ABSTRACT
Transportation is one of the most vexing and challenging environmental, social, and political problems in the world. Transitioning away from private cars must begin and cyclinghuman-pedaled, on two wheels, rubber tires with wire spokes and a diamond frame—can be a pillar of that transition. In car-dependent cities, reducing car use and shifting to urban cycling also brings impressive co-benefits including energy security, less air pollution, reduced household costs, fewer fatalities and injuries, less noise-related stress, and improved public health through physical activity. Copenhagen appears in global scholarship on sustainable mobility, dozens of foreign delegations flock to Copenhagen for study tours every year, and cycling is used in promoting local economic development and tourism. A big part of that is lack of comfortable, extra-wide cycle tracks and other facilities that would necessarily intrude into existing car space. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
