iloilo Bike Council a comprehensive plan for the city’s cycling community.
“Bicycling in Iloilo in the new and better normal with Phase 1 of plan to increase Iloilo City’s bike lanes, from 23 to 42 kilometers immediately for more connectivity to keep Ilonggos safe, as more citizens opt to bike as a means of mobility during the pandemic,” bike advocate Rock Drilon stated.
“When finished in mid-July at the latest, the additional bike lanes will circuit with existing bike lanes including Esplanade 3-9 and will connect the city hall, capitol, plazas, townships, schools, malls, groceries, markets, churches and other busy city establishments,” he added.
Currently, Iloilo City has two bike-related ordinances, both sponsored by the Jose Efraim “Jay” Treñas III: Ordinance 2014-193 (An ordinance requiring government and non-government buildings with existing parking spaces to provide a safe bicycle parking zone) and Ordinance 2016-299 (the Benigno Aquino Avenue bike lane ordinance).
The younger Treñas has previously been recognized as a Bayanihan sa Daan awardee for his passed ordinances and being the local biking community’s champion in the city council.
Iloilo was proclaimed the “Most Bike-Friendly City” in the country by the PhilBike Awards during the PhilBike Expo at the World Trade Center Manila in 2018.
Both Treñases are championing biking as an alternative form of transport in the city, largely to minimize the chances of Iloilo being choked by widespread traffic in the near future, as the developing locale grows into a bustling metropolis.
