"German television broadcast an interview (in English) last year that I've only just noticed and I'm posting it because it's the clearest articulation I've heard in quite some time, about why cities should design themselves around cycling, and how to do it. What I particularly like about the interview is the way that Klaus Bondam, a former rightwing politician in Copenhagen simply pulls no punches, and tells a few home truths that local authorities around the UK would do well to heed.
"His first comment seems quite obvious:
"In medieval cities, there's a limited amount of space, so you have to have a discussion about what the space should be used for...Right behind us there are loads of parked bikes, just imagine how much space that would take up if it was parked cars."
"Yup, spot on. You have to discuss cycling and private cars on an equal footing. This is a concept that is still nascent in the UK.
"But the same sort of thinking is going on in the Netherlands: Amsterdam this week published its new 'Action Plan for Mobility'. The document talks about how 'Until now the guiding principle for almost every [street layout] reorganisation has been to guarantee the accessibility of all the functions for all modes of transport'."
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