Copenhagen’s 2025 Climate Plan has set the ambitious goal of driving the capital to be the first carbon-neutral city within five years (the first phase of the plan began in 2013). One of the four pillars for achieving this carries the name Action Plan for Green Mobility and deals with enabling and providing for sustainable urban transit. Among the plan’s targets is that by 2025
“75% of all trips in Copenhagen are [made] on foot, by bike or public transport”.
The city has already achieved a lot in this regard, showcasing the multi-dimensional benefits of organising and nurturing sustainable city transport and moving away from a car-centric agenda. Here are five lessons that we can learn from Copenhagen’s grand green mobility plan, looking at public transport in particular.
Social
One of the leading social advantages of promoting public transport is facilitating a closer urban community and building interpersonal connections. Granted, striking a chat on the Tube is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nevertheless, public transit makes it easy to visit friends and family even if they live across town or out of the city. Copenhagen’s multiple transfer hubs are a beautiful example of how this works by connecting the city transport to the intercity bus, rail network, and the airport.
Cultural
Luckily for Copenhagen, Danes are very in tune with nature, so green initiatives are more readily accepted by society. Furthermore, people themselves are proactive (video link) in living with care for the environment. In Copenhagen, for example, public transport and bicycle commute account for the majority of work, school, and leisure-related trips. Note, though, that research suggests that the main reason why Copenhagen’s residents pick these means of transport is due to convenience. At the same time, sustainability ranks lower as a deciding factor.
Yet, the sense of being friendly with the environment does play a significant role in Danish society. The cultural lesson is that such practices become more ingrained within the community when citizens actively participate in advancing sustainability.
Economic
While on the surface, it might look expensive to build “green” infrastructure and fleet, the net benefits outweigh the costs. This is the experience in Copenhagen and other places where going “green” with transport has resulted in net gains. This stems from the direct and indirect effects of clean public transportation over the economy like:
- Lower pollution which leads to healthier citizens.
- Less congestion, which allows faster private and commercial transit.
- Making it easier to access leisure activities, thereby boosting the local economy.
- Enabling people from across town and those who cannot afford personal vehicles to find more desirable jobs.
- Giving tourists a convenient way to explore the city and move about town.
Technological
Public transport is both a beneficiary and benefactor where technological advancements are concerned. The public transit network greatly benefits from innovation. It is also an ideal testing ground, giving access to a massive network of people and locations.
For example, Copenhagen is using intelligent traffic control systems that can intuitively give the right of way to the traffic flow that needs it most. Say, a bus that’s running a bit late or cyclists that are about to form a traffic jam. Another clever introduction is integrating inductive plates in the road at bus stops where electric buses get charged while waiting for passengers to hop on and off.
Environmental
Finally, we get to the point most directly involved in sustainability — ecological results. The benefits of less pollution and traffic and running on clean energy are apparent. What matters, though, is how these aspects translate into real-life data. In the case of Copenhagen, the city bears the fruits of its long-standing holistic approach towards sustainability by being one of the least polluted among the major European towns.
Furthermore, public transit provides way better space efficiency than cars, allowing more passengers in less space than if using personal vehicles. You are probably familiar with this photo by The Cycling Promotion Fund showing how much space buses and bicycles save compared with cars.
Takeaway
There are many excellent points that we can take from Copenhagen’s integrated solution to public transit. Copenhagen’s transit-related development is a marvellous feat of the people who plan and manage the whole system. Yet, perhaps the most key takeaway has to do with generally the most challenging task to achieve — getting people to be proactive in living a more sustainable life. Luckily for the Danish capital, its people share excitement for living in tune with nature. This bottom-up approach, where citizens make conscious life choices where sustainability is concerned, makes Copenhagen’s approach to sustainable mobility such a well-oiled machine.
