Meredith Glaser: "For every kilometer traveled by bike, the city earns between 10 and 15 cents, while driving, it loses them."

BarcelonaShe is the first person in the world to hold a specific chair on cycling at a university, in Ghent. Meredith Glaser (California, 1982) holds a PhD in urban planning from the University of Amsterdam, a city where she has lived for the past fifteen years, and is director of the Urban Cycling Institute. "I grew up with the car as the king of transport, and arriving here shook my world: I've never had a car again," she says. This researcher and expert in cycling planning advises the Flemish government and affirms that it is necessary to "redistribute street space." A few days ago, she gave a talk, in collaboration with the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), to promote bicycle use in "greater Barcelona."

You have founded the first bicycle chair in the world. What is being done?

— Our goal is to transform all of the University's academic studies and knowledge into public policy. On the one hand, we advise the Flemish government on urban bicycle mobility, and on the other, we research and analyze how bicycles can transform urban mobility systems, which for the past century have been dominated by cars. We need to stop relying on them and evolve toward more sustainable models, and this requires an academic presence and a serious understanding of the role of bicycles.

And this initiative, of course, could only have been born in the Netherlands, where bicycle culture is already very widespread...

— What I see in Dutch cities, and what could be applied to Barcelona, ​​is that we are already very close to basic needs: grocery stores, social interaction, cultural events, work, leisure... These are already ripe conditions for moving away from the car and toward walking or cycling. In fact, in Barcelona, ​​many people already walk or use public transport, yet this doesn't translate into more space for them on the streets.

Here, although the number of bike lanes has increased in recent years, there is still a social conflict between drivers and cyclists.

— Because humans have a very strong bias when it comes to viewing the world, and numbers are necessary. And not only that, but also a good system for collecting that data. Because if only what are called daily commutes are represented, then a lot of other activities will be missing, which are largely the commutes of women, who move very differently than men. And this isn't taken into account in most transportation data.

Do women move differently? How?

— Yes, to put it simply, men tend to commute to and from work. Women, on the other hand, make what we call chain trips: from home to school, from school to work, from work to the supermarket, from the supermarket to school and extracurricular activities, and finally, back home. These chains are often not counted, resulting in an underrepresentation of women's movement patterns, especially when these mini-trips are done on foot or by bicycle.

And does this, in turn, make cities unsuitable for women's needs?

— It's a historical and structural omission. Which doesn't surprise me, by the way. In seminars on urban planning, I explain that it's a discipline taught by men of a certain economic status: often white, educated, with high incomes, and without any disabilities.

And can it be reversed?

— Look, a third of cities are streets. They're one of a city's main assets and have historically been designed to favor one mode of transport, motorized transport, usually cars. That's why, when we talk about innovations or disruptive measures—or even when we talk about introducing something as simple as bicycles—there's resistance. It's normal, because we've been doing things one way for a century. But it's necessary to focus the debate: we're talking about public space. I think anyone would be in favor, for example, of children being able to go to school safely, safely. Or not? Opposition to this or sterile debates simply try to distract us from the fundamentals. Car mobility is costing trillions of euros due to road rage, sedentary lifestyles, social isolation, biodiversity loss, and the inefficient use of public space.

And how do we overcome this sterile debate between cars or motorcycles and bicycles or scooters?

— Instead of contrasting different modes of transportation, we should think about policies and values and how to translate them into the streets. Imagine what it would be like to design a city with children at its core. The policies would be clear, wouldn't they? Less traffic, less hazards, more light, more comfort, more green spaces and play areas, more trees...

Catalonia has a large automobile industry. Economic interests are also among the obstacles to change.

— Yes, but if we want a shift toward sustainability, we need to rethink everything. There are already some alternatives, such as the circular economy or the well-being economy, that challenge the economic models we've seen so far.

Okay, so how do we get more bikes on the road and fewer cars?

— Well, the idea of connecting 36 municipalities with a bike path, as the AMB is doing, is very ambitious. Reducing the prices of shared bikes is also an option. And among the fairest measures would be the redistribution of street space. This would allow for more cycling and walking and also leave more space for greenery. For every kilometer we pedal, society gains between 10 and 15 cents, and for every kilometer we drive, society loses between 10 and 15 cents. Why? For all kinds of issues associated with health, emissions, and sedentary lifestyles, which have a very high cost. Not to mention traffic noise and its effects on people and biodiversity.

And where do we get the money to make all these changes?

— Barcelona is a great example of implementing tactical change measures on a small budget. Paris is also a great example. I remind everyone that the infrastructure, the streets, are already there; we just need to redistribute the space differently. It's a political decision. In the Netherlands, seven billion euros are allocated to motorways and only four hundred million to bicycles. It's a drop in the bucket. And we have one of the best systems in the world.