[sustran] Re: Cycling in cities

[Thomas Krag]

Dear Sustran-members,

many very true and interesting points have already been raised in the discussion about cycling in cities. I would like to add two findings, both from the rich part of the world.

One is that high rather than low temperatures seems to be a deterrent for cycling. Northern Europe has generally much more cyclists than Southern Europe. The city of Oulu in Finland is famous for having many cyclists also at wintertime where temperatures drop below -20 degree celcisus. 

Another is that the discussion about safety is often mixing perceptions and misunderstandings with facts. In Denmark, a small northern country in Europe, 15% of all trips are done by cycling, but many still perceive cycling as unsafe compared to driving.

One fact is that per kilometre the risk of getting killed is about 5 times as high when riding a bicycle as when driving a car. Another approach is to look into whether those people, who ride bikes, actually face big risks. Epidemiological studies prove this not to be the case, the health benefits far outweigh the potential extra risks. Interestingly, calculations on the all-over risk of getting killed in transport per year shows that people in Denmark with access to cars to be exposed to bigger risks than those without a car. The reason is that the car is used also for long trips while public transport (which is much safer than cardriving) usually replaces cycling and walking for the long distances.

Moreover, several studies shows that the risk of cycling in a given area decrease with incresing numbers of bicycle users. There are also a number of projects showing that it is possible to get an all-over increase in cycle use without an increase in accidents with cyclists.

Unfortunately the study I made on the all-over safety for Danish road users at present is only available in Danish. Before I manage to provide a translation those familier with nordic languages can get a copy by e-mail on request.

Best regards

Thomas Krag

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Thomas Krag
Wilhelm Marstrands Gade 11
2100 København Ø
tel +45 35 42 86 24, mobil +45 27 11 86 24
tk at thomaskrag.com, www.thomaskrag.com