Making a bicycle city: infrastructure and cycling in Copenhagen since 1880

Abstract

Copenhagen is today praised as a truly bicycle-friendly city. The Danish capital earned its reputation as a ‘bicycle city’ early on. The network of bicycle infrastructure developed in the first half of the twentieth century was a result not least of a thriving cycling culture and the efforts made by cyclists’ organizations. In the following car-centric decades this network made cycling a more resilient practice than elsewhere, before cyclists and their lobby organizations managed, again, to pressure policy makers to renew supportive measures for cyclists. The article thus highlights two concepts: road users as potential co-producers of the mobility system as well as the obduracy of infrastructure and its capacity to preserve habits and cultures of the past.

Rule compliance and desire lines in Barcelona’s cycling network

“…This also suggests that the benefits of increasing gender parity would go beyond merely creating more inclusive cities, but also potentially lead to safer cities too. As road users and interest organizations are co-producers of mobility systems (Emanuel 2018), diversity is essential to insure a visible demand for safe infrastructure that appeals to concerned potential cyclists. Compared to men, women on average show more exemplary behavior and take fewer risks, and, as such, they are important as ambassadors for the cycling community.…”

Blending Efficiency and Resilience in the Performance Assessment of Urban Intersections: A Novel Heuristic Informed by Literature Review

“…However, studies have emphasized the importance of taking a proactive approach to crafting resilient road infrastructure. This involves delving into design principles that consider urban structure, alignment, cross-section, materials, and surfaces [28,34].…”

“…Ilbeigi and Meimand [31] examined post-disaster transportation networks using NYC taxi GPS traces after Hurricane Sandy, revealing perturbed traffic patterns impacting network topology and performance. According to [34], road users can co-produce the mobility system, influencing infrastructure resilience while preserving historical habits and cultures.…”

“…From this perspective, the pandemic offered an opportunity to shift from a car-centric to a smart and sustainable transport system. In this regard, promoting cycling-friendly initiatives, 30 km/h zones, and traffic-calming solutions can further contribute to overall road infrastructure resilience [34,36].…”

Net zero 2035: Lessons from international initiatives to decarbonise transport

“…One of the most widely recognised examples of promoting and facilitating active transport is the use of bicycles in Copenhagen, Denmark. Cycling in Copenhagen has a history which dates back the 1880s (Emanuel, 2018). Cycling is considered as a primary mode of transport in the city, facilitated through introducing safe and connected infrastructure such as dedicated bicycle lanes and plenty of bicycle parking, and through traffic calming measures on quieter roads; 49% of journeys to work or school in Copenhagen are by bike (Weinreich, 2021).…”