If you haven’t been to Intramuros, there’s no better time than now. The place is safer thanks to the pedestrianized streets and dedicated bike lanes.

Just like Olivia Rodrigo, you can rent a bamboo bicycle and tour around the historic city with Bambike Ecotours.

Go through the company’s website and you’ll find different tour packages to choose from. My family booked the 2.5-hour “Intramuros Experience.”

The standard rate is P1,699 (or $35 for foreign currency) per person, and this includes the bamboo bikes, the entrance fees, and the tour guide. Starting at the San Agustin Church, the group biked and walked around the walled city to visit different sites.

I won’t be dabbling into the history since you’re better off learning that from the tour guide. Rather, I’ll be explaining things from a mobility perspective. You’ll be surprised with how much there is to unpack.

For one, biking and walking complemented each other during the tour. Since my group rode bicycles, we didn’t get exhausted compared to walking the whole time. On the other hand, going on foot at the destinations allowed us to slow down and learn more about these places.

This experience was simple, but it was a big deal to me as my family staunchly opposed my bike-commuting. They had given me every reason under the sun why biking in Metro Manila was a horrible idea. Yet, there we were, all riding bicycles in public—without helmets, too.

How?

It’s not that my relatives aren’t capable of riding a bicycle—even the kids had no trouble pedaling. Rather, they felt that Intramuros was safe enough thanks to the street design and infrastructure.

One of the best things to happen in the old city was the active-transport project by the Department of Transportation—closing down some streets to motor vehicles and reclaiming spaces for people.

This is a step forward, not backward, because people are free to explore the place on foot or by bicycle, without fear of getting harmed by car drivers. Also, fewer motor vehicles on the road meant there was less air pollution, too.

The culture within the area was also important. The locals proactively looked out for my group, reminding motorists to drive carefully around us. The marshals would even stop vehicular traffic so that we could cross busy roads.

If you want to make the most of the experience, I suggest taking the Pasig River Ferry. Disembark at Escolta Station, and you’ll be free to explore the esplanade, Binondo, or Intramuros. It’ll be more fun than driving to the area only to struggle with congestion and parking.

“Why do we even have bike lanes? No one uses them.”

This is a common sentiment shared by motorists who think that bike lanes are just a waste of space. It may be half-hearted and there’s plenty of room for improvement. But these people miss the point.

Good infrastructure exists to make active transport accessible. You see, bike-commuters will ride their bikes regardless of the conditions. But the same can’t be said for beginners and vulnerable people such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

It’s not the hardcore enthusiasts who need the bike lanes, but those who don’t consider themselves cyclists in the first place. Everyone benefits from this because more people will have an alternative to driving. Who wouldn’t want fewer cars on the roads?

As shared in this Threads post, good transportation is crucial to good tourism. Cities such as Tokyo, Taipei, and Paris are popular tourist spots because they have robust transit systems. A place is more enjoyable when everyone can travel safely and efficiently.

Let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that active transport (walking and biking) and public transport aren’t related. They are. As IMM DesignLab said, they complement each other and “form the backbone of sustainable urban mobility.”

The transformation of Intramuros shows that although good change doesn’t happen overnight, it is never too late to make our cities more livable for people. You can experience this for yourself now by walking or cycling there.