50 percent of trips are taken on foot, bike, or transit?including a SeaBus! The news that Copenhagen now has more bikes than cars on its streets seems like a distant fantasy?if not downright impossible?for vehicle-bound American cities. But when it comes to weaning cities off the automobile, the U.S. has a fantastic example to learn from right here in our backyard. Vancouver residents now take an incredible 50 percent of their trips by walking, biking, and riding transit.
Back in 2012, the city set a goal to shift half of its traffic to ?sustainable modes? by 2020. Last year, the city achieved that goal, a full five years earlier than expected. A Streetfilms video explores how, with smart policy and political will, the Canadian city became the best city for walking and biking in North America.
How did Vancouver do it" One key is improving the infrastructure for people using active modes like walking and biking?keeping them separated and safe from cars. In some cases you?ll see that doesn?t necessarily mean paving new paths and building new sidewalks. Some of the landscaped bikeways on Vancouver streets are simply large planters blocking off a lane of vehicular traffic. These are instant road diets that add color and life which everyone can appreciate.
But infrastructure isn?t the only investment Vancouver made. There?s an entire part of the plan that?s just focused on promotion and marketing?all the non-physical ways the city makes people feel welcomed on the st...