In Copenhagen, cycling is considered a distinct traffic category with its own separate road area, on par with motor traffic and pedestrian traffic. As many as 50 % of Copenhagen residents who work or study in Copenhagen cycle to their workplace or educational institution.
Bogotá’s CicloRuta is one of the most extensive bicycle path networks in the world. It covers over 211 miles (340 km) and connects citizens to major BRT routes, parks, and community centers. The system is a best practice, not only because it has reduced car dependence and associated emissions, but it has also fundamentally changed behavior in the city – today (2007) 4% of the population use their bikes, an increased from 2% in 2000. The system is both unique and successful because its design took into consideration the topography of the city – the manmade and natural features, such as essential facilities, hills, waterways, and parklands – to create the best possible flow and function.
The Bogotá Transmilenio system has attained a very high productivity level averaging 1,600 passengers per day per bus, reducing traveling time by 32%, eliminating 2,109 public-service vehicles, reducing gas emissions by 40%, and making zones around the trunk roads safer thus decreasing accident rates by 90% throughout the system.
Barcelona’s Bicing cycle scheme achieved over 90,000 subscriptions, 2 million hires and reduced CO2 emissions in the city by 960 tonnes during its first six months of operations. The success of the scheme and its impact on changing modes of transport in the city has been so great that Bicing will be extended to cover all city districts in 2008.
The C40/CCI Hybrid & Electric Bus Test Program is in the spotlight with a feature article in the October issue of AutoBus, the leading industry publication on bus transport in Brazil.
