The documentary “Bikes vs. Cars” was screened this week at the OECD. It talks about how the previous decades of car-centric city planning have made our cities less liveable with large city areas consumed by road infrastructure that is exclusively designed for car use. The movie also shows the conflict and the pain that is associated with a push for a change. There is active resistance as well.
In my city there is a biking movement that advocates for more cycling and safer streets, and a lot of cities around the globe have such movements. A lot of work is already done on cycling safety, and valuable lessons can be learned from that. In the long run it will contribute better policies and more people changing their lifestyle: starting to cycle and living longer, healthier and happier lives.
I hope we can make cycling the “natural choice” for everybody, but that requires a lot of work both on the city infrastructure side, and on changing the mindset of the commuters. Having a car-free Sunday once a year is not enough. I wish we could have a car free day in the big cities every day, like in the town of Giethoorn.
You can watch the movie online here.