Canadians cycle 3x more than Americans but one-twentieth as much as the Danes

[deasine]

Why Canadians cycle three times as much as Americans but one-twentieth as much as the Danes ~ From TransLink

May 12, 2008
Why Canadians cycle three times as much as Americans but one-twentieth as much as the Danes

It’s not just geography or climate. For instance, despite similar weather and landscapes, people in Denmark are far more likely to ride a bicycle than the British.

When it comes to interesting information on bicycling, few if any people have as much to say as John Pucher. A PhD professor at Rutgers University, Pucher has spent three decades researching differences in travel behaviour, transport systems and transport policies in Europe, Canada and the USA. For the last three years, he has focused on walking and bicycling. His main objective – to explain what people in North America can learn from European cities to get them out of their cars and onto bikes.
In Copenhagen, 40% of all work trips are made by bicycle. Copenhagen wasn’t always a city full of bikes, but since the 1970’s, deliberate actions by governments and public policy makers have encouraged their use to the point where nearly everyone rides a bike, not just cycling “enthusiasts”.
He’s an expert on analysing what the Europeans have done to improve the safety, convenience and feasibility of non-motorized modes of transport, having published 18 articles on walking and cycling and has spoken around the world on this topic.


Now he’s been invited by TransLink to come to Metro Vancouver to discuss his favourite subject, from May 13 – May 17. On his first day, Pucher will take a bike tour of the region, led by the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition and local government staff. On the 14th Pucher will be a keynote speaker at TransLink’s Regional Bicycle Plan opening workshop involving a diverse group of stakeholders from throughout the region. Pucher will appear on the Bill Good Show on CKNW on the morning of May 15, with a free public lecture that evening at SFU’s Segal Graduate School of Business, 500 Granville Street (corner of Granville and Pender). The presentation is from 7-9 PM and titled “Cycling for Everyone: Lessons from the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.”


He’s a fascinating interview with loads of ideas about getting more people onto bikes. He has a well researched grasp of what has worked elsewhere and what Metro Vancouver might want to consider to improve conditions for cyclists, and thus for everyone, by reducing road congestion, air pollution and our carbon footprint. Of course, cycling is also fun and healthy!


Call soon if you are interested as his available time is quickly running out.
For more information about the free public lecture visit www.sfu.ca/city/fpl.htm. Reservations are required. Email cstudies@sfu.ca or call 778-782.5100.

[deasine]

I just have to say that it was a great lecture by Pucher. I'm going to incorporate many of the stuff I have learned into the sustainability model project I am doing at school.

Apparently: 1/2 of all trips within Metro Vancouver are 5 km or less

Pucher had a powerpoint done as well as TransLink senior director of planning. Pretty interesting stuff!

[worldwide]

gas: $1.352.... my new bike i bought today: priceless

[Yume-sama]

The people who enjoy biking in large cities as a form of transportation, and not leisure, are most likely the same people who enjoy the running of the bulls, skydiving, and bungee jumping. I simply do not have that much of a death wish.

[deasine]

There will be many more developments with our biking system. Apparently, cycling must included as part of the regional development plan by TransLink as the bill that enacted the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority included "biking" as a form of transportation.

I was very impressed with the many initiatives Europe has taken to their biking. The Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark has done many things to make biking amazing: dedicated biking lanes [segregated as well], signal priority over cars, "the Green wave" [not for cars, but for bikes], and patrol vehicles that can detect possible pot holes for bike lanes. They've also reconfigured many roads by including dead ends for cars but not for bikes, removed lanes from arterial streets, car-free zones, etc.

[agrant]

It seems our approach is pretty half-assed in comparison to some of those countries in Europe. The Netherlands, Denmark... seem to make cycling a lot more attractive to people, while all we typically do is squeeze a 1 meter bike lane on the side of the road. Cars still have top priority, regardless of what people at city hall might say. Bikes are a priority, but it's never at the expense of car traffic it seems. Our attitudes might change if owning a car were as tough as it is in Europe though.

[Pinion]

Buses can barely make it up the hill in my area (Lower Lonsdale) - I won't be biking up regularly any time soon.

[fever]

We could make a lot of little changes to the way that bike lanes are integrated into streets. In suburban Haarlem, for example, the bike lanes are typically outside the parking lane. There is a curb between the parking and bike lanes, but they are at the same level. The sidewalk is grey and raised next to the bike lane, which is red. There is a bike lane on each side of the road, one for each direction, and the bike lanes are barely wide enough to pass. The parked cars act as a barrier to make the bike lane feel safer.