Bicycle-Friendly Copenhagen Tries to Ease Crowded Lanes

Ole Skram, like some half a million other Copenhageners, rides his bicycle to work. Yet his commute is particularly unique: recently, Skram equipped his three-wheeled bicycle with an espresso machine. 

The simplicity of cycling through Denmark's capital city has led several entrepreneurs to begin food delivery businesses on their bicycles. Sushi, ice cream, even cocktails can be ordered from a cyclist.

"It's like brushing your teeth and combing your hair; it's that easy to bike in Copenhagen," said Lasse Lindholm, a campaign officer with the Department of Traffic's cycle program.

But cycling's popularity comes at a cost. Bike lanes are quickly filling to capacity. As the city strives to reach cycling rates of 50 percent, transportation officials face a problem that few other urban areas have confronted: bicycle congestion.

In the Copenhagen metropolitan area, more than a third of residents pedal their way to work. With bicycle lanes that crisscross the city and bicycle bridges spanning many roadways, cyclists can often ride with ease.

Yet more cyclists are complaining that cramped lanes pushthem closer to cars or buses. A 2006 Danish Transport Research Institute poll found that 47 percent of cyclists feel unsafe riding on Copenhagen streets. A decade prior, 40 percent expressed such concerns.

"More parents don't want their children to ride," Lindholm acknowledged.

The rising insecurity comes as cycling injuries are on the decline. The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured [PDF] in the city fell steadily from 252 in 1996 to 92 in 2006. The number of fatalities have fallen as well, from six in 2006 to five last year and none so far in 2009.

Copenhagen has set a goal that 80 percent of residents should feel safe when they bike through traffic. Several intersections and particularly congested bike lanes are being redesigned to achieve the safety target.

In addition, city planners are adjusting traffic lights on bike-heavy roadways to enable high-speed cyclists to pass without stopping at a red light. The measure, known as a "green wave," also prevents slower cyclists from clogging bike lanes.

Copenhagen's busiest cycling street, Nørrebrogade, implemented the first "green wave" in 2007. Cyclists who ride at a speed of 20 kilometers (12 miles) per hour avoid the traffic lights.

City safety officials have supported the "green wave" for its ability to minimize dangerous interactions between cyclists and car traffic. "[Cyclists] can feel safer on the cycle paths when it is not worth their while to rush," the city council said in a 2008 statement.

"Green waves" have since been implemented on two more roads in Copenhagen. The Dutch capital Amsterdam and the Danish city of Odense have also updated their traffic lights to facilitate cycling.

"It's a very cheap thing to do," said Lise Bjørg Pedersen, a political consultant for the Danish Cyclist Federation. "All it takes is political will."

Across Denmark and Germany, about 20 percent of trips are made by bicycle. Ridership is slightly higher in the Netherlands and China, at an estimated 30 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Many countries are experiencing a rise in bicycle popularity as gasoline prices increase and as riders seek to incorporate physical exercise into their commute.

In Copenhagen, however, few cyclists have switched from car commuting out of a desire to reduce their carbon footprint, Lindholm said.

"Less than 1 percent of Copenhageners say they bike for the environment," he said. "They do it because it's easy and it's fast."

Reporting for this story was made possible courtesy of funding provided by the German and Danish foreign ministries.

Ben Block is a staff writer with the Worldwatch Institute. He can be reached at bblock@worldwatch.org.

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