Cycling is perhaps the ideal way to travel through a city if you cover distances under 5 kilometers.

This is also true for Asian cities such as Metro Manila, which a new law proposal aims to make a bike-friendly space like Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

Riding a bicycle offers a lot of benefits. The cardiovascular exercise is healthy, bikes are cost-effective as they are a one-time purchase with minimal maintenance, and you don’t need a parking spot or a garage at home to store it.

But despite these advantages, several factors prevent urban residents in developing Asia from fully embracing cycling as a mainstream means of transport.

Even major cities that used to be dominated by bikes like Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China or Ha Noi in Viet Nam now face serious traffic congestion and declining air quality due to increasing motorbike and car usage.

European countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands have been able to continuously promote cycling.