Iya Villania, Drew Arellano enjoy biking with kids in carless Ortigas

Iya Villania and Drew Arellano just treated their kids to outdoor activities, right in the city.

On Instagram, the Kapuso couple shared a joint post detailing their fun Sunday, which involved taking advantage of a car-free street in Ortigas by riding bikes and karts.

In the video, Primo and Leon can be seen riding their own bikes while Iya takes Alana and Astro on a ride.

"First ride together, and Alana figured out how to use the kart!" Iya said. "Not to mention, it was perfect weather this morning."

According to Iya, karts, pedicabs, and bikes are also available for rent. 

The Arellano family enjoyed riding along Emerald Avenue, now called F. Ortigas Jr. Road, which has been closed to cars every Sunday since 2012 for residents to enjoy outdoor activities like running and biking.

In 2021, the Pasig government relaunched the initiative, calling it Open Street Sundays, and in 2022 started offering free bike lessons to encourage more people to take up cycling as a mode of transportation. 

Aside from Emerald Avenue, Pasig has closed a few more of its streets every Sunday so residents can enjoy their surroundings.

Other Metro Manila streets are also implementing carless weekends, including Ayala Avenue in Makati, Roxas Boulevard in Manila, Greenfield District in Mandaluyong, and Fifth Avenue in BGC, Taguig.

A carless Sunday is also being proposed in Tomas Morato in Quezon City. 

Carless Sunday programs don't particularly make a dent in cleaning up the polluted Metro Manila air, but it does encourage people to consider cycling as a mode of transport. Doing so should help ease traffic, clean up the air and, because bicycles don't emit pollutants like carbon, help fight climate change. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Iya Villania-Arellano (@iyavillania)

— Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA Integrated News