A North American Journalist Describes Cycling in Copenhagen

[Matthijs]

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/a-north-american-journalist-in-copenhagen.php

Globe and Mail journalist Gary Mason visits a city where they really do put bikes ahead of cars; it is city policy in Copenhagen. He interviews Andreas Rohl, suggesting that the bicycle program manager's job is to "ponder the daily question: How can he make life hell for the car drivers of this Scandinavian capital." But Mr. Rohl never actually says that, it's just Mason playing to his poor, suffering "war on the car" audience in Toronto. But Rohl does admit to trying to make a commute on two wheels more attractive than four.

"This is what we work on a lot," said Mr. Rohl, an every-day cyclist who does not own a car. "It's all about normalization: making the experience of getting in and around the city on a bicycle as normal and hassle-free as possible.

"We have reached the point where riding a bike is a far better mode of transportation than a car. You can get almost anywhere faster on a bike than in a car. We focus a lot on increasing bike speeds from point A to point B, and one way you can do that is slowing car speed over that same distance."

It works, too; 37% of citizens of Greater Copenhagen cycle to work; 55% of those who live in the city proper. Mr. Rohl does things that shock Mr. Mason: he takes space away from cars and gives it to bikes.

"Part of finding ways to get even more people biking is to make the experience for cyclists as pleasant as possible," said Mr. Rohl. "So if you can create peaceful routes for cyclists and give them pleasant views, it makes the trip more enjoyable and they'll be more apt to continue doing it."

Mason notes that everyone appears to dress normally, and ride old one-speed bikes. Nobody needs to wear a helmet, and there are almost no accidents, with the number of accidents declining as the number of cyclists increase. When it snows, cycle paths get priority over roads.

Mason basically confirms what cycling advocacy sites like Copenhagenize have been saying for years: when you take bikes seriously as a mode of transportation and stop putting cars first, then people take bikes instead of cars. Now if he had only left out his "war on cars" intro. Globe and Mail

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

copenhagen, that's in france, right?

heyy, just kidding.
i know it's actually in holland.

 

[gilnet]

Nope,still up here in wisconsin.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

sure, but that wouldn't be of interest to north american journalists.
use ur head.

oh, & it's not holland btw but norway.
i get those two mixed up all the time.

 

[jag]

Globe and Mail journalist Gary Mason visits a city where they really do put bikes ahead of cars; it is city policy in Copenhagen.
:
It works, too; 37% of citizens of Greater Copenhagen cycle to work; 55% of those who live in the city proper. Mr. Rohl does things that shock Mr. Mason: he takes space away from cars and gives it to bikes.

By contrast in major Canadian cities:
0.8% commute by bike in Toronto, 1.2% Edmonton, 1.3% Montreal, 1.5% Calgary, 1.9% both Ottawa and Vancouver.
Numbers vary a bit depending on where you read them, but are always in the 1-2% range. These numbers are from an American survey, so they should be free of any Canadian bias to glorify figures.
http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/CanadaCyclingWTPP.pdf

"Part of finding ways to get even more people biking is to make the experience for cyclists as pleasant as possible," said Mr. Rohl. "So if you can create peaceful routes for cyclists and give them pleasant views, it makes the trip more enjoyable and they'll be more apt to continue doing it."

Making "the experience for cyclists as pleasant as possible" is a part that I think bicycling advocates in North America are missing out on. Since Forrester's "Effective cycling" book advocates have been die hard about that bikes should be on the road with cars and have equal rights and responibilities. While that approach works for us who already bike, it won't get Joe Sixpack out of his truck onto a bike.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

now that i've read it over more carefully, it sez right there in the article.
copenhagen is the capital of scandinavia.

boy, do i feel stoo-ped.

 

[jag]

now that i've read it over more carefully, it sez right there in the article.
copenhagen is the capital of scandinavia.

That's what the Danes sometimes thought also; or at least king Christian the Tyrant. Fortunately it only lasted 1520-21.

Thankfully those times are over. Now visitors are welcome to use one of Copenhagen's many public bikes. You unlock them just like a shopping cart by placing a 20kr ($2) coin in the chain mechanism. You get the 20kr back when you put it back in one of the many bike stands spread over the city.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Are you sure Copenhagen isn't in the midwest somewhere? I see guys around here in Kansas with chewing tobacco from there...and it IS kinda flat around these parts.

 

[paultrafalgar]

And here's a link I made earlier...
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13706&start=0&hilit=Europe

 

[thomas]

now that i've read it over more carefully, it sez right there in the article.
copenhagen is the capital of scandinavia.

That's what the Danes sometimes thought also; or at least king Christian the Tyrant. Fortunately it only lasted 1520-21.

Thankfully those times are over. Now visitors are welcome to use one of Copenhagen's many public bikes. You unlock them just like a shopping cart by placing a 20kr ($2) coin in the chain mechanism. You get the 20kr back when you put it back in one of the many bike stands spread over the city.

We still want Skåne and our oil fields the Norwegians stole back