Debunking the Flat Country/Bike Country myth

[Nicked and revised freely from the EU paper – "Cycling – a way forward for cities and towns"... hey, our tax money paid for it...]

There's one thing we often hear at Copenhagenize.com - "Denmark and Holland only ride so much because the countries are flat..."

We're not trying to debunk the myth that the countries are flat. Compared to Andorra, they are. It's true. The geographical features of the two nations, and the two capitals have little to do with why so many people ride their bikes here.

It is actually a historical and political issue. When the Bicycle Revolution 1.0 swept the planet in the late 1800's and early 1900's everybody, everywhere in the industrialised world, rode a bike. The bicycle liberated women and it liberated the working class.

In Denmark and the Netherlands, there were Cyclist Unions just like anywhere else. When cycling became a sport - which happened quickly and with great impact - the cyclist unions in many countries then had to compete with Sport Cycling unions. In the Netherlands they saw the bicycle as a social activity for the people, with many societal benefits. They even banned bike racing for a time in order to preserve the bicycle as an integral part of the culture.

In Denmark, the cyclists' union was well-organised and politically active from the start and, throughout the 20th century it remained so. In both countries the unions were powerful and vocal advocates of bike culture and they were heard.

We reap the benefits to this day. So THAT is why we ride, not because the cities are flat.

To the hills!
If we're debunking flat myths, we simply must take a trip to Switzerland. The city of Basel is built on the steep banks of the Rhine and yet 23% of journies are made by bike.

And in Bern, where many roads have a gradient on the steep-o-meter of 7%, the percentage is 15%.

Not to mention Oslo, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Denmark's second city, Aarhus. All very hilly.

In reality, there are not many situations which prohibit the use of a bicycle. The only climatic features which have a really dissuasive influence on cyclists are pouring rain or blistering heat.

Appropriate clothing and a suitable infrastructure on arrival greatly reduce the negative impact of atmospheric conditions which are far less compatible with daily cycling than is imagined.

Hills are a not insignificant obstacles for somewhat untrained cyclists using old and unsuitable bicycles in towns where slopes with a more than 5 % gradient are long and numerous.

Even under such circumstances, there is a potential for cycling, as can be seen from the following hilly towns: Trondheim (Norway) has reached a cycling rate of 8 % and has equipped itself with the first bicycle lifts in the world.

As for the flat countries like the Netherlands and Denmark... people never mention the wind. Try riding to work in a storm, with hurricane strength gusts, in the middle of a dark January morning. The North Sea loves our flat countries and does everything it can to blow us off our bikes. In vain, we'd like to add.

WE'RE NOT ALONE
And while we're at it, let's get rid of the myth that it is only Copenhagen and Amsterdam that ride like the wind.

Let's face it. Bikes are used regularly almost everywhere in Europe. Mostly in Northern Europe, since in some parts southern Europe the bike is often regarded as a child's plaything or a piece of sports equipment.

So let's look at the oft overlooked cities and towns in Europe that enjoy a high level [compared to other regions] of bike usage.

In Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, 19% of all journeys are made by bike. By comparison, the city of Davis, in California, has a figure of 17%, one of the highest in the US.

And then there is Ferrara, Italy, about 50 km from Bologna. Here 31% of trips between home and work are biked.

Then there is the fine town of Västerås in central Sweden. Icy cold during the winters but still, 33% of journeys are by bike.

It rains quite often in Cambridge, UK. This doesn't discourage the inhabitants from making 27% of all journeys on two, manpowered wheels.

Many German cities enjoy bike culture, too. In Münster 30% of all trips are by bike. Now that Berlin and Paris, not to mention Barcelona and other cities, are investing in bike infrastructure, bike usage in Europe is on a rapid rise. Over 60 cities have bike sharing programmes and that number grows every quarter.

SIZE DOESN'T MATTER
Many North American cities are, indeed, urban sprawls but we often get people commenting on the fact that American cities are WAY too big to ride in compared to European cities.

Sure, if you choose to live in a distant suburb, you're in for a long commute, but there really isn't that much of a difference in size in cities of roughly the same population.

And if you really want to ride, you'll find a way.