Cycling to Planetary Happiness
The following article is written by Guy Dauncey and originally appears in the June issue of EcoNews .
Two wheels on the road, the summer air in your face - it’s a wonderful way to travel! When we look at the urgent need to eliminate our carbon emissions, plus the end of cheap oil and the benefits of being healthy and fit, cycling has to be one of the most important transport initiatives we should be investing in.
Coaches, transit, light rail, electric vehicles, ride-sharing, walking – these are all part of the answer.
But cycling should have a special place on the list, because it brings so many benefits. In Copenhagen, where 36% of the population commutes to work by bike, cycling has become such a style that they have invented a verb, “Copenhagenize”, to capture what’s happening. (www.copenhagenize.com)
And just look at the economics of it. They know from their health statistics that physically active people live five years longer and have four fewer years of lengthy illness than those who are non-active.
They know that cycling for four hours a week – 10 km a day, a typical Copenhagen bike ride – makes a person physically active.
