Metro can learn from Europe's system: expert

To ease congestion, the city has created bicycle super highways - widening jammed streets and turning them over to bicycle commuters.

The routes, which extend into the suburbs, include regulation of traffic lights, better signposting and automatic cycle pumps.

In countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and parts of Germany, 30 to 40 per cent of urban trips are made by bicycle.

Gordon Price, director of Simon Fraser's City Program, said Vancouver likely will never reach the same scale of cycling numbers as Europe but problems of gridlock - and associated issues like rising tensions and road rage - can happen anywhere a lot of people share the same space, whether they're in a car, on foot or pedalling a bicycle.

Gordon Price, director of Simon Fraser's City Program, said Vancouver likely will never reach the same scale of cycling numbers as Europe but problems of gridlock - and associated issues like rising tensions and road rage - can happen anywhere a lot of people share the same space, whether they're in a car, on foot or pedalling a bicycle.

Gordon Price, director of Simon Fraser's City Program, said Vancouver likely will never reach the same scale of cycling numbers as Europe but problems of gridlock - and associated issues like rising tensions and road rage - can happen anywhere a lot of people share the same space, whether they're in a car, on foot or pedalling a bicycle.

"It doesn't take very much when a system is running close to its designed capacity," he said.

The situation in Copenhagen, he said, underscores the need for different modes of transport so that one system isn't overwhelmed.

The situation in Copenhagen, he said, underscores the need for different modes of transport so that one system isn't overwhelmed.

The situation in Copenhagen, he said, underscores the need for different modes of transport so that one system isn't overwhelmed.

Cycling Coalition, said Metro can learn a lot of lessons from Denmark and the Netherlands, where cycling is built into their culture.

Holland, for instance, has separate systems for walkers, cyclists, cars, buses and light rapid transit and has designed its intersections with cyclists in mind.

Not only do bicycles in Holland have their own traffic lights, but cyclists are separated from traffic by a piece of concrete as they wait to cross so there's less chance of conflict, Campbell said.

Not only do bicycles in Holland have their own traffic lights, but cyclists are separated from traffic by a piece of concrete as they wait to cross so there's less chance of conflict, Campbell said.

Metro Vancouver municipalities will look at those various cycling options around the world when it hosts the annual 2012 Velo-Cities Conference here this June.

The event is expected to bring together about 1,000 traffic planners, cycling advocates, architects, educators, politicians and others from around the world, to speak about cycling and transport planning.

The event is expected to bring together about 1,000 traffic planners, cycling advocates, architects, educators, politicians and others from around the world, to speak about cycling and transport planning.

"We think it will be a good conference to catalogue change," said Campbell, a Velo-Cities director.

"The next 10 to 20 years it'll be interesting what we decide as a community."