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Free bicycles huge success at COP15
Delegates choose CO-neutral transport to get around in Copenhagen.
Marie Sauer-Johansen 08/12/2009 21:25
The temperature in Copenhagen is just above freezing point, yet most of the 200 free bicycles parked outside the Bella Center are already rented out.
Henrik Smedegaard Mortensen is one of the socially-committed entrepeneurs behind the bicycle rental company Baisikeli who has provided 160 free bicycles for the conference.
“We want to give delegates the chance to experience the Danish way of riding bikes no matter what the weather conditions are. Actually, delegates are very happy to take the bikes to their hotels and to meetings in the city,” he says.
Baisikeli is an initiative to lower CO2 emissions in Denmark and create access to healthcare in Africa.
After the conference the bicycles will be re-fitted with trailers and sent to Tanzania where they can be used to transport patients to health care centers. The bicycles are sponsored by Ikea and will be for rent at the furniture stores’ Copenhagen branch for two years before they are shipped to Tanzania.
Local bicycle dealer John Astrup has also sponsored 20 electrical bicycles for the conference, and is happy to give delegates the chance to whizz through the city on his bikes.
“Most people who come here have never tried to ride an electrical bike before, so this is a great opportunity to show them its advantages,” says Mr. Astrup.
The electrical bicycles have been so popular that only one is left. But as delegates can only rent the bicycles for two days at the time, many more will have the opportunity to try one, and perhaps be inspired to change their cars or motorcycles for one of these low-carbon alternatives. Electrical bicycles may really catch on, because they allow people to ride further with less effort than traditional bicycles.
“If you have an electrical bike, you can ride really far without even breaking into a sweat,” says Mr. Astrup.
From the COP15 blog: Behind the Scenes
