It's true that Copenhagen has a remarkable bike culture. But this is not something that just happened without government involvement. As far as I can tell (I've never been to Copenhagen, but I've been reading up...) bicycling was in decline until the 1970s, when the government started taking actions to encourage the use of bicycles for transport.
There's an interesting article on the subject at http://www.i-sustain.com/learningCenter/Publications/Creating%20a%20Bicycle%20Culture%20-%20DJC%20Article.htm "...the truth is that bicycling peaked in the 1950s and reached an all time low by the 1970s. It has only been through the concerted and sustained efforts of politicians, planners and traffic engineers that Copenhagen has become a city of bicycles. Cycling is an integral part of mainstream planning, and bike paths and other bike-friendly facilities are a part of the planning of every new or rebuilt road. Copenhagen's road infrastructure network has not increased since the 1970s and miles driven per year have decreased by 10 percent over the same period of time. " I can't promise that Madison can create a bike culture here with the same depth and breadth as Copenhagen's, but there's no need to give up hope because biking is not the "norm" in our existing culture. Here are some inspiring pictures of bikes in Copenhagen: http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/10/04/notes-on-bicycling-in-copenhagen/ Darryl Jordan wrote: [...] > But the key difference is the different culture in > socially acceptable means of transport between the two > countries. In Copenhagen, the bicycle is the norm. > Like concrete for sidewalks is a "norm." In the US, > since, until lately space constrictions, oil prices > and an over abundant auto industry have made the > automobile the "norm" and socially accepted means of > transport and status. > [...] > Regards, > Darryl Jordan >> Bikies mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies >> > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies > > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
