Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Today we have a question from one of our own reporters—Luci Jones.
Luci Jones: I’m studying abroad in Copenhagen this semester and I’ve been blown away by the number of bikes on the road. I’m curious why so many people bike and how this impacts carbon emissions.
We had Luci and Harrison Katz from our Possibly Team look into it. Welcome, Luci and Harrison!
Luci Jones: Hi, Megan!
Harrison Katz: Hello!
Megan Hall: So, Luci, you’ve been studying abroad in Copenhagen this whole semester right?
Luci Jones: Yep!
Megan Hall: And what’s stood out to you about the city since living there?
Luci Jones: There’s definitely a lot of differences between Copenhagen and the States, but one of the biggest is how people get around. Almost everybody here either seems to use public transportation or bikes.
Megan Hall: No cars?
Luci Jones: Well there are some, but the bikes outnumber the cars here five to one. Less than 30% of people even own a car. and almost half of commutes in Copenhagen are done by bike.
Harrison Katz: For context, in the US, less than one percent of Americans commute by bicycle.
Megan Hall: Why do so many people in Copenhagen choose to bike?
Luci Jones: That’s what I was wondering too. To learn more, we talked to Bettina Werner, the co-founder of an urban design firm in Copenhagen. She teaches classes through my study abroad program and is a regular biker herself.
Bettina Werner: my impression is that cycling in many places in the US is something you do for recreational purposes, or exercise, and not necessarily as your daily commute.
Megan Hall: And what does the city of Copenhagen do to make biking an attractive transportation option?
Harrison Katz: Well, Denmark imposes a high tax on cars and gas is nearly $10 a gallon. That makes buying a car a lot more expensive than biking.
Luci Jones: But bikes are also a great option because the city has created special infrastructure that makes commuting this way easier.
Harrison Katz: For example, they have what’s called a “green wave,” which means that all of the traffic lights are coordinated so that the average bike rider would never have to stop at a red light on their way into the city.
Megan Hall: Cool. What else does the city do to encourage bike riding?
Luci Jones: According to Bettina-
Bettina Werner: The bike lanes are wide enough to cycle with someone. And we also have a really big push in terms of innovation for electric bikes.
Harrison Katz: They also have cargo bikes, which is especially important because it means people will have somewhere to put their stuff if they decide to pick up something on the way home.
Megan Hall: And how does all this biking impact the Danes’ carbon emissions?
Harrison Katz: If the whole EU cycled as much as the Danes, it could cut its transport greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25%!
Megan Hall: Wow, is this something we could do here in Rhode Island?
Luci Jones: Well, this wasn’t something that happened in the blink of an eye. Copenhagen had to put a lot of money into developing their bike infrastructure over the past few decades. But Bettina says there’s definitely hope if we focus on a local level.
Bettina Werner: if you can show that these 6000 people in this community, they bike every single day and do all their errands by bike, then more people will follow.
Harrison Katz: We’re based in Providence, which is making a big push on bike lanes. With a few more links between, and some eBikes to help with hills, we could reach a tipping point.
Luci Jones: With more people biking, maybe Providence can be the Copenhagen of the Northeast!
Megan Hall: Got it! Thanks, Luci and Harrison!
That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
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Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.
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