Copenhagen: A city of SUV cyclists
COPENHAGEN–The Danes practice what I call green pragmatism.
A pedicab in Copenhagen's Nyhavn district. (Credit: Candace Lombardi)
It’s the realization that people, even those who believe in the cost- and health-benefit analyses of going green, are not going to change their behavior unless the new option is both practical and convenient.
But presented with cool technology in the marketplace and education on why a change might be beneficial, people will adopt new best practices offered to them. It’s why the Toyota Prius has become so successful, while things like CFL and LED light bulbs are still struggling.
This is certainly the case here in Copenhagen. The self-described “City of Cyclists” made some very big transit decisions starting in the 1970s, and then spent years of trial-and-error putting those plans into place. Now it’s reaping the rewards and offering to share what works with other cities around the world.
Copenhagen boasts that more than 36 percent of people commuting in to the city, and 55 percent of all Copenhagen residents, cycle to their place of work or education every day via 350 kilometers (217 miles) of bike lanes, and 40 kilometers (25 miles) of bike paths, according to Danish government statistics.
Those statistics seemed completely implausible to me for a country where intermittent downpours are the norm for summer, as is snow in the wintertime–until I traveled to Copenhagen and realized two things: first, many residents are not just bicyclists–they also ride tricycles well equipped to carry people and gear. Second, they often ride on cycle tracks delineated by curbs, not bike lanes by U.S. standards. Seeing these two distinctions in person explains the cycling phenomenon. The Danes didn’t completely….
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