As the popularity of biking continued to surge due to the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar sought passage of a bill that would help ensure the safety of cyclists.

Villar filed recently House Bill 8156 or the Bicycle Act of 2020 that contains provisions of a similar bill filed by her father, former Senate President Manuel Villar, in Congress.

HB 8156 requires bikers to wear helmets and adhere to traffic rules as they share the use of the road.

"With bikes becoming more in-demand and physical distancing dictating social norms, a policy on bicycle and cyclists should now figure prominently in the government’s current and post-pandemic planning," the young

Villar said in the explanatory notes of her bill.

She underscored the significance of making bikers comply with health and safety protocols to keep them and

other road users safe from accidents.

HB 8156 seeks to create bikeways on roads and highways and establish bike parks.

The bill also proposes a framework for a bicycle law on a national level so that Filipino commuters may find a cheaper alternative to get to their destination while saving the environment from harmful emissions. 

To further ensure road safety among bikers, the bill enumerates the rights and responsibilities of cyclists that includes the proper wearing of standard helmets.

All bicycles should be equipped with brakes, lights and reflectors.

The legislative proposal restricts bikers from using sidewalks or crosswalk.  Further they are prohibited from clinging to another vehicle or from carrying passengers over the carrying capacity of their gear.  

Over-speeding is also prohibited.

"Bicycle is not only a tool for transportation, it is also good for the health," Villar said.