A bike trip a day keeps the doctor away

I am a well known enthusiastic advocate for increasing cycling in Sydney and a member of the City of Sydney Bicycle Strategy Steering Committee as we implement a whole of city cycling strategy working with Council, other government agencies and cycling groups.
Challenging the popular attitude to cycling and cyclists in Sydney is our biggest task. This article from Denmark where 33% of trips into Copenhagen each day are by bicycle demonstrates the health and economic benefits from cycling in the community.

Picture here of me cycling in Copenhagen. Note the provision of separate cycle lanes that do not compete with huge buses (as in Sydney) and pedestrians. Three very distinct yet complementary road users all sharing. Cyclists are required to stop when buses stop for passengers just as cars do for trams in Melbourne. Peer pressure and penalties have enforced this rule. Note - helmets are not required in Denmark. Shayne

Denmark.DK reports:
Traffic and health officials agree: Biking provides a good source of transportation and helps to keep health-care costs down

Copenhagen residents have captured the yellow jersey and lead the pack with regard to cycling kilometres. If the rest of the country followed suit, billions of kroner could be saved in health-care costs. Just a few kilometres a day makes a difference, according to traffic consultant Thomas Krag. If residents in other towns and cities followed the lead of Copenhageners, who cycle 2.5 kilometres per day on average, the country would save about DKK 1.8 billion (EUR 240 million).
'If we say that it takes 12 years of campaigns and improvements for cyclists to get that far, society will have saved DKK 23 billion (EUR 3 billion) in 50 years,' said Krag, who presents his results at a conference at Aalborg University later this month.
Odense has also demonstrated that it pays to cycle. The city invested DKK 20 million (EUR 2.6 million) to get residents to bike more, but ended saving DKK 33 million (EUR 4.42 billion) in health-care costs. Mortality rates fell as did hospitalisation costs and sick days, according to Anker Boye, the mayor of Odense.
He encouraged other cities across the country to get on the bike path.
/ritzau/