And speaking of the ills of long commutes, check out this video that examines bicycling in Copenhagen from a car-centric North American perspective:
I have no doubt that a bike commute being physically active is a lot more likely to contribute to making you happy at work than driving your car.
What do you think – would you like your city to be more bike-centric?
And thanks to Ole Kassow for telling me about the video above.
I’m lucky enough to live in a town with one of the highest cycling rates for England.
But I definitely wish that things were more cycling friendly!
Nice promotion video for biking in cities, and as such, it paints a somewhat rosy picture. Although by comparison I understand this must seem heaven to many North Americans, there are definitely signs of the same problems that you get anywhere with traffic congestion. People are people. We have road rage, guerilla riding and parking, bike congestion, less understanding between cars and bikes, lack of etiquette (spitting or blowing your nose to the side…), lack of parking and the cargo bikes are not at all as popular in the rush hour as the film makes it appear! Also there is an incredible number of bike thefts so the “no chain needed” remark is, well, too rosy. Finally I’ve never ever got the green wave to work no matter what speed I tried… but the idea is very nice.
@Cisca. Yes, it’s rosy, but on the other hand I don’t think the video is that far off. It really made me appreciate living and biking in Copenhagen on a new level because it made me realize how many things I take for granted.
I’m a longtime bike commuter in the Washington DC area. Bike commuting is just starting to become socially acceptable here, though it is still seen as an eccentric activity for a professional woman over age 40. I bike very politely and do my best to stay away from vehicles, but have been screamed at by drivers simply for existing. Yes, I think our community could be much more bike friendly. Thank goodness for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
I recently had to start driving to work because I could not manage the bike commute with a daycare pickup. One colleague noticed I was driving me congratulated me on doing so. She seemed surprised when I said I was sad about not biking to work any longer. She admitted that she first met me years ago, she assumed I biked because I am too poor to drive. So there is still a cultural disconnect here in Washington.
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