What it's Going to Take

The Washington, D.C. area is ranked #2 nationwide for traffic congestion. Nationwide, we rank #1 for the amount of global warming pollution Americans produce. With concerns about both traffic congestion and global warming, it's time to realize that the way things have been done aren't the way things need to be done.

As The CommuterPageBlog pointed out on Dec. 15, Copenhagen is doubling its bicycle budget from $15 million to $30 million per year. With this commitment to cycling, Copenhagen will surpass a 40% bicycle mode split in the city to become one of the most, if not THE most, bicycle-friendly city in the world. A 40% bike mode split means that 40% of travel trips made in Copenhagen are done so by bike.

What does a 40% mode split look like?

Imagine how a bike mode split of even 5% or 10% would affect traffic congestion and pollution levels in the D.C. area, let alone a 40% split. Copenhagen was once an auto-dominated city, however, they made a concerted effort to become a bike-friendly city. It doesn't happen by accident. The D.C. region and especially Arlington are also taking grand steps to be more bike-friendly with multiple sheltered bike parking locations, bike-sharing, and miles of new trails scheduled for 2008. This is all a part of creating a bicycle-friendly region.

Paul DeMaio is manager of Arlington County's BikeArlington program