Mexico City Leading the Bike Revolution

What do we need as humans to feel safe in the street? To move comfortably. To get from point A to point B efficiently, or God forbid, to enjoy our time commuting. According to Jeff Speck, Author of Walkable City, we need four simple things to achieve freedom away from our gas guzzling cars; “a proper reason to walk, the walk has to be safe and feel safe, the walk has to be comfortable and the walk has to be interesting. You need to do all four of these things simultaneously.” And this formula works for walks, jogs, and bike rides alike. We need a proper reason; museums, bars, grocery stores and parks. We need a safe walk; wide sidewalks, protected curbs, functioning traffic lights. We need to be comfortable; trees for shade, lighting at night, and clean unobstructed streets. We need an interesting walk; outside artwork and statues, unique architecture, and my personal favorite, city fountains. If we can provide all these things on a single pathway, we’ll have an incredible urban infrastructure that will take people out of their cars and get them on our streets… where we want them!

For the most part, Europe has this down. Amsterdam is the king of the bike, and Berlin has a subway system that reaches far and wide. We could talk for ages about how European culture, history and density has allowed for some of the most comprehensive transit in the world, but that has already been noted by the hordes of tourists every summer. I personally lived in Amsterdam for over a year and found the bike infrastructure, public transit system, and walkability to…