Cycling in Copenhagen
Encyclopedia
Cycling
in Copenhagen
is - as with most bicycling in Denmark - an important means of transportation and a dominating feature of the cityscape, often noticed by visitors. The city offers a variety of favorable cycling conditions — dense urban proximities, short distances and flat terrain — along with an extensive and well-designed system of cycle path
s. This has earned it a reputation as one of the most—possibly the most—bicycle-friendly
city in the world.
Every day 1.3 million km are cycled in Copenhagen, with 36% of all citizens commuting to work, school or university by bicycle Cycling is generally perceived as a healthier, environmentally friendly
, cheaper and often quicker way around town than by public transport or car and it is therefore municipal policy for the number of commuters by bike to go up to 40% by 2012 and 50% by 2015.
In recognition of Copenhagen's emphasis on bicycling, the city has been chosen by the Union Cycliste Internationale
as their first official Bike City. Bike City Copenhagen covers the period 2008 to 2011 and consists of big cycling events for professionals as well as amateurs.
s were converted into isolated cycleways to accommodate the heavy growth in cycling at the time. In the 1920s and 1930s the popularity increased even further. As a spectator sport, six-day racing
became popular in the 1930s. The first race was held in 1934 in the original Forum Copenhagen
and its popularity topped in the 1960s.
During World War II
, petrol was strictly rationed, making cycling even more important as a means of transportation. During the 1940s, the first recreational bicycle routes were also developed, through green spaces in the periphery of the municipality.
Starting in the 1960s, Copenhagen experienced a decline in utility cycling
due to increasing wealth and affordability of motor vehicles. With the energy crisis
and the growing environmental movement
in the 1970s, cycling experienced a renaissance.
Although the first separate cycle paths were constructed much earlier, they did not become the norm until the early 1980s. On June 4, 1983 the Danish Cyclists' Union
, at a large bicycle demonstration, gave a "Cyclist Award" to Jens Kramer Mikkelsen
in the form of a two metre long curb. Mikkelsen was the head of the traffic department and later Lord Mayor. The curb was placed on the bike lane on Amagerbrogade at the corner of Hollænderdybet. In the mid 1980s, Copenhagen also began to develop its first coordinated strategies for increasing cycling in the municipality. Since 1995, when the city started a monitoring system, cycling has constantly risen reaching 41% by 2004.
The original idea behind the scheme was to reduce the theft of bicycles in the city by offering specially-designed units for free public use based on commercial sponsoring and advertising. Initial trials were however unsuccessful and it was not until the scheme was backed by the Municipality of Copenhagen
together with various government ministries and some private interests that the initiative finally got off the ground. Now that it has been in operation for 15 years, it has served as an example for many other cities worldwide to adopt similar approaches.
Plans are now underway to modernise the bike-sharing system. A recent international call for proposals led to two winning designs, Openbike and Myloop, selected in December 2009. The Copenhagen authorities are now expected to combine the best features of each for a completely new system by 2013.
across the harbour, connecting Vesterbro
and Islands Brygge
, and Åbroen over the heavily used artery
Åboulevarden. There are plans for a new bridge across the harbour as well as a number of smaller bridges across canals, which will improve access to Christianshavn
and in particular Holmen
. Another planned pedestrian and cycle bridge, to be designed by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson
, will cross the southern mouth of Christianshavn Canal
, facilitating passage along the waterfront.
and an architectural competition for a new 7,000 bicycle parking facility above the rail tracks at Central Station, due to open in 2013.
to develop a scheme for tracking stolen bikes by GPS
. An RFID chip is affixed to bicycles and parking attendants carry GPS-equipped RFID scanner
s which will send an e-mail
with the location to the owner if a bicycle is registered as stolen. 5,000 chips were been handed out free of charge in a pilot project. However, the project was abandoned in March, 2011 after being found ineffective.
has given rise to the term copenhagenization. This is the practice of other cities adopting Copenhagen-style bike lanes and bicycle infrastructure. An example of a city which has introduced bike lanes with inspiration from Copenhagen is Melbourne
, where they are referred to as 'Copenhagen lanes'. In 2007 Copenhagen-based Danish urban design
consultant Jan Gehl
was hired by the New York City Department of Transportation
to re-imagine New York City
streets by introducing designs to improve life for pedestrians and cyclists. In this connection, Gehl took NYC planning chief Amanda Burden and transportation czar Janette Sadik-Khan
on a bike trip around Copenhagen to show them what could be done for New York. Former British transport minister Andrew Adonis has also cycled the streets of Copenhagen in search of inspiration. As a result of Russian president Dmitri Medvedev's favorable impressions of Copenhagen's biking system during his visit to Denmark, 14 city bikes were sent to St Petersburg at the beginning of June 2010 where they will be available to citizens on an experimental basis. Medvedev believes the city bike approach could reduce traffic congestion in the city. The Danish pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai
has been specially designed by BIG Architects
. It allows visitors to gain experience of cycling in Copenhagen by taking one of its 300 city bikes along the cycle paths which are incorporated throughout the structure.
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
is - as with most bicycling in Denmark - an important means of transportation and a dominating feature of the cityscape, often noticed by visitors. The city offers a variety of favorable cycling conditions — dense urban proximities, short distances and flat terrain — along with an extensive and well-designed system of cycle path
Segregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
s. This has earned it a reputation as one of the most—possibly the most—bicycle-friendly
Bicycle-friendly
The term bicycle-friendly describes policies and practices which may help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other traffic...
city in the world.
Every day 1.3 million km are cycled in Copenhagen, with 36% of all citizens commuting to work, school or university by bicycle Cycling is generally perceived as a healthier, environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
, cheaper and often quicker way around town than by public transport or car and it is therefore municipal policy for the number of commuters by bike to go up to 40% by 2012 and 50% by 2015.
In recognition of Copenhagen's emphasis on bicycling, the city has been chosen by the Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
as their first official Bike City. Bike City Copenhagen covers the period 2008 to 2011 and consists of big cycling events for professionals as well as amateurs.
History
Bicycles became common in Copenhagen at the beginning of the 20th century. The first separate cycle paths were established around The Lakes in 1910, when the existing bridle pathBridle path
A bridle path is a thoroughfare originally made for horses, but which these days serves a wide range of interests, including hikers, walkers and cyclists as well as equestrians. The laws relating to permissions vary from country to country...
s were converted into isolated cycleways to accommodate the heavy growth in cycling at the time. In the 1920s and 1930s the popularity increased even further. As a spectator sport, six-day racing
Six-day racing
A six or six-day is a track cycling race that lasts six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initially, individuals competed alone, the winner being the individual...
became popular in the 1930s. The first race was held in 1934 in the original Forum Copenhagen
Forum Copenhagen
Forum Copenhagen in Frederiksberg in Central Copenhagen, Denmark, is a large, rentable faire building, which hosts a large variety of concerts, markets and exhibitions, among other things. The venue can hold 10,000 people....
and its popularity topped in the 1960s.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, petrol was strictly rationed, making cycling even more important as a means of transportation. During the 1940s, the first recreational bicycle routes were also developed, through green spaces in the periphery of the municipality.
Starting in the 1960s, Copenhagen experienced a decline in utility cycling
Utility cycling
Utility cycling encompasses any cycling not done primarily for fitness, recreation such as cycle touring, or sport such as cycle racing, but simply as a means of transport...
due to increasing wealth and affordability of motor vehicles. With the energy crisis
Energy crisis
An energy crisis is any great bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In popular literature though, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, particularly those that supply national electricity grids or serve as fuel for vehicles...
and the growing environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
in the 1970s, cycling experienced a renaissance.
Although the first separate cycle paths were constructed much earlier, they did not become the norm until the early 1980s. On June 4, 1983 the Danish Cyclists' Union
Danish Cycling Federation
The Danish Cycling Federation or DCU is the national governing body of cycle racing in Denmark.The DCU is a member of the UCI and the UEC.-See also:* Cycling in Denmark* Danish Cyclists Federation...
, at a large bicycle demonstration, gave a "Cyclist Award" to Jens Kramer Mikkelsen
Jens Kramer Mikkelsen
Jens Kramer Mikkelsen was the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen for the Social Democratic Party from 1989 to 2004. He was a member of the local government of Copenhagen since 1989 until his resignation as lord mayor....
in the form of a two metre long curb. Mikkelsen was the head of the traffic department and later Lord Mayor. The curb was placed on the bike lane on Amagerbrogade at the corner of Hollænderdybet. In the mid 1980s, Copenhagen also began to develop its first coordinated strategies for increasing cycling in the municipality. Since 1995, when the city started a monitoring system, cycling has constantly risen reaching 41% by 2004.
Public bicycles
Copenhagen has a system of public bicycles, referred to as Bycykler (English: City Bikes). Launched in 1995 with 1,000 cycles, the scheme was the world's first large-scale urban bike share program featuring specially-designed bikes with parts that could not be used on other bikes. Riders pay a refundable deposit at one of 100 special bike stands and have unlimited use of a bike within a specified area. The scheme is funded by commercial sponsors. In return, the bikes carry advertisements, which appear on the bike frame and the solid-disk type wheels.The original idea behind the scheme was to reduce the theft of bicycles in the city by offering specially-designed units for free public use based on commercial sponsoring and advertising. Initial trials were however unsuccessful and it was not until the scheme was backed by the Municipality of Copenhagen
Copenhagen municipality
Copenhagen Municipality is the largest of the municipalities making up the city of Copenhagen. It lies at the center of Copenhagen and contains the old historic city....
together with various government ministries and some private interests that the initiative finally got off the ground. Now that it has been in operation for 15 years, it has served as an example for many other cities worldwide to adopt similar approaches.
Plans are now underway to modernise the bike-sharing system. A recent international call for proposals led to two winning designs, Openbike and Myloop, selected in December 2009. The Copenhagen authorities are now expected to combine the best features of each for a completely new system by 2013.
Municipal bicycle policy
Targets
The City of Copenhagen has formulated a Cycle Policy 2002-2012, stating the following targets:- the proportion of people cycling to workplaces in Copenhagen shall increase from 34% to 40%
- cyclist risk of serious injury or death shall decrease by 50%
- the proportion of Copenhagen cyclists who feel safe cycling in town shall increase from 57% to 80%
- cyclist travelling speed on trips of over 5 km shall increase by 10%
- cycling comfort shall be improved so that cycle track surfaces deemed unsatisfactory shall not exceed 5%
Initiatives
To reach the targets set, the City of Copenhagen employ a number of measures, seeking to make cycling an even more attractive option.New cycle paths and greenways
Copenhagen's network of cycle paths is continuously being extended. A plan from 2006 has a prioritized list of new paths to be constructed in the period 2006-16. In the same time the city's network of greenways, still in its infancy, will be developed, aiming at increasing traveling speed over longer distances while at the same time improving safety and comfort.New bridges
A number of new pedestrian and cycle bridges across the main harbour as well as canals are planned, to make for more direct routes, increasing overall traveling speed and improving safety. Recently completed new bridges include BryggebroenBryggebroen
Bryggebroen is a pedestrian and bicyclist bridge which spans the inner harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark. The bridge connects the harbour-front development of Havneholmen in Vesterbro with the Islands Brygge neighborhood on the island of Amager. Designed by Danish architectural firm Dissing +...
across the harbour, connecting Vesterbro
Vesterbro
Vesterbro is one of the 15 administrative, statistical, and city tax districts comprising the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark...
and Islands Brygge
Islands Brygge
Islands Brygge is a harbourfront area in central Copenhagen, Denmark, located on the north-western coast of Amager. The neighbourhood is noted for its waterfront park Havneparken, which is one of the most popular areas along the Copenhagen harbourfront and the location of one of the Copenhagen...
, and Åbroen over the heavily used artery
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
Åboulevarden. There are plans for a new bridge across the harbour as well as a number of smaller bridges across canals, which will improve access to Christianshavn
Christianshavn
Christianshavn is an artificial island neighbourhood located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in the early 17th century by Christian IV as part of his extension of the fortifications of Copenhagen. Originally it was laid out as an independent privileged merchant's town with inspiration from...
and in particular Holmen
Holmen
Holmen is a Swedish company which bases its business in the pulp and paper industry. Holmen's main products are newsprint and magazine paper for newspapers, magazines, directories and advertising prints...
. Another planned pedestrian and cycle bridge, to be designed by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson is a Danish-Icelandic artist known for sculptures and large-scale installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience. In 1995 he established Studio Olafur Eliasson in Berlin, a laboratory for spatial research...
, will cross the southern mouth of Christianshavn Canal
Christianshavns Kanal
Christianshavns Kanal is a canal in the Christianshavn neighbourhodd of Copenhagen, Denmark. Running northeast-southwest, it bisects the neighbourhood along its length...
, facilitating passage along the waterfront.
Improved bicycle parking
A number of projects have been launched to ease Copenhagen's notorious shortage of bicycle parking spaces, particularly at transport hubs. These include plans for 2,500 new bicycle spaces, placed sunken 'bicycle beds' in connection with a refurbishment of Nørreport StationNørreport station
Nørreport Station is a mainline railway, S-train and Copenhagen Metro station located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the busiest train station in the country, serving 300,000 people daily, including passengers not stepping off. There are 165.000 leaving or entering trains including the metro...
and an architectural competition for a new 7,000 bicycle parking facility above the rail tracks at Central Station, due to open in 2013.
Anti-bike theft chips
To combat problems with bike thefts, the City of Copenhagen has entered into cooperation with the Technical University of DenmarkTechnical University of Denmark
The Technical University of Denmark , often simply referred to as DTU, is a university just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and is today ranked among Europe's leading engineering institutions, and the...
to develop a scheme for tracking stolen bikes by GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
. An RFID chip is affixed to bicycles and parking attendants carry GPS-equipped RFID scanner
Scanner
Scanner may refer to:* WikiScanner, a tool that provides a searchable database of anonymous Wikipedia edits* A personality type described by self-help author Barbara Sher-Technology:* Scanner , for searching for and receiving radio broadcasts...
s which will send an e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
with the location to the owner if a bicycle is registered as stolen. 5,000 chips were been handed out free of charge in a pilot project. However, the project was abandoned in March, 2011 after being found ineffective.
Influence
Copenhagen's well-developed bicycle cultureBicycle culture
Bicycle culture can refer to a mainstream culture that supports the use of bicycles or to a subculture. Although "bike culture" is often used to refer to various forms of associated fashion, it is erroneous to call fashion in and of itself a culture....
has given rise to the term copenhagenization. This is the practice of other cities adopting Copenhagen-style bike lanes and bicycle infrastructure. An example of a city which has introduced bike lanes with inspiration from Copenhagen is Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, where they are referred to as 'Copenhagen lanes'. In 2007 Copenhagen-based Danish urban design
Urban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
consultant Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl is a Danish architect and urban design consultant based in Copenhagen and whose career has focused on improving the quality of urban life by re-orienting city design towards the pedestrian and cyclist.-Biography:...
was hired by the New York City Department of Transportation
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation is responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure...
to re-imagine New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
streets by introducing designs to improve life for pedestrians and cyclists. In this connection, Gehl took NYC planning chief Amanda Burden and transportation czar Janette Sadik-Khan
Janette Sadik-Khan
Janette Sadik-Khan is the current Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, appointed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on April 27, 2007, to replace Iris Weinshall....
on a bike trip around Copenhagen to show them what could be done for New York. Former British transport minister Andrew Adonis has also cycled the streets of Copenhagen in search of inspiration. As a result of Russian president Dmitri Medvedev's favorable impressions of Copenhagen's biking system during his visit to Denmark, 14 city bikes were sent to St Petersburg at the beginning of June 2010 where they will be available to citizens on an experimental basis. Medvedev believes the city bike approach could reduce traffic congestion in the city. The Danish pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai
Expo 2010
Expo 2010, officially Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992...
has been specially designed by BIG Architects
Bjarke Ingels
Bjarke Ingels is a Danish architect. He heads the architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group which he founded in 2006. In 2009 he co-founded the design consultancy KiBiSi...
. It allows visitors to gain experience of cycling in Copenhagen by taking one of its 300 city bikes along the cycle paths which are incorporated throughout the structure.
See also
- Cycling in DenmarkCycling in DenmarkCycling in Denmark is both a common and popular recreational and utilitarian activity. Bicycling infrastructure is a dominant feature of both city and countryside infrastructure with segregated dedicated bicycle paths and lanes in many places and an extensive network of bicycle routes extending...
- Utility cyclingUtility cyclingUtility cycling encompasses any cycling not done primarily for fitness, recreation such as cycle touring, or sport such as cycle racing, but simply as a means of transport...
- Segregated cycle facilitiesSegregated cycle facilitiesSegregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
- Modal shareModal shareModal share, Mode split or Modal split, is a traffic / transport term that describes the number of trips or percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation....
- Danish Cycling FederationDanish Cycling FederationThe Danish Cycling Federation or DCU is the national governing body of cycle racing in Denmark.The DCU is a member of the UCI and the UEC.-See also:* Cycling in Denmark* Danish Cyclists Federation...
- Danish Cyclists FederationDanish Cyclists FederationDanish Cyclists Federation is a Danish non-governmental bicycle interest organisation, with the purpose of promoting bicycling and bicycle-safety.-See also:* Cycling in Denmark* Danish Cycling Federation...
- Cycling Embassy of DenmarkCycling Embassy of DenmarkThe Cycling Embassy of Denmark is a Danish network organization dedicated to the promotion of cycling as a means of transportation and Denmark as a cycling nation by capitalizing on the deep rooted Danish cycling culture to offer solutions to urban planners across Europe and the world in the areas...
- Copenhagen City BikesCopenhagen City BikesCopenhagen City Bikes or Bycykler København is the bicycle sharing system of Copenhagen, Denmark. Launched in 1995 with 1,000 cycles, the project was the world's first large-scale urban bike-sharing scheme. It features specially designed bikes with parts that cannot not be used on other bikes...
External links
- Copenhagenization in the Danish capital from CNN's *Future Cities* series
- CopenhagenCycleChic.com
- Copenhagenize.com
- Copenhagenize.eu Copenhagenize Consulting
- Copenhagen: City of Cyclists
- Cycling-Embassy.dk Cycling Embassy of Denmark
- Cycling map of Copenhagen