This letter to the Taipei Times regarding an article from November last year from one of their readers would read just as well if you replace the word “Taiwan” with the word “London”.

In it, the reader makes astute comments on how Copenhagen has coaxed people out of their cars via a three pronged approach.

There have been efforts to increase the number of cyclists in Taiwan, but they have often not been very successful because they have lacked the comprehensive and systematic approach that Copenhagen has taken (“Lane a testament to incompetence” March 26, page 8).

The three essentials that are crucial for any strategy to get people out of cars and onto bicycles are: Cycling has to be comfortable and safe; it has to be supported by a parking and repair infrastructure; and it needs to be part of a wider push for increased public transport.

To make cycling comfortable and safe it is essential that a significant amount of space is given to raised cycle paths that cannot be used by cars or scooters. Car and scooter use, meanwhile, will only decrease with more investments into affordable public transport that reaches all parts of the city at all times of the day.

Copenhagen also reduced car lanes and parking spaces, which is one of the most effective ways of pushing cars out of cities.

Find out more at http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2010/12/07/2003490295