24.07.2012 / Green Life
The Danes know better
When it comes to cycling, the Danes have practically no rivals. Die-hard bicycle lovers, they cycle to work and around the city, heedless of the cold, of the wind and of the snow. And taking advantage of a super-efficient network od bicycle paths that covers the whole city, including its suburbs.
Yet, everything is perfectible, and so even in Copenhagen, strange as it might sound, further efforts can be taken for urban and suburban bicycle commuters. Surveys show that the typical bike commuter rides for 3 miles; to try and get people to take longer bicycle rides, the head of Copenhagen’s traffic planning section decided to turn the city’s bike paths into veritable “cycle superhighways”, with larger lanes, fewer intersections, even pavement and an air pump at every mile.The result is a new network of 26 new routes, the first of which opened last April with a huge success. No more dangerous intersections or sections covered in snow: these are some of the pluses that will encourage bicycle commuters to ride for longer distances – not to mention the fact that the new superhighways run for distances of up to 14 miles.
And if Danish statistics show that every 6 miles biked instead of driven saves 3 1/2 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and 9 cents in health care costs, the greatest advantage that comes from bike commuting is the happiness you get, the endorphine release and the satisfaction of taking some time for yourself before and after work. Definitely priceless.
Thanks to Tern for suggesting this piece of news.
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