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Bikes vs. Cars, the Documentary


October 8, 2013 | Kyle Chayka

Swedish documentary filmmaker Fredrik Gertten‘s newest project focuses on the cultural and corporate wars between bikes and cars. The international doc focuses on commuters already relying on bicycles for their daily commute — like 40% of Copenhagen.

The film investigates the world-wide automotive production business, tracking its evolution into a multi-billion dollar industry that relies on a society that relies on cars. According to the data presented in the film, there will be over two billion cars on the road by the year 2020, nearly double of what it is today. What good is a car if you can’t use it to get anywhere… except for into a traffic jam?

The Yes Men tweeted their support for the film, currently fundraising on Kickstarter. From the director.

I was born in Malmö, Sweden, a city where the bike is the natural choice for going from one place to another. I’ve traveled the world wondering why there is so little space for bikes, why it’s so dangerous when it’s so much more fun to explore a city by bike.  The car model as we know it has reached an extreme level with constant gridlock and millions of productive hours lost. The frustration is growing and cities need to look into new models.

(Images: Fredrik Gertten/ Kickstarter)