Advocacy & Safety - Copenhagen - Rush hour

The future?

http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com/2007/12/copenhagen-bike-rush-hour.html

They should be taking the lane.

Don't they know that by being in the bike lane they are overlooked and ignored by motorists, and it's only a matter of time before they're killed? :rolleyes:

Can the bus leave the bus lane?

Can the bus leave the bus lane?

Yes.

The best of both worlds, very fit, happy people that still enjoy eating from the sausage wagon.

Az

cool, thanks!

Just imagine how bad the traffic would be if all those people were driving cars. Not ot mention polution.

Not one of them was wearing a helmet! Don't they realise they're all going to die?

And what's with a cycle lane wide enough for 3 abreast - have the traffic engineers no respect for the proper users of the road, namely motor vehicles?

Just imagine how bad the traffic would be if all those people were driving cars. Not ot mention polution.

Hey imagination not required.

Visit any US city any rush hour to see the perfect example of "all those people driving cars."

Better yet, imagine what our rush hours might look like if 10-15% of the motorists started biking instead of driving alone in their cars. Imagine what the skies would look like. Imagine the waist lines...

Smaller waist lines and shorter waste lines! :D

That is just too wild for me to wrap my head around!

You know what though (and I'm somewhat serious), I'd be a little claustrophobic on my bike if I rode in those conditions ;) I'm just not used to it.

Not one of them was wearing a helmet! Don't they realise they're all going to die?


No, look again! There were a few helmet's in there. American tourists?

When Copenhagen builds new bike lanes on a stretch of road, there is a bicycle traffic increase of 20% and a 10% decrease in car traffic. Bike lanes subsequently increase cyclists' safety and perception of safety, encouraging them to ride more.

The flipside of this is that there is a tendency for more accidents at intersections. The use of blue painted bike lanes across intersections is on the rise, as they help cyclists and motorists see the bike lanes. Having one blue painted strip of bike lane leading across an intersection is shown to increase safety.

The primary challenge is ensuring that cyclists are visible to motorists at intersections and, on the other side of the coin, that cyclists are aware of the motorised traffic. One way of increasing this common awareness is to place the two parties closer together in the traffic.
http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com/2007/11/more-bikes-means-less-accidents.html

Not one of them was wearing a helmet! Don't they realise they're all going to die? ;)

I like it how the bus lane serves as a passing lane for faster cyclists. It's nice to see that this particular bike lane is not barricaded off from the rest of the roadway, making such passing possible. And, of course, that also aids an unimpeded passage of a sausage wagon! Yay sausage wagons! :)

That is just too wild for me to wrap my head around!

You know what though (and I'm somewhat serious), I'd be a little claustrophobic on my bike if I rode in those conditions ;) I'm just not used to it.
I think you'd learn to cope. ;)

Even at the slow speeds there seemed to be little passing a no really fast riders. Perhaps these bikes are seen as means of transportation.

Quite possibly. ;)

The person who posted it on YouTube said in the description "OK, I have to admit, I had a little help. This was the backup resulting from the raising of the Knippelsbro drawbridge. It took quite a while to clear the backup (note how orderly everyone is, for the most part staying in the bike lane) - and there isn't much of a backup of cars or trucks!"

If we had a drawbridge to stop all of the cyclists I see riding around our city (including on the trails) over the course of a year, it would easily compare to the first 15 seconds of that video, maybe... ;)

How come Dutch people get to ride without helmets? I'm going to check the family tree. I'm sure I've got at least one Dutch ancestor. Or do I have to be 100% full blown Dutch for people to stop harassing me?

Anyway, that was more utility cyclists in that 2 minutes than I see in a year here. Ahhh, two years. Make that three. Oh wait. If we are counting elementary school kids then I have seen that many in a year. If not, than I've never have.

How come Dutch people get to ride without helmets? I'm going to check the family tree. I'm sure I've got at least one Dutch ancestor. Or do I have to be 100% full blown Dutch for people to stop harassing me?

Anyway, that was more utility cyclists in that 2 minutes than I see in a year here. Ahhh, two years. Make that three. Oh wait. If we are counting elementary school kids then I have seen that many in a year. If not, than I've never have.

Well see now they're riding in a "childish fashion..." at least according to Forester. You can see his responses to "that sort of childish cycling" in this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=361941

Oddly enough, I rather enjoy feeling childish, and I did a short 20 mile ride yesterday without a helmet... :D Ah. how youthful.

Coincidentally, from todays Toronto Star:

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/285962

What we can learn from Denmark

Indicative of Copenhagen’s take on urban issues, VM Houses is a residential complex whose balconies look like Vs and Ms from some angles. We could learn a thing or six


Though comparisons between Canada and Denmark are of limited use – the latter is small and mono-cultural, the former big and multicultural – there's much Canada might take from the Danes, who've dealt with issues with which Canadians have been wrestling.

Plan for the long-term: Denmark decided to wean itself off the car after the 1973 oil crisis. Almost 40 years later, they're still hard at it. The plan remains in place despite changes in government, and there's general acceptance of the strategy.

People are willing to pay higher taxes if they can see what they get in return. The politics of tax cuts have never worked, yet we hear it to this day. You get what you pay for. Anyone remember Walkerton?

Empower the cities: Danish cities levy personal income tax. Indeed, more than half the total P.I.T. paid by Danes goes to cities. This produces a constant revenue stream, which allows cities to plan ahead and take care of residents' needs.

Recommit to public transit: Governments in Canada have talked for years about expanding our inadequate transit system, with little to show for it. We remain auto-addicted and refuse to take mass transit seriously. The consequence has been dire – it's called sprawl – and will grow worse.

Take back the city from the car: In Canada, pedestrian zones have been discussed for decades, but again, with little to show. Denmark's pedestrian zones have been great for business and cities alike.

Integrate bicycles into the city: In Copenhagen, 40 per cent of trips in the city are on bike. The city has built lanes and separate traffic lights, and car drivers have learned to expect and respect cyclists. If the Danes can do it so can we. And, yes, the Danes do know what winter is.


- Christopher Hume


Traffic. Pollution. Daycare shortages. Chronic underfunding. How a country with the population of the GTA confronted the issues that diminish our cities – and what it can teach us

Dec 16, 2007 04:30 AM

COPENHAGEN — Never has small seemed so big.

Tiny Denmark, population 5.5 million, now ranks as a global economic and social leader. The World Economic Forum recently rated it the third-best country for business on the planet (after the U.S. and Switzerland. Canada is 13th).

What makes the ranking doubly remarkable is Denmark's commitment to the welfare state. Taxes here are easily double those of Canada, with top rates as high as 59 per cent. But Danes appear to pay up with a minimum of griping. Perhaps that's because they get so much in return, including free daycare and post-secondary education, excellent public transit, and reliable unemployment insurance as well as health services.

And wandering the streets of the Danish capital, it's clear that the Danes have positioned themselves to take advantage of 21st-century global capitalism without sacrificing the qualities that make their country unique. Copenhagen may not be the most beautiful city in the world, but the mix of old and new, modest and monumental, big and small, makes it absolutely compelling.

This is partly because of the cyclists, riding in their own lanes, and actually signalling when they turn. It's also the Stroget, the famous pedestrian thoroughfare that winds from the main civic square through downtown. It's the wonderful relationship between the city and the water, which permeates the built environment in the manner of a northern Venice. It's also the contemporary architecture, especially residential, that proposes new forms of housing.

More than that, perhaps, it's the embrace of change. The Danes aren't exactly a wild and crazy bunch, but they decide to do something and do it. It's really that simple. A good example is the subway that Copenhagen decided to build in the 1990s. The first line opened in 2002 and since then new routes have been added regularly. Among other things, it gets you to the airport from downtown in less than 15 minutes.

When the city set out to pedestrianize the Stroget back in the 1970s, the merchants cried bloody murder. But civic officials persisted and now it's the premier shopping district in a community that loves consumerism every bit as much as do we North Americans.

And there's also an obviously vibrant café culture in Copenhagen, one that dates back less than 40 years. When it's cold outside, proprietors put blankets on the chairs for their customers' use.

When one thinks of Toronto's feeble attempts to close Kensington Market to cars and to increase bicycle lanes – let alone our ongoing struggle to expand or even adequately fund public transit – one cringes.

In many ways, the story of modern Denmark began in 1973, when the world was shaken by an oil crisis that saw the price of a barrel of oil rise from $2.59 (U.S.) in October of that year to $11.63 (U.S.) in January 1974. Once the panic – and the cost of oil – had subsided, much of the world, including Canada, went back to its old ways.

Not the Danes. Rattled by what had happened, and not having much in the way of natural resources, they took the lessons of '73 to heart and set out to wean themselves off oil.

Thirty-plus years later, they're decades ahead of the rest of us. For example, the bicycle system that covers Copenhagen was launched back in the '70s.

Now, 40 per cent of all journeys in the city are on bicycle.

By 2015, Copenhageners are hoping for 50 per cent. This commitment to cycling was demonstrated four years ago when the new national library opened. Planners decided it would have no parking for cars. Instead, they opted for several hundred bike parking spots.

Then there's the 180 per cent car registration tax levied on new vehicles, which along with a 25 per cent Value Added Tax has reduced traffic significantly. The car tax, introduced in the 1970s, deliberately made it difficult and expensive to own a car. That it has survived many changes in government testifies to the public support it enjoys.

More recently, the Danes embarked on an ambitious wind-turbine program that they expect will provide 30 per cent of the country's power within 10 to 20 years.

As for municipal finances, Danish cities are in much better shape than their Canadian counterparts. The reason is simple: Half of the total income tax Danes pay goes to their municipality. The rest goes to the regional and national governments.

The reasoning is that the municipality provides the vast bulk of the services that citizens expect, therefore, it should receive the bulk of tax revenues.

Only the Swedes pay higher taxes than the Danes. Yet the World Economic Forum ranks Denmark and Sweden third and fourth, respectively, in global competitiveness, behind only the U.S. and Switzerland.

A factor might be that Danish society is remarkably cohesive, even mono-cultural. Danes speak the same language and share a common history going back more than a thousand years.

On the other hand, unlike Canada, now a nation of immigrants, Denmark finds it harder to integrate outsiders. Recent immigration laws are considered the toughest in Europe.

Still, despite its ups and downs, the Danish welfare experiment has succeeded. At the very least, it should force us to rethink the all-too-familiar North American argument that economic prosperity and high taxes are inimical.

The Danes, and their Scandinavian neighbours, have proved that the two can co-exist not only peacefully but also profitably.

It's not that the Danish don't believe in the market – indeed, they want a bigger share of it – but they also understand that it alone cannot ensure quality of life.

The notion that Canadian-style civic impoverishment is a precondition to private wealth can no longer be taken seriously. You get what you pay for, of course, which is why the Danes have so much more.

population 5.5 million, now ranks as a global economic and social leader. The World Economic Forum recently rated it the third-best country for business on the planet (after the U.S. and Switzerland. Canada is 13th).

Wow. Glad I'm not Canadian.

Wow. Glad I'm not Canadian.

Heh. And we're eternally grateful every day that we're not American. :)

Coincidentally, from todays Toronto Star:

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/285962

What we can learn from Denmark

Indicative of Copenhagen’s take on urban issues, VM Houses is a residential complex whose balconies look like Vs and Ms from some angles. We could learn a thing or six


Though comparisons between Canada and Denmark are of limited use – the latter is small and mono-cultural, the former big and multicultural – there's much Canada might take from the Danes, who've dealt with issues with which Canadians have been wrestling.

Plan for the long-term: Denmark decided to wean itself off the car after the 1973 oil crisis. Almost 40 years later, they're still hard at it. The plan remains in place despite changes in government, and there's general acceptance of the strategy.

People are willing to pay higher taxes if they can see what they get in return. The politics of tax cuts have never worked, yet we hear it to this day. You get what you pay for. Anyone remember Walkerton?

Empower the cities: Danish cities levy personal income tax. Indeed, more than half the total P.I.T. paid by Danes goes to cities. This produces a constant revenue stream, which allows cities to plan ahead and take care of residents' needs.



...the rest clipped...

So in Denmark, the government returns taxes to the people of their country in the form of capitol improvement, in such things as bike paths and bike lanes... to name a few.

In the US, the government taxes the people and then blows up other countries... and slowly works to "improve" their lives on the premise that if you break it, ya gotta fix it... meanwhile our own infrastructure is collapsing...

Gotta admit, we have a strange government. By the people and for the people... hmmmm.... we seem to have left that part out of our recent "ventures." Seems to be pretty much "By GW Bush and for Haliburton." :rolleyes:

Did anyone happen to notice how light the auto traffic was... can you imagine what it would be like there if all those bike riders were driving cars instead?

I can only hope that more cities in the "states" will incorporate plans for something similar....I'll not live to see it, but our children and grandchildren may see the benefit.

I can only hope that more cities in the "states" will incorporate plans for something similar....I'll not live to see it, but our children and grandchildren may see the benefit.

Maybe your childrens' childrens' children. After the oil runs out and people realize that cars are not the only way to get around.

Locally I just had a discussion with the county bike coalition about something as simple as curb cuts... (many of our paths do not have direct access to streets, but simply end abruptly) The response really showed the focus of the city... No curb cuts, as the city is afraid that the kids that use paths (forget the fact that adults use these paths too) would ride off the path onto roads. So therefore, the city choses to treat us all like kids... and we must therefore dismount, push walk buttons and act like pedestrians. So much for removing even this minor "barrier to entry" for cyclists. In the city view, the motorcar wins and everyone else is treated like children. I suppose this just emphasizes John Forester attitude that those in European cities that use "infrastructure" for regular cycling transportation are doing so in a "childish manner."

In the US, the government taxes the people and then blows up other countries... and slowly works to "improve" their lives on the premise that if you break it, ya gotta fix it... meanwhile our own infrastructure is collapsing...

But think about where we'd be without our country invading other countries in order to protect our resources that we've built infrastructures around and come to depend on. I mean, we couldn't drive across the street to Taco Bell if we didn't have our strong military receiving more funding than any other country's military in the world, combined. You must be a liberal.

But think about where we'd be without our country invading other countries in order to protect our resources that we've built infrastructures around and come to depend on. I mean, we couldn't drive across the street to Taco Bell if we didn't have our strong military receiving more funding than any other country's military in the world, combined. You must be a liberal.

+1*

Because (god knows) there's nowhere else in the world you can go across the street safely to a Taco Bell.
















*sarcasm on, if necessary

They should be taking the lane.

To me it looks as though they are taking the lane, they're not being gutter bunnies.


Unfortunately in my neck of the woods, given similar layout I'd expect to see a heck of a lot less cyclists, hugging the curb, with cars using that lane to get ahead of other motor traffic. Different culture.

Because (god knows) there's nowhere else in the world you can go across the street safely to a Taco Bell.

It would be much safer if we put Taco Bells on wheels and drove them to the loyal customers. That way, they'd only have to walk right outside their front door, preserving the energy needed for watching "America's Next Top Model."

I can only hope that more cities in the "states" will incorporate plans for something similar....I'll not live to see it, but our children and grandchildren may see the benefit.

Something similar to what? Getting that many people on bikes? Good luck shrinking the US to achieve that goal.

If I could dream, I'd see those cyclists using all the lanes. Looks like they outnumber motorists! :D

Simply awesome :eek:


Heh. And we're eternally grateful every day that we're not American. :)
All joking aside, i really am.

That's a mind-blowing amount of cyclists. It looked like a parade or something.

That's a mind-blowing amount of cyclists. It looked like a parade or something.

Until the end when it petered out and all that was left was a sausage truck.
Perhaps they were trying to run from it.

Al

Until the end when it petered out and all that was left was a sausage truck.
Perhaps they were trying to run from it.

Al

Maybe they were trying to get to its next stop :)

To me it looks as though they are taking the lane, they're not being gutter bunnies.


Unfortunately in my neck of the woods, given similar layout I'd expect to see a heck of a lot less cyclists, hugging the curb, with cars using that lane to get ahead of other motor traffic. Different culture.

From this 5 part video, it's called "bicycle track" and it seems copenhagen made conscientious decision to make cycling priority one. No one seems to use helmets except kids :eek:.

part 1 - Floyd Landis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibCcp0Y3OB0

part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0CoL51K00M&feature=related

part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99LhLZEP7z4&feature=related

part 4 - Steve Jobs comments on bikes is interesting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMSWq6yXYW4&feature=related

part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zzHAXIaZ-A&feature=related

From this 5 part video, it's called "bicycle track" and it seems copenhagen made conscientious decision to make cycling priority one. No one seems to use helmets except kids :eek:.

part 1 - Floyd Landis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibCcp0Y3OB0

part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0CoL51K00M&feature=related

part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99LhLZEP7z4&feature=related

part 4 - Steve Jobs comments on bikes is interesting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMSWq6yXYW4&feature=related

part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zzHAXIaZ-A&feature=related

Great videos.

Now remember the great John Forester calls this "childish cycling" and says that this could never be done in the U.S. of A.

Of course in Copenhagen they say "all it takes is the political will" to do it.

Note that 3 million Euros are spent each year on bicycle infrastructure in Cpenhagen... I wonder what is spent in any comparable size city here in the US?

PS, interesting word: "hygge."

Quite obvioulsy, the vast majority of Danes are non-practical people who also enjoy phyiscal discomfort.

I've seen posted many times here in BF that lycra is practical, comfortable cycling clothing. But not many people in that clip are wearing it.

Quite obvioulsy, the vast majority of Danes are non-practical people who also enjoy phyiscal discomfort.

I've seen posted many times here in BF that lycra is practical, comfortable cycling clothing. But not many people in that clip are wearing it.

Not to defend our way of life over here... but not many Danes are traveling at 17MPH either. Nor are they riding "racing bikes."

Such is the way of totally practical cycling... not "Effective Cycling."

Not to defend our way of life over here... but not many Danes are traveling at 17MPH either. Nor are they riding "racing bikes."

Such is the way of totally practical cycling... not "Effective Cycling."

For most, speed or bike choice has absolutely nothing to do with clothing choice. It's all about time in the saddle and weather conditions for most. I've averaged 20mph on commutes in shorts and a t-shirt (on my road bike with clipless pedals :)).

Great videos.

Now remember the great John Forester calls this "childish cycling" and says that this could never be done in the U.S. of A.

Of course in Copenhagen they say "all it takes is the political will" to do it.

Note that 3 million Euros are spent each year on bicycle infrastructure in Cpenhagen... I wonder what is spent in any comparable size city here in the US?

PS, interesting word: "hygge."

I think the vid said Copenhagen spends 20-25% of the transportation budget on bike infrastructure... compared to Portland, Oregon of 2%. "hygge" :)

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=118427835449808000

(According to Geller, the city’s spending on bike projects is rising but still accounts for less than 2 percent of PDOT’s capital budget.

Over the past seven years, bike projects represented 0.7 percent of PDOT’s capital budget, and over the next four years, that’s expected to grow to 1.8 percent. Geller said much of that comes from outside sources such as Metro grants and the Oregon Department of Transportatio)

"“I think the Portland experience has been if you build it, they will come.”"

They should be taking the lane.
they are. where in the US is the bike lane anywhere close to 10' wide? That's a whole lane right there. With the amount of cyclists in Portland now, this is what should be happening. 10' bike lanes instead of the crappy 4 +/- feet they give cyclists now.

they are. where in the US is the bike lane anywhere close to 10' wide? That's a whole lane right there. With the amount of cyclists in Portland now, this is what should be happening. 10' bike lanes instead of the crappy 4 +/- feet they give cyclists now.
There would be plenty of room for all sorts of things if Portlanders didn't howl holy horror every time someone proposes eliminating on-street parking. :(

I think the vid said Copenhagen spends 20-25% of the transportation budget on bike infrastructure... compared to Portland, Oregon of 2%. "hygge" :)

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=118427835449808000

(According to Geller, the city’s spending on bike projects is rising but still accounts for less than 2 percent of PDOT’s capital budget.

Over the past seven years, bike projects represented 0.7 percent of PDOT’s capital budget, and over the next four years, that’s expected to grow to 1.8 percent. Geller said much of that comes from outside sources such as Metro grants and the Oregon Department of Transportatio)

"“I think the Portland experience has been if you build it, they will come.”"

how much they spend doesn't mean squat if they can't carve out enough space for cyclists. They can take it from the travel lanes or they can take it from the parking lanes, but it needs to come from somewhere.

PS/BTW - cyclists are still 'coming' to Portland even though they are spending nothing and building even less

For most, speed or bike choice has absolutely nothing to do with clothing choice. It's all about time in the saddle and weather conditions for most. I've averaged 20mph on commutes in shorts and a t-shirt (on my road bike with clipless pedals :)).

But for some, achieving some mystical magic top speed is not the priority... "getting there" is. I paced a drop bar lycra clad speedster the other day doing 22MPH on my commuter, while wearing cotton shorts and a long sleeve sweat shirt... What does that mean... that I am an "effective cyclist?"

My point is that one need not wear fancy clothing nor work to achieve some "record speed" to effectively use a bicycle... but there are those that consider speed a primary motivator for cycling, never mind simply getting from one point ot another.

There would be plenty of room for all sorts of things if Portlanders didn't howl holy horror every time someone proposes eliminating on-street parking. :(

Ah yes, removal of one of the "supplemental benefits" of auto ownership... subsidized access to exclusive use of public land.

Great videos. [Referring to the five-part video on cycling in Copenhagen]

Now remember the great John Forester calls this "childish cycling" and says that this could never be done in the U.S. of A.

Of course in Copenhagen they say "all it takes is the political will" to do it.

Note that 3 million Euros are spent each year on bicycle infrastructure in Cpenhagen... I wonder what is spent in any comparable size city here in the US?

PS, interesting word: "hygge."

None of the cycling shown in the videos, with the exception of the scene where right-turning motorists waited for straight-through cyclists on a cycle track, showed any interaction with motor traffic. So far as the evidence of the videos goes, all the cycling was done in the childish manner that we have taught our children to do. If any cycling in Copenhagen is done in the manner we associate with real adult cyclists, otherwise known as vehicular cycling, it was not shown. Neither were any of the interactions with motor traffic that are logically part of the sidepath systems shown. There were several instances shown of cyclists making left turns, but in each case the situation was such that there would be no or very little motor traffic, and the cyclists never had to yield to straight-through traffic and they never looked behind for motor traffic from behind. So, I repeat, all the cycling shown was capable of being done in the childish manner, and in fact the childish manner was built into the system design.

Now, all you people who praise this video and criticize my statement that this couldn't be done in the typical US city, think hard about the contents of these videos and why I have said that this would not occur in the typical US city. The contents of the videos precisely prove the point that I have been writing to you for, it seems, decades. Every one of the many people asked as to why they chose to cycle gave similar answers, that cycling was the fastest way available. The one quantitative statement by a bicycle commuter stated that, for his four-mile commuting trip into somewhere near the center of Copenhagen, cycling was 50% faster than motoring; 30 minutes by car, 20 minutes by bicycle. I have been writing this for decades, and now, in videos that you praise, the proof is before your eyes.