Thursday Video - Copenhagen Bike Paths: An Example to All Cities

Copenhagen uses bicycle counters to record the number of cyclists passing by a given point

Here is a 2010 video about cycling in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. The metropolitan area has a population of over two million, making it a little larger than Indianapolis. The technology they deploy for cycling is impressive. They have:

• Automatic counters to measure the amount of bicycle traffic
• For over 3 miles into the city center, stoplights are synchronized for cyclists. If you maintain a steady 12 miles per hour, you should not have to stop at all.
•  At some stoplights, bicycles get a green light a few seconds before the cars. This allows the cyclists to get moving by the time the cars are starting to move.
•  To reduce accidents at intersections where a car turns right and hits a bicycle going straight, there are flashing LED lights to warn drivers there is a cyclist comping up behind them in the bike lane.
•  They have locked, on street parking for cargo bikes, which are linger than standard bicycles.

37% of commuters to work or school use bicycles. Some of their bike lanes are double, so faster cyclists can pass slower ones without moving into the automobile lanes. One of the streets shown in the video is considered to be the busiest cycling street in the western world.

The narrator for this video is Mikael Colville-Anderson, who was born in Canada. He is listed as Denmark's Bicycle Ambassador, but that is not a formal government post. He is an expert on urban design and mobility.


Here's the video: