We wondered about this comparison. As avid Portland bikers, we also wondered whether bike sharing made sense for a city that often tries to learn lessons from Europe, where bikes less a cultural fixture, more just a common way to get around. We wondered how feasible it really would be to become the Copenhagen of America.

To find out, we sat down with local bike experts to gain a better understanding of the local scene. Next, we talked to everyday Portland residents to hear exactly what their concerns were. Over and over, we heard:

• Portlanders are financially aware. Many people we talked to questioned the value in short-term bike rental.
• Portland is not centralized - many destinations are a significant distance from one another. The proposed program focuses on meeting the needs of short-distance travel.
• By extension, many Portland residents tend to drive, take a bus or train to their daily destination. They walk short distances to complete the trip.
• Unlike many European cities, Portland has an abundance of reasonably-priced parking.
• Many people realize Portland is bike-friendly, but are reluctant to use a bike for commuting. Road safety was a huge concern for our interviewees.

Our interviews illustrated the very real gaps between us and them. Copenhagen has some very specific environmental and cultural qualities that have made it the envy of bike-friendly American towns like Portland.

Behind the marketing-friendly slogan, we recognized the sentiment of this program was to increase daily bike usage. Our interviews revealed needs that weren’t being met in the proposal. We recognized these goals alongside the concerns and sketched design concepts around them:

Bike Buddy Device and Services
Safety was a huge concern for a number of people we talked to—Specifically, the safety of children on bikes. Kids used to bike to school. For several reasons, parents are increasingly worried about their children biking alone. These concerns make it easier to keep kids in the relative safety of cars rather than on bikes. We imagined a wearable Bike Buddy communicator to tell parents when their kids arrived safely, are running late, or need some help. Our product also included GPS mapping to provide realtime location data.

Bike Ambassadors Program
Many people were leery of biking to work, again due to road safety concerns. The Bike Ambassadors program combines myth busting around the dangers of bike commuting, practical advice, and community support through an online matching service that pairs experienced riders with people who want to try bike commuting. These pairings could help build confidence among inexperienced riders. We see this service combined with a well-conceived public information campaign to emphasize benefits of bike use and addressing safety concerns.

Bike Stimulus Package
Portland is home to over 30 bike building companies and a bike building school. What if the city directed transportation funds to a Biketown USA Challenge? The stimulus package would challenge local bike builders to produce a commuter bike for under a thousand dollars. Additionally the stimulus would provide financial incentive for Portland residents who would love an American-made commuter bike. Using a smart meter, riders could track mileage online. Their daily commute would convert into a tax break on a mile-by-mile basis until the cost of the bike was 100% covered. Like our European neighbors, the goal of this proposal would be to locally produce high-quality bikes and make bike commuting a common activity.

Portland has arranged one-day, bicycle-only parkways through various neighborhoods during the summer. People and businesses have come out in full force to celebrate a car-free space for biking and walking. Why not all the time? Converting a main Portland thoroughfare into a bike/walk zone, similar to efforts in many European cities, would bring a car-free experience to the city core. Dramatic examples like this change the atmosphere, encourage people to participate, and allow them to experience Portland at a different pace.

By getting a deeper understanding of Portland’s current attitudes on bike usage, we discovered a number of concerns that exposed gaps in the proposed solution. Though an interesting slogan, Portland may not want to become the Copenhagen of America. Though we recognized the city’s goal to encourage biking as a reasonable transit option, we felt it was essential to comprehend and design solutions on local needs.