By Erik Gundersen
In the United States, Eugene, Oregon is ahead of the curve as far the use of bikes as transportation. However, Dynamic Spaces is urging the citizens of Eugene to make greater use of the city’s bike-friendly infrastructure, because many bike-friendly cities in America and around the globe are gaining fame for being very desirable destinations.
However, one city over 5000 miles away is using bikes in a way that most Americans would find unbelievable. In Copenhagen, Denmark, 40% of the city’s population rides their bikes to work. This level of transport by bicycle is astounding.
It is a very cost effective method of getting to work, by-passing the costly hassle of buying gas for everyday commutes that could be made by bike. This high percentage of the use of bikes for daily transportation has put Copenhagen near the top of lists as one of Europe’s most desirable destinations. Through our research at Dynamic Spaces we have found that a number of cities, in the U.S. as well as Europe are highly ranked as desirable cities or as cities that have a high state of over all well being. There seems to be some correlation between bike-friendliness and such high ratings.
Boulder, Colorado was recently ranked the happiest-city in America. Boulder, like Eugene is a metropolitan area where there is a large population of university students. In the League of American Bicyclists recent rating of America’s most bike friendly cities, Boulder received “platinum” rating, the best possible rating for a city, tied with the likes of Davis, California and Portland, Oregon. As of 2003, Boulder spent 19 percent of its budget on bike lanes and bike paths to facilitate bike transportation. Also, as of 2003, 10 percent of its population rode their bikes to work daily.
Eugene, which already has a “gold” rating from the League of American Bicyclists, has started new projects to increase bike use in the city. However, even if Eugene adds more bike lanes, bridges and trails, it is up to us, the citizens of Eugene, to take advantage of these resources, which help rid Eugene of traffic problems and of environmental health risks that come with CO2 emissions, resulting in a healthier and happier population overall. In a recent pole of 96 students at the U of O, in the last 6 months, 32 percent said they rode their bikes once or more per week. While this may seem like a lot, in comparison to other cities, once a week is not really enough to make a major impact.
So get up, get out and enjoy the resources for alternative transportation and recreation that we have in the “Emerald City.” You don’t have to move to another city ranked highly on a well-being scale to be happy because the ingredients that help these cities stand out are already right here, it is just up to you to get out and use them.
Copenhagen #2 City in Scandinavia
NYT Happiest Cities in America Blog
Bicycle parking in Amsterdam, another bicycle-friendly European city PHOTO Erin J. Kaldor
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