American commuters could learn a thing or two from the Danish.
Between the 1980s and today, the network of bicycle tracks in Copenhagen has more than doubled in length, to 247 miles in 2010. That has created a two-wheeled culture in which more than half the city commutes to work by bike.
Stateside, Americans are still driving to work in overwhelming numbers. Worse, they're doing it alone.
Using census data gathered between 2009 and 2013, Metric Maps found that 76% of people commute in vehicles by themselves.
Most of those people live on the eastern half of the country, where rates appear to hover closer to 85%. That rate falls as you move west, but the majority of commuters still tend toward solitude.
The single occupancy model of traveling has environmental consequences. It also has effects on public health, as walking and biking offer exercise benefits that sitting in a vehicle does not.
Making the change to more bike-friendly roadways is especially important now that Americans are gradually living further away from where they work.
Metric Maps