21 May 2021 — MBC and the Embassy of the Netherlands organized a 3-part webinar series, Starter Sessions: Your Guide to Becoming a Bike-Friendly Business which aims to help small and large companies become more bike-friendly for their customers and employees. The series had local and global leaders share bike-friendly practices that Filipino businesses can adopt.

The first session which focused on learning from local leaders featured Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls. Tan shared SM’s cycling initiatives such as bike facilities for the employees, bike lanes, and their recently published bike safety manual in partnership with the DOTr. “We will bring our bike-friendly program across all SM malls nationwide to ensure that human-powered mobility is not simply a pandemic response but a sustainable mode of transportation for Filipinos,” Tan said. 

Lasse Schelde, Founder of Danish architectural consultancy firm Moving Spaces said “You attract more customers by having these people-friendly streets and shopping areas,” during the second session which focused on learning from Danish leaders. Schelde presented Danish best practices that could be adopted in the Philippines, highlighting bicycle parking, cycling culture, and private sector support for biking in Denmark. This session was organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Denmark.

For the last session, participants heard from Marketing and Communication Manager of the Dutch Cycling Embassy, Chris Bruntlett from The Netherlands. He discussed several case studies, Dutch cycling initiatives, and resolutions that the private sector could adopt. “Everybody wins when we build the bike infrastructure our city needs,” said Bruntlett. 

“It is my hope that this event spurs innovation, inspires all of your private businesses to adopt new solutions for mobility, to increase your accessibility to both customers and your staff,” Kevin Punzalan, Senior Policy Officer at the Embassy of the Netherlands said. 

Throughout the series, attendees also participated in breakout sessions where they consulted with sustainable transportation and urban planning experts Julia Nebrija (Agile City Partners), Myles Delfin (Bike Scouts PH), Keisha Mayuga (LifeCycles PH), Zaxx Abraham (AltMobility), and Aldrin Pelicano (MNL Moves).

“With this pandemic, it provides us with a positive outlook on how we see biking”, said Bernie Abis, COO of Webcast Technologies Inc..

This series is an activity under the Business For Biking Program, a joint initiative with the Embassy of the Netherlands to promote biking as a sustainable solution to the lack of safe public transportation options for Filipino workers. This program aims to help develop bike-friendly policies and cycling infrastructure across Metro Manila in order to mobilize the workforce, boost business productivity, and advance socio-economic recovery. 

Interested to become a bike-friendly business? Make a pledge here and get access to exclusive activities to help you get started on your bike-friendly journey.