Dreams On Wheels

Cyclocentric manifesto : the bicycle as a trojan horse for sustainability May 2, 2009 at 10:00

The bicycle in our climate change era could be regarded as a Trojan Horse for Sustainability. In other words, it can insidiously infiltrate people’s subconscious ambition to become climate-friendly. When inhabitants adopt bike culture, knowingly or unknowingly, the city and urban spaces become more sustainable in terms of transportation, but even more so in terms of quality of life and lifestyle.

Dreams on Wheels is an alternative advocacy exhibit to build a platform for constructive and open debate about the possible changes cities can undergo when having a cyclocentric urban design strategy. Alternative advocacy is usually a civic act entailing a certain amount of lobbying, whether aggressive or subtle, or at least that is how it is often perceived. At Etikstudio, we believe that exhibits or other creative formats can provide an alternative route to change by setting up an informal debate structure between experts and non-experts and enabling word of mouth to be an advocate for change.  

Jan Gehl, Jean Michel Charbonneau, Troels Andersen, Jens Nielsen, Klaus Bondam, Jens Rørbaek, Lars Gemzøe, Lars Bo Andersen, COWI… a list of VIPs that have been the architects behind the transformation of Copenhagen, Odense and Aarhus. They see the bicycle as much more than a leisure device, and rather as the ultimate commuter vehicle. That is, if the infrastructure, education, tradition and vision align to make a strong and motivating cycling culture.

The most striking feature about cycling is not only how you can use it for a fast commute and building healthier lifestyles in dense urban spaces, but how every city that has such a focus naturally becomes environmentally sounder. Imagine if more cities, both large and small, managed this transformation rather than investing heavily in public transportation in the first instance. Using a bike is such a civilized and stylish way of becoming an environmentalist.

This is not to say we do not need cars, or that we should stop aiming to design more efficient ones which use hydrogen or recyclable fuel cells. Nor should we dismiss public transportation strategies that are an absolute necessity when building a homogeneous mobility network with a long-term perspective. On the contrary, the bicycle is a tool to balance those other policies rather than an add-on. Sustainability is a direct benefit and quality of life improves dramatically through increased socialisation and the slowing down of the pace of the city.

Urban design strategy and urban planning have recently focused on the car and the pedestrian. The car has long been the greatest focus because one needs a proper infrastructure with a road system and parking facilities in order to allow the car to be a pleasurable and useful tool for mobility. This has been a natural consequence of growing cities and the galloping urbanisation of the planet. Today we know that our anthropological impact on ecosystems needs to be reduced. We can choose to focus on pedestrian and public transport strategies but the cycle needs to have a place of its own such as it has had in Denmark. We believe this is a strategic imperative because the bicycle serves as a binder between motorised pedestrian and public transportation and should not be seen simply as a plug-in feature to make a few cyclists happy. 

Denmark sets an example

The Danes enjoy the cycling phenomenon, covering more than two billion kilometres on their bikes every year, and in the midst of the Climate Change focus they have become aware that they are globally-envied subconscious environmentalists like the Dutch. Yet, it is not simply a topographic conspiracy that has made cycling so popular in Denmark, but rather a relentless effort to design the details of what makes cycling enjoyable and thus possible as a mainstream, multigenerational transportation device. In Denmark, bicycles account for 18 per cent of all trips taken, precisely because Denmark’s cities have made conscious efforts to encourage a cycling culture amongst their residents.  

Copenhagen Municipality, for example – which will host the UN Climate Change Conference in 2009 – aims to make the Danish capital the world’s leading city for bicycles, and will invest DKK 250 million (around EUR 33 million) in improving conditions. Today 36 per cent of Copenhageners cycle to work; the target is at least 50 per cent by 2015. According to Copenhagen Municipality, reaching this target will spare the environment 80,000 tons of CO2 annually.

The City of Odense, Denmark’s 3rd largest city, has long prioritised cycling and from 1999 to 2002 it held the title of the National Cycle City of Denmark. A wide range of campaigns, cycling competitions and activities have been initiated to promote cycling as a modern and attractive form of transport. In addition, a wide range of initiatives to address the disadvantages of cycling have been carried out. These include allowing cyclists to cross at traffic light regulated T-junctions and making available an interactive route planner and maps on a dedicated homepage. Other initiatives include drinking water fountains, cycle pump stations, folding cycles for commuters and company bikes.

In Aarhus, around 500 City Bikes are available, placed at central locations in the town centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods. A 20 kroner coin will give you access and will be returned to you when you return the bike to any City Bike rack. And indeed, it is the small things that make the difference. In 2007, Aarhus Cycle City started a thorough check-up of all 250 kilometres of its cycle paths. The inspectors check the paths for holes and bumps with a laser. Bumps are registered and added to digital maps. The inspection results can then be used to dedicate financial means when a stretch of path requires new asphalt. Good bicycle parking facilities are a priority, and there are also numerous ‘short cuts’ provided for cyclists that make if possible to turn right without waiting for the green light.

Designing and planning mobility 

In Denmark, product design, industrial design, urban planning and educational programmes have created a symbolic universe around the bicycle that exceeds the commonly accepted sports or leisure related symbolism that biking carries across much of the developed world. In much of the developing world it is seen as transportation for the poor. This is an image that many in the developed world, even in cities that are very progressive towards the environment, still have trouble overcoming and they struggle when they have to pass cycling-related laws.

Cycling is the cheapest form of transport after walking. As such, it makes sense for governments and citizens alike to take it seriously. It is true that the average commute distance in central Copenhagen is only 3 km, but many people often ride a lot further from suburban areas into town to work. Some argue that the cycle culture is due to Denmark being a flat country, but many places that are not flat also have strong cycling policies that work. In San Francisco, for example, an estimated 120,000 of the city’s roughly 800,000 residents ride a bike. San Francisco has now implemented 323 kilometres of bike network (the city is only 78 square kilometres) which includes striping over 64 kilometres of bike lanes, creating 37 kilometres of bicycle paths, and posting 131 kilometres of signed bicycle routes. The city has also painted 1,250 “sharrows” (shared lane markings) on its streets and has the strongest requirements for indoor bike parking at public events in the country. Any public events that anticipate more than 2,000 people must provide valet bike parking. The San Francisco Giants ballpark even has a permanent bicycle parking station.

Many cyclists in San Francisco use integrated technologies such as electrically assisted bikes when climbing the surrounding hills, and others combine commuting techniques, taking their bikes on the train part of the way. Cities with diverse topographies should therefore not forget that there are combinations and solutions to meet each challenge and that these measures will overcome many cyclists’ reservations.

If more cities put into place strategies like those in Denmark’s three largest cities, the bicycle will have a strong chance of becoming much more than a leisure device and transforming into the ultimate commuter and multi-generational transportation for mainstream users across a large part of the world’s population. When we consider Professor Lars Bo Andersen’s advice that ‘those who cycle to work on a daily basis have a 30 per cent lower mortality rate than those who do not cycle’ (Professor Lars Bo Anderson cited on http://www.denmark.dk/en), it may be well worth encouraging this transformation to happen sooner rather than later.