I'm in NYC, saw a bike parked for days with empty coffee cups, straws and other trash in it every time I passed by. I would have expected Copenhagen to be more civilized

.
I think front basket more or less affects steering. I try to minimize the weight born by the handlebar.
Nope. I think overlooking a main square in a building from the 1700s. A few bars and nice restaurants were there which facilitated lots of empty bottles/waste getting left in the basket.
I loved the jazz fest as they had a stage right outside my living room, but the bike took quite a hit.
99% of the morning it was lying on it's side ... Such is the life of a commuting bike.