You drive a car… that’s so uncool!

Your car just isn’t cool.

It isn’t hip.  It isn’t liked.  I’d even say it’s downright frowned upon.

Your car is the Mullet of the transportation world.  It is the VHS…. no… the laser disc of the movie industry.  It is the built in car phone, the Sun Country Cooler, the parachute pants of the world.

And that just covers the uncool part.  The fact is that your car isn’t popular either.

I’m sorry to say it, but your car has had a popularity meltdown to the degree of Michael Richards, Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen all combined.

And the new sweetheart we all love, the new Tina Fey of the transit world… well that’s the common bicycle.

It’s just that those of us in the United States are running a little.  But not to worry, we are rapidly catching on to the new trend.  For example, our great city of Denver recently announced a major bike initiative.

But that pales in comparison to what some major European cities are doing.  The New York Times Article “Across Europe, Irking Drivers is Urban Policy – Monday June 27, 2011” tells of how these cities have all but waged an all out war on the automobile.  They are picking their most populated cities and turning the main downtown streets into pedestrian and bicycle only.  Instead of expanding the lanes of traffic they are taking them away to create new bicycle lanes.  If you want to drive across the city and it takes two or three hours… well that’s what you get for driving.

If you chose to take public transportation you’d be fine.  If you walked you would be fine.  And if you rode your bicycle not only would you be fine.. you’d get some exercise.

The disincentives to driving aren’t just about time.  Gasoline in Europe can go over $9 a gallon to create a painful experience for your wallet as well.  It’s all in an effort to get the population out of their cars.  Here is an excerpt from the article…

To that end, the municipal Traffic Planning Department here in Zurich has been working overtime in recent years to torment drivers. Closely spaced red lights have been added on roads into town, causing delays and angst for commuters. Pedestrian underpasses that once allowed traffic to flow freely across major intersections have been removed. Operators in the city’s ever expanding tram system can turn traffic lights in their favor as they approach, forcing cars to halt.

Around Löwenplatz, one of Zurich’s busiest squares, cars are now banned on many blocks. Where permitted, their speed is limited to a snail’s pace so that crosswalks and crossing signs can be removed entirely, giving people on foot the right to cross anywhere they like at any time.

As he stood watching a few cars inch through a mass of bicycles and pedestrians, the city’s chief traffic planner, Andy Fellmann, smiled. “Driving is a stop-and-go experience,” he said. “That’s what we like! Our goal is to reconquer public space for pedestrians, not to make it easy for drivers.”

Why do this?  It’s just smart and a true commitment to sustainable living.  It is also part of the effort to meet the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions.  Unfortunately the United States didn’t sign on to this pact at the time but hope remains that new green initiatives will help us pursue this effort independently at a minimum.  For those who don’t recall what the Kyoto Protocol is…

“The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement under which industrialized countries will reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990 (but note that, compared to the emissions levels that would be expected by 2010 without the Protocol, this target represents a 29% cut). The goal is to lower overall emissions from six greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs – calculated as an average over the five-year period of 2008-12. National targets range from 8% reductions for the European Union and some others to 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and permitted increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland.”

It’s a pretty hefty goal to accomplish UNLESS we really start changing our thinking.  It’s not smart cars that are the solutions (have you heard about batteries and their damage) as much as it is bicycle and other alternative tranit options.

So I love my light blue single speed that get’s me about town in Denver.  I love avoiding traffic, skipping parking headaches, and the pain of the gas pump.  I love the sun on my back and the fresh air.

Okay… it has been friggin hot lately but I still love my bike.  I hope our city of Denver keeps pursuing these bicycle initiatives.  I wonder if we will catch up to the EU on this car disincentive culture and begin a focus on assisting our Denver urban (or U.S. Urban) bike and pedestrian loving citizens.  And if you don’t think gas will reach $9 a gallon here just wait.  One fill up will by a heck of a nice single speed and your heart will thank you for the exercise.

Oh… and while I do think Denver is near the top of the list for bike friendly cities in the U.S. it was a bit of a shock to realize how far behind we really are compared to the rest of the world.  That same NYT article reports…

After two decades of car ownership, Hans Von Matt, 52, who works in the insurance industry, sold his vehicle and now gets around Zurich by tram or bicycle, using a car-sharing service for trips out of the city. Carless households have increased from 40 to 45 percent in the last decade, and car owners use their vehicles less, city statistics show.

Wow… 40 to 45 percent are carless.  Anyone know what Denver’s percentage might be.  I’d guess less than 10% if even 5%.

I’m also impressed that Mr. Von Matt is biking around at 52… you go boy!

I was a little disappointed to see that our city actually was mentioned in the article but not in a favorable light…

While many building codes in Europe cap the number of parking spaces in new buildings to discourage car ownership, American codes conversely tend to stipulate a minimum number. New apartment complexes built along the light rail line in Denver devote their bottom eight floors to parking, making it “too easy” to get in the car rather than take advantage of rail transit, Mr. Kodransky said.

Dang and Ouch.  That settles it… more biking for me.

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