Why Doesn't America Have This Mindset?

Can you imagine if we did things like this here? It would be great. Where i live we recently got bicycle lanes on some of the roads through town. It's very sporadic though and it was like a huge deal. Long Island is very SUV-friendly and very bicycle-unfriendly.

Commuters Pedal to Work on Their Very Own Superhighway
By SALLY McGRANE

COPENHAGEN — Picture 11 miles of smoothly paved bike path meandering through the countryside. Largely uninterrupted by roads or intersections, it passes fields, backyards, chirping birds, a lake, some ducks and, at every mile, an air pump.

For some Danes, this is the morning commute.

Susan Nielsen, a 59-year-old schoolteacher, was one of a handful of people taking advantage of Denmark’s first “superhighway” for bicycles on a recent morning, about halfway between Copenhagen and Albertslund, a suburb, which is the highway’s endpoint. “I’m very glad because of the better pavement,” said Ms. Nielsen, who wore a rain jacket and carried a pair of pants in a backpack to put on after her 40-minute commute.

The cycle superhighway, which opened in April, is the first of 26 routes scheduled to be built to encourage more people to commute to and from Copenhagen by bicycle. More bike path than the Interstate its name suggests, it is the brainchild of city planners who were looking for ways to increase bicycle use in a place where half of the residents already bike to work or to school every day.

“We are very good, but we want to be better,” said Brian Hansen, the head of Copenhagen’s traffic planning section.

He and his team saw potential in suburban commuters, most of whom use cars or public transportation to reach the city. “A typical cyclist uses the bicycle within five kilometers,” or about three miles, said Mr. Hansen, whose office keeps a coat rack of ponchos that bicycling employees can borrow in case of rain. “We thought: How do we get people to take longer bicycle rides?”

They decided to make cycle paths look more like automobile freeways. While there is a good existing network of bicycle pathways around Copenhagen, standards across municipalities can be inconsistent, with some stretches having inadequate pavement, lighting or winter maintenance, as well as unsafe intersections and gaps.

“It doesn’t work if you have a good route, then a section in the middle is covered in snow,” said Lise Borgstrom Henriksen, spokeswoman for the cycle superhighway secretariat. “People won’t ride to work then.”

For the superhighway project, Copenhagen and 21 local governments teamed up to ensure that there were contiguous, standardized bike routes into the capital across distances of up to 14 miles. “We want people to perceive these routes as a serious alternative,” Mr. Hansen said, “like taking the bus, car or train.”

The plan has received widespread support in a country whose left- and right-leaning lawmakers both regularly bike to work (albeit on slightly different models of bicycle).

Riding on the first superhighway, which grew more crowded as it neared the city, Marianne Bagge-Petersen said she was heading to a support group for job seekers. “I think it’s very cool,” she said, noting that the path allowed her to avoid roads with more car traffic. “Taking the bike makes me feel good about myself. I’m looking for a job, and if I don’t get out, it’s going to be a very long day.”

The Capital Region of Denmark, a political body responsible for public hospitals as well as regional development, has provided $1.6 million for the superhighway project.

“When we look at public hospitals, we look very much at how to reduce cost,” said a regional councilor, Lars Gaardhoj, who had just picked up his three small children in a cargo bike decorated with elephants. “It’s a common saying among doctors that the best patient is the patient you never see. Anything we can do to get less pollution and less traffic is going to mean healthier, maybe happier, people.”

In Denmark, thanks to measures like the superhighway, commuters choose bicycles because they are the fastest and most convenient transportation option. “It’s not because the Danes are more environmentally friendly,” said Gil Penalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities, a Canadian organization that works to make cities healthier. “It’s not because they eat something different at breakfast.”

Lars Gemzo, a partner at Gehl Architects, said that within Copenhagen, biking was already the best option for many kinds of trips. “If you want to drive a car for a medium distance, you know you are a fool,” he said. “You are going to waste time.”

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. But many cite happiness among the chief benefits of bicycle commuting.


Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/w...k-on-a-superhighway.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
 
Denmark is barely bigger than the size of Rhode Island.

Is this the grand plan for getting the economy going? Bike paths?

Thanks for the laugh. Calling bike pats superhighways? ROFLMAO
 
Just going to say to Darla... HA HA... we have bike paths integrated all over Denver and the front range. You can bike 40-60 miles and rarely have to cross a street. They are careful to integrate paths in newer neighborhoods as it is a very nice way to get around and avoid traffic at the same time (which drivers also appreciate).

For much of the northeast it would be like our downtown area, too many parts are so over developed there is nowhere to put a path. So they make do with bike lanes (if that). It is part of why I would never want to live out there. Great places to go for certain, but I would never live there.
 
Just going to say to Darla... HA HA... we have bike paths integrated all over Denver and the front range. You can bike 40-60 miles and rarely have to cross a street. They are careful to integrate paths in newer neighborhoods as it is a very nice way to get around and avoid traffic at the same time (which drivers also appreciate).

For much of the northeast it would be like our downtown area, too many parts are so over developed there is nowhere to put a path. So they make do with bike lanes (if that). It is part of why I would never want to live out there. Great places to go for certain, but I would never live there.

The town I grew up in, which i still bike through sometimes, they just put bike lanes in last year. It's pathetic. Plus the people here are just not bike-friendly. It's a certain mindset. It's really weird. It's why I started sticking mostly to the paths at state parks, one in particular. I wish we had that here.
 
The town I grew up in, which i still bike through sometimes, they just put bike lanes in last year. It's pathetic. Plus the people here are just not bike-friendly. It's a certain mindset. It's really weird. It's why I started sticking mostly to the paths at state parks, one in particular. I wish we had that here.

Why is it weird that they don't share your mindset? Surely they are doing what is best for them
 
The town I grew up in, which i still bike through sometimes, they just put bike lanes in last year. It's pathetic. Plus the people here are just not bike-friendly. It's a certain mindset. It's really weird. It's why I started sticking mostly to the paths at state parks, one in particular. I wish we had that here.

To be fair, it is really hard to integrate in major cities as most have defined the width of their streets already and there simply isn't room for a path other than in parks. But many cities didn't integrate larger parks within them as they grew. This also precludes much development.

Bottom line... we win. You lose. Something northeasterners should get used to.
 
To be fair, it is really hard to integrate in major cities as most have defined the width of their streets already and there simply isn't room for a path other than in parks. But many cities didn't integrate larger parks within them as they grew. This also precludes much development.

Bottom line... we win. You lose. Something northeasterners should get used to.

I don't doubt there are many wonderful things about Colorado and I hope to visit it someday. But New York will always be The Empire State. I try to imagine if my family weren't here and all the ties i have here were gone would I want to move to another state. I don't really know, but I do love NY.
 
Maybe if we tore down the UN building we could make room for some bike paths. Finally something that could get me behind the global warming scam
 
. I like Paris, they have bikes you rent and drop off, when you reach your location. self serve. They'd prolly all wind up being stolen here.
 
. I like Paris, they have bikes you rent and drop off, when you reach your location. self serve. They'd prolly all wind up being stolen here.

Haha. This is random but I had two bikes in college. Both got stolen of course. I haven't bought a bike since.
 
That is such a good article. In a place where such an undertaking is feasible, it makes absolute sense to do it. I have noticed a few more bike paths around some areas of OKC. And people are going to be more convinced to ride bikes because "...biking was already the best option for many types of trips. 'If you want to drive a car for medium distance, you know you, are a fool,' he said, 'You are going to waste time.'" That works better for most folks than telling on he is going to be more healthy and save the planet. Anytime it is feasible to ride my bike, I do it. Anytime it is feasible to ride my motorcycle, I do it. I woul much rather go somewhere using those two modes of transportation than drive my truck or SUV. I never give the health benefit of biking a second thought because I'm too busy enjoying the open air. Thanks for posting the article. More bike paths in cities would be a great thing.
 
That is such a good article. In a place where such an undertaking is feasible, it makes absolute sense to do it. I have noticed a few more bike paths around some areas of OKC. And people are going to be more convinced to ride bikes because "...biking was already the best option for many types of trips. 'If you want to drive a car for medium distance, you know you, are a fool,' he said, 'You are going to waste time.'" That works better for most folks than telling on he is going to be more healthy and save the planet. Anytime it is feasible to ride my bike, I do it. Anytime it is feasible to ride my motorcycle, I do it. I woul much rather go somewhere using those two modes of transportation than drive my truck or SUV. I never give the health benefit of biking a second thought because I'm too busy enjoying the open air. Thanks for posting the article. More bike paths in cities would be a great thing.

You're welcome I'm glad you enjoyed it!
 
That is such a good article. In a place where such an undertaking is feasible, it makes absolute sense to do it. I have noticed a few more bike paths around some areas of OKC. And people are going to be more convinced to ride bikes because "...biking was already the best option for many types of trips. 'If you want to drive a car for medium distance, you know you, are a fool,' he said, 'You are going to waste time.'" That works better for most folks than telling on he is going to be more healthy and save the planet. Anytime it is feasible to ride my bike, I do it. Anytime it is feasible to ride my motorcycle, I do it. I woul much rather go somewhere using those two modes of transportation than drive my truck or SUV. I never give the health benefit of biking a second thought because I'm too busy enjoying the open air. Thanks for posting the article. More bike paths in cities would be a great thing.

exactly... I do it because it typically is more convenient, it allows for the open air riding which I love and it is one of the many reasons I love living in CO. The paths are everywhere. I can ride 20 miles on paths, cross a total of three streets along the way and be ready to ride up into the mountains. I normally shop for groceries day to day since I am single, so I just take my bike with a backpack and enjoy the ride.
 
Shocker right???

Also had my car stolen their twice. :(

Wow. If that had happened to me I probably would have quit college. I just can't imagine. You know in the 35 years I have lived here the only things I have ever had stolen were a couple of tree stands I left in the woods. And I really don't know that they were stole because the game wardens don't like it when a person leaves them there sort of permanently ... they may have 'confiscated' them. I have two out right now that have been up since last September....At least I think they're still there. :)
 
Can you imagine if we did things like this here? It would be great. Where i live we recently got bicycle lanes on some of the roads through town. It's very sporadic though and it was like a huge deal. Long Island is very SUV-friendly and very bicycle-unfriendly.

Commuters Pedal to Work on Their Very Own Superhighway
By SALLY McGRANE

COPENHAGEN — Picture 11 miles of smoothly paved bike path meandering through the countryside. Largely uninterrupted by roads or intersections, it passes fields, backyards, chirping birds, a lake, some ducks and, at every mile, an air pump.

For some Danes, this is the morning commute.

Susan Nielsen, a 59-year-old schoolteacher, was one of a handful of people taking advantage of Denmark’s first “superhighway” for bicycles on a recent morning, about halfway between Copenhagen and Albertslund, a suburb, which is the highway’s endpoint. “I’m very glad because of the better pavement,” said Ms. Nielsen, who wore a rain jacket and carried a pair of pants in a backpack to put on after her 40-minute commute.

The cycle superhighway, which opened in April, is the first of 26 routes scheduled to be built to encourage more people to commute to and from Copenhagen by bicycle. More bike path than the Interstate its name suggests, it is the brainchild of city planners who were looking for ways to increase bicycle use in a place where half of the residents already bike to work or to school every day.

“We are very good, but we want to be better,” said Brian Hansen, the head of Copenhagen’s traffic planning section.

He and his team saw potential in suburban commuters, most of whom use cars or public transportation to reach the city. “A typical cyclist uses the bicycle within five kilometers,” or about three miles, said Mr. Hansen, whose office keeps a coat rack of ponchos that bicycling employees can borrow in case of rain. “We thought: How do we get people to take longer bicycle rides?”

They decided to make cycle paths look more like automobile freeways. While there is a good existing network of bicycle pathways around Copenhagen, standards across municipalities can be inconsistent, with some stretches having inadequate pavement, lighting or winter maintenance, as well as unsafe intersections and gaps.

“It doesn’t work if you have a good route, then a section in the middle is covered in snow,” said Lise Borgstrom Henriksen, spokeswoman for the cycle superhighway secretariat. “People won’t ride to work then.”

For the superhighway project, Copenhagen and 21 local governments teamed up to ensure that there were contiguous, standardized bike routes into the capital across distances of up to 14 miles. “We want people to perceive these routes as a serious alternative,” Mr. Hansen said, “like taking the bus, car or train.”

The plan has received widespread support in a country whose left- and right-leaning lawmakers both regularly bike to work (albeit on slightly different models of bicycle).

Riding on the first superhighway, which grew more crowded as it neared the city, Marianne Bagge-Petersen said she was heading to a support group for job seekers. “I think it’s very cool,” she said, noting that the path allowed her to avoid roads with more car traffic. “Taking the bike makes me feel good about myself. I’m looking for a job, and if I don’t get out, it’s going to be a very long day.”

The Capital Region of Denmark, a political body responsible for public hospitals as well as regional development, has provided $1.6 million for the superhighway project.

“When we look at public hospitals, we look very much at how to reduce cost,” said a regional councilor, Lars Gaardhoj, who had just picked up his three small children in a cargo bike decorated with elephants. “It’s a common saying among doctors that the best patient is the patient you never see. Anything we can do to get less pollution and less traffic is going to mean healthier, maybe happier, people.”

In Denmark, thanks to measures like the superhighway, commuters choose bicycles because they are the fastest and most convenient transportation option. “It’s not because the Danes are more environmentally friendly,” said Gil Penalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities, a Canadian organization that works to make cities healthier. “It’s not because they eat something different at breakfast.”

Lars Gemzo, a partner at Gehl Architects, said that within Copenhagen, biking was already the best option for many kinds of trips. “If you want to drive a car for a medium distance, you know you are a fool,” he said. “You are going to waste time.”

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. But many cite happiness among the chief benefits of bicycle commuting.


Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/w...k-on-a-superhighway.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
Sounds good to me but the only problem I see is that when they do build bike paths here in the US they tend to be dominated by pedestrians so they really become walking paths as the mix of pedestrians isn't very safe and as a cyclist I can't ride at tempo on bike paths, which is hugely frustrating. I much prefer the bike lane concept. It keeps cyclist out of traffic and as long as they stay in their lane and don't annoy motor vehicle traffic it works out a lot better, IMHO.
 
unfortunately we do have that mindset here......locally we wasted over a million dollars building a seldom used bridge over Interstate 196.....

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1798433673/Your-Question-Answered

g12c000000000000000c20711c352b520369fc1eeb63b54ec975028479b.jpg
 
Sounds good to me but the only problem I see is that when they do build bike paths here in the US they tend to be dominated by pedestrians so they really become walking paths as the mix of pedestrians isn't very safe and as a cyclist I can't ride at tempo on bike paths, which is hugely frustrating. I much prefer the bike lane concept. It keeps cyclist out of traffic and as long as they stay in their lane and don't annoy motor vehicle traffic it works out a lot better, IMHO.

That's true, that does happen here. In this one particular park by me, the one with the longest and best bike path on LI, there are fewer walkers/joggers by far than I have seen on other paths...but there are still some. I can deal with them a lot more than I can with the cars around here. There are just too many around here who are not at all respectful of cyclists and some who seem to take it as a personal insult if you are riding a bike. You know, assholes. :)
 
Back
Top