Here in Portland, a dusting of snow turns us giddy (and turns our brains off while driving).

Although I'm a year-round bike commuter, I usually give the bike a rest when it snows.

I assume that my fellow Portlanders that are behind a wheel have about as much experience as I do driving in the snow, I don't have bike snow tires, and I'd rather walk and take in the winter wonderland.

In Copenhagen and in places in Sweeden, bike lane snow ploughs are the norm. While the common American practice seems to be to plow snow into the bike lane, these crafty Scandanavians demonstrate the civilized alternative.

With around a day or two of measurable annual snowfall, many Portlanders could probably envision a more cost-effective bike investment than bike snowploughs. Those in Philadelphia and Buffalo might have a different perspective.

Photo courtesy of www.copenhagenize.com