Denmark and several Filipino organizations gathered to amplify calls for better urban planning in the Philippines that would make spaces safer for women.

Danish Ambassador to the Philippines Fran-Michael Mellbin pushed for the Philippines to have more safe spaces for cyclists.

In his presentation, Denmark is a use case for gender equality in active mobility, stressing that the Danish design of spaces is safe for urban cycling.

In a 2023 report by Discerning Cyclist, an urban cycling publication, Denmark ranked second in the highest bicycle usage.

It was noted that, of their more than 5 million population members, 80 percent are cyclists, which translates to 4.5 million bicycles (almost close to their population number).

As a cyclist, he said he goes biking in Metro Manila a lot, mentioning his experience in a road incident.

"I was actually side-swiped twice by cars here," Amb. Mellbin said in a urban planning forum recently in UP Diliman.

"One time by a jeepney, which wanted to pick somebody up, and then—bang!—I was lying there."

"There is no doubt that the number one thing that matters to getting [people, women, especially] onto a bike is safety," he said.

"If you ever travel abroad, there are lots of cities who are doing very well on cycling: New York, Paris, London, Berlin… lots of cities are doing much better today."

Amb. Mellbin pointed out that the Danish biking system is "far from perfect."

While it was generally safe in Denmark, some women were still uncomfortable traveling at night, especially in dark places, borne out of the physical design of transport infrastructure, such as train stations and tunnels.

The official underlined that collaboration is key to making safer spaces, not just for women but for all, saying that "it's not cars versus bikers", and the government "needs a collaborative approach" toward dealing with the problem.