Pasig barangay installs first free bike repair station in Ortigas

MANILA – Barangay San Antonio in Pasig has installed the very first bike repair station in the city to provide cyclists accessible and free basic repair of their bicycles.

Chairman Raymond Lising said their village set up the repair station along F. Ortigas Jr. Road, formerly Emerald Avenue, near Ortigas Park.

Among the busiest bike lanes in the city can be found along Julia Vargas Avenue, San Miguel Avenue, ADB Avenue, and F. Ortigas Jr. Road.

Lising said that bikers are free to use the BSA Bike Repair Station in the area in case they get a flat tire while traveling and other bike-related maintenance problems.

Lately, more and more Filipino commuters have turned to bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation due to limited public transportation amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As a cyclist myself, we thought of having a bike repair station in our community to cater to the cyclists living and working in our community. And they can use the bike repair station any time of the day,” Lising said in a news release on Tuesday.

The BSA Bike Repair Station has a bike pump, hex or Allen wrenches, screwdriver, and other basic tools essentials for bicycles.

“This will encourage more people to use bicycles as alternative transportation. In case you have an emergency repair the bike repair station is the answer,” he added.

Lising said this project is in collaboration with BSA Sangguniang Kabataan and Cadence Cycle Hub.

The city government of Pasig, he said, was elated that the barangay came up with such a project that will help bikers, making them the first barangay in the city to have a bike repair station.

He also bared that the barangay is eyeing to install more bike repair stations strategically located at the Central Business District of Pasig City, which is located in his barangay.

“We appeal to the public to do their part in taking care of our bike repair stations. We do hope that this project helps our cyclist community members. May this be a sense of pride for all of us in BSA that the barangay has this kind of initiative,” he said.

Meanwhile, Barangay San Antonio, in partnership with Manila Electric Company, Pasig Transport, Ortigas Center Association, Inc., and other stakeholders, conducted a demo run of Meralco’s eSakay or e-jeeps last recently.

Lising said Meralco’s eSakay or e-jeeps will soon be available for residents and workers in the barangay.

He noted that such an initiative is environment-friendly since said vehicles are zero-emission. Lising said the barangay is an advocate of zero-emission transportation to help the environment.