Global Trends in Making Major Cities More Bike-Friendly

A few excerpts from this promising assessment of the global trend to reduce speed for cars, have car-free areas/weekends, and increase the pedestrian and cycling infrastructures of major cities.

"From Guangzhou to Brussels to Chicago, cities are shifting their attention from keeping cars moving to making it easier to walk, cycle and play on their streets. Some central roads are being converted into pedestrian promenades, others flanked with cycle lanes. Speed limits are being slashed. More than 700 cities in 50 countries now have bike-share schemes; the number has grown by about half in the past three years."

"In cycling, Amsterdam and Copenhagen are the pacesetters, with a third of trips made by bicycle. More than half of Amsterdam’s residents use their bikes daily. London, New York and Paris all have plans to challenge them. All three cities are expanding their bike-share schemes and building new bike lanes, some on quiet roads with new, lower speed limits for cars, and others running through central areas and separated from motorised traffic."

Full article:

http://www.economist.com/news/international/21663219-cities-are-sta...