Everyone knows the benefits of commuting to work or school on a bicycle. It saves money, the exercise is good for you, produces zero carbon emissions, cuts down on congestion, and so forth. However, getting people to do it on a large scale in the US is a completely different story.
I recently found a delightful blog named “Copenhagen Girls on Bikes.” It’s about the bicycle culture in Copenhagen, Denmark, where 35% of the population – that is to say 550,000 people – ride their bikes to work or school each day. Bicycles are an integral part of their culture.
Mikael and Aaron, the two guys behind the blog, state, “Perhaps we can inspire people in other countries to commute by bicycle or lobby for better bike conditions in their cities by providing a portrait of a city that lives and breathes bikes.”
A recent article in the New York Observer talked about a trend in that city of attractive women riding bicycles everywhere wearing skirts, dresses, and high heels.
One of the obstacles in convincing people to ride bikes is that it is perceived as dangerous. The only reason it becomes dangerous is that drivers of cars and other vehicles are not aware of bicycles, and they just don’t see the bike rider. However, the more cyclists on the road, the more visible they become.
If you are a lady on a bike, with your dress and hair flowing in the wind, you are probably the most visible person out there. What gentleman would object to slowing briefly before passing you with caution? What lady driver would not envy you?
Riding a bicycle you will burn 32 calories per mile. So a modest five mile trip, to work or shopping, and back home again will burn 320 calories. That is a whopping 1,600 calories in a five day week. Imagine how hard it would be to cut that amount from your diet; it is almost like not eating for a whole day. Plus you are toning your muscles and doing your heart and lungs a great service.
How do you ride a bike in high heels? I have not tried, but I imagine it works fine, because you pedal with the sole of your shoe, not the heel. And when you come to a stop, your toe is already extended downwards towards the road. Kind of like a built-in kick stand.
In Copenhagen there are over 500,000 bicycles on the streets on any given day. That means almost that many less cars; imagine what an impact a fraction of that would have on the congestion in any North American city. With that many bikes on the streets, how can drivers not be aware, and drive cautiously?
The bicycle was one of the ways that women expressed their independence during the women’s suffrage movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is time for the women of America to lead the way again. I guarantee men will follow.
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