Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

by Jeff Speck

In Copenhagen, most of the city’s major four-lane streets have been converted to two lanes plus two bike paths. As a sign of the city’s priorities, these bike lanes are always cleared of snow before the driving lanes are. The minimum recommended bike path width is over eight feet,19 which makes America’s five-footers look pretty dinky. The impact of this investment has been profound. Forty years ago, peak-hour motorists in Copenhagen outnumbered bicyclists by three to one. In 2003, the two modes reached parity, and now cycling is the most popular way around town.20 Forty percent more people bike to work than drive.21