Eight common myths about cycling in the Nordics

About a quarter of total emissions in the Nordic Region is credited to the transportation sector (UNFCCC), with the majority caused by road transport. Meanwhile, the Nordic Region is dealing with growing concerns—from social polarisation to mobility injustice—calling for transport solutions that center human needs and address the environmental, social and economic aspects of planning sustainable cities. A new Nordregio publication emphasises the role of the bicycle in responding to these challenges and presents its findings in eight chapters, each challenging a so-called ‘cycling myth’.

Last week, Nordregio launched “Debunking Cycling Myths: Realities and Recommendations for Planning and Policy.” The policy brief presents research and learnings from the Nordic Cycle Power Network, a network of more than 40 experts working with cycling planning in cities and regions throughout the Nordic countries.

Based on Nordic and European transport studies and practical network insights, the policy brief organises its findings according to eight common misconceptions about cycling in the Nordic Region, as explained by Lisa Rohrer, Research Fellow and co-author:

– This policy brief responds to everything from the erroneous idea that cycling is not a realistic mode of transportation in the winter to the false assumptions about cycling’s inability to contribute to sustainability goals. The aim is to pinpoint what these claims misunderstand about cycling and bring clarity to the matter with concise information and examples from Nordic cities and regions.

Why a Nordic Cycle Power Network?

The Nordic Cycle Power Network is the first formal Nordic-wide network for civil servants to connect and share knowledge across a variety of relevant and pressing issues. Before its start in 2023, some planners working with cycling in Nordic cities and regions were informally connected. Since then, the network has provided opportunities for cities wrestling with similar climates, cultures, and concerns to share insights and practical tools.

Oskari Kaupinmäki, network participant and Cycling Coordinator at the Urban Environment Division in the City of Helsinki finds that this sort of structured and coordinated knowledge sharing is fundamental for similar and likeminded Nordic cities in helping them reach their ambitious strategic goals:

– A lot of the knowledge needed cannot be found within any particular country’s borders alone, giving this type of international collaboration a great deal of added value.

Lisa Rohrer project manages the network on behalf of Nordregio:

– The past two years, we have worked mainly with capital cities and regions in the Nordic countries. While many of these cities are some of the most progressive within their country when it comes to providing high-quality cycling opportunities for residents, we learned quickly that there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Political commitment needed

Rohrer points to identified challenges, such as collecting reliable cycling data, developing bike-share systems, or coordinating cycling maintenance across municipalities within a common region.

Enabling residents to move safely through their city is critical, and Rohrer emphasises that doing so requires engagement from a wide range of public and private actors, commitment from various sectors, and support from national and regional governments.

– We know that civil servants and policymakers strive to make wise decisions that support residents’ well-being. This publication gives them both research and practical suggestions to do so.  

The project also partners with the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) to provide network participants with insights into the ongoings at the European level. Philip Amaral from ECF has facilitated knowledge-sharing workshops and co-authored the new policy brief. In his experience, knowledge-sharing networks are extremely valuable for city officials who focus on cycling, reallocation of road space and sustainable transport:

– Despite living in different places, the challenges that come with trying to increase cycling are often the same: the complexity of cycle infrastructure projects, winter maintenance, insufficient political will and lack of data to make informed decisions.

Amaral adds that a network like the Nordic Cycle Power Network works because it helps get city officials in the same room to share common challenges and learn from each other about potential solutions.

– It’s one of the most hands-on, pragmatic, resources they have.

Planning for cars or people?

Planning for cycling transport means developing the built environment at a human scale, which in turn translates to providing a higher quality of life for people living in the city or region. Lisa Rohrer emphasises that when it comes to transportation, discussions typically concern environments that have been shaped over the past 70 years by private cars.

– Our societies are full of chatter—we say, hear, and believe many statements that sound correct. But sometimes, the ideas are far from the truth. This often happens because the statements have been shaped by a particular ideology and become normalised within a context, so much so that shedding light on an alternative option takes some extra work.

Therefore, she says, statements like “building a bicycle lane is too expensive” or “bicycle parking takes up too much space” often go unchallenged because they are spoken into a context where planning space for cars is already a given.

– We don’t always need rocket science to respond to tough challenges. Sometimes, our solutions are staring us right in the face—or, in this case, are locked to a post just outside the door.