There are no cyclists in Copenhagen. Okay, maybe a few. If looking for needles in haystacks is your thang, you’ll make a good day out of it looking for cyclists in the Danish capital.
What we do have, on the other hand, is 500,000 Copenhageners who happen to get around by bike. They do so because we’ve spent the better part of four decades improving the conditions and infrastructure for a century-old, ultra-sustainable transport form. Safe, separted bicycle lanes, traffic lights for bikes, priority for bicycles at intersections, etc.
The result? Wave after wave of two-wheeled Copenhageners heading off to work or school in the morning. On Hans Christian Andersen’s Boulevard, above, there are around 25,000 cyclists each day.
When asked in the City’s biannual Bicycle Account, 58% of Copenhageners say they choose the bicycle because it is easy and fast. And it is.
There is a myth bouncing about the internet about how Copenhagen is so bike-friendly because it is flat. Rubbish. Sure, an even topography helps, but the reason that Copenhagen and Amsterdam have such strong bicycle culture is historical. We’ve had strong cycling unions that have backed cycling as being important to public health, as well as the social fabric of society. There are many European cities with hills and mountains AND a high level of trips by bike.
In other countries the sports cycling unions won the battle back at the beginning of the last century and have dominated since. In Denmark, as in Holland, the cycling unions for everyday people and the sports cycling unions were separated and well-removed from each others’ activities.
Now you know. For more stats and info about Copenhagen’s unique bicycle culture, you’re always welcome to visit me at Copenhagenize.com.
2 Comments
It’s so nice to see people cycling everywhere.No more traffic,noise and polution…And also more healthy generations…I wanna ask about bike steeling;do you have any problems about that?Cos as i remember,there were a lot of old bikes on the street.Is it because people doesn’t want to buy expensive ones in case of steeling or is it just an economic choice?
I learned how to “city bike” in Copenhagen during a year studying there in 2004. Now that I am back in Philadelphia I continue to commute daily by bike. Here there is a mix of warm weather sports cyclists, delivery bikers, and people who ride to the bar because their fixed gear bikes are trendy. And then there’s me & my husband who ride our bikes everywhere, even in our office clothes & me in my heels w/ a bag of fresh veggies in my basket. living in Denmark convinced me that you dont have to be a cyclist to ride a bike.