Copenhagen Infrastructure Quest & Reflections

Infrastructure

Some of the interesting infrastructure I was able to find in Copenhagen:

Bridges

All of the bridges in the city work to connect the islands of Copenhagen together, and some, like the Bicycle Snake, are for bike traffic only. These provide access to the entire city so that it's easy to get places on a bike and so that cyclists don't have to take longer detours to get where they need to go. They aren't simply functional either; some, like the Norrebro park bridge, have aesthetically pleasing designs as well.

Bicycle snake bridge (top) & Norrebro Park bridge (bottom)

Smoothed Cobblestone

Smoothed cobblestone is used here to make it easier for bikes to pass through cobblestone sectors, so it's not incredibly bumpy for bicyclists, but it is still effective in forcing cars to slow down. This can usually be found as ramps so that it's easy to get onto raised cobblestone, as well as smoothed paths on the sides so bikes can easily get past. If a cobblestone section is not smoothed, it's probably because people are not supposed to be biking there and it is a way to divert them to a different route.

An example of smoothed cobblestone for easy bike access

Traffic Calming

One of the methods of traffic calming that is pretty common in Copenhagen is expanding the corners of streets in intersections to a 90 degree angle to both provide more space for the businesses and residents on the street and to slow traffic at the intersection to keep more vulnerable people (cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) safe. Other methods of traffic calming include getting rid of parking, narrowing the roads, and diverting through traffic away from residential roads.

An example of a corner expansion that is now used for trees and plants

Continuous Sidewalks

Continuous sidewalks help drivers to understand that the driveways and roads are crossing the sidewalk (not that the sidewalks are crossing the roads), which guides their driving so that they treat pedestrians with more care. Most of these continuous sidewalks also stay at the same height, so that drivers have to go over a bump instead of pedestrians stepping down to cross a crosswalk, which reinforces this idea. Pedestrians always have the right of way here, but if their sidewalks end or are interrupted with a step down to a crosswalk, its easier for drivers to ignore that fact.

An example of a crosswalk that is continuous in color and pattern across a road

Bike Parking

The bike parking here is generally abundant, but even in places without enough bike parking, you are allowed to park your bikes against buildings and there aren't signs saying "no bike parking" or people there to remove your bike. This makes it super easy to just stop by somewhere and park your bike quickly to run into a store without worrying about breaking the rules. 

An example of bike parking and overflow

4 Types of Bike Infrastructure

Shared space

Shared space with cars and bikes

Shared space is where there is either no painted bike infrastructure or there is a sharrow. Shared space seems to generally work well here in Copenhagen, but I think that's because they have instilled a culture of most drivers treating cyclists with respect in protected lanes through laws and infrastructure, so it is carried over to shared space. This is not helpful for cyclists to be able to commute places easily or safely, and it doesn't work as well in American cities as it does here.

Painted lanes

A painted bike lane

Painted lanes are a step safer than sharing space, but in most places they don't provide that much more safety. Here, I feel the same riding somewhere sharing space as in a painted lane, which is safer than riding in my home town, but not as safe as in the elevated cycle tracks. 

Grade-separated cycle tracks

An elevated cycle track

The elevated cycle tracks are very effective in keeping cyclists safe and are pretty connected throughout all of Copenhagen; there will most likely be one on the route to any location. These provide good separation from the cars and allow the bikes to be separated from pedestrians as well. At first, I didn't like the grade change, but because there are spots with asphalt ramps in most places that people commonly get off, it's not that bad. However, sometimes when you want to stop its harder to go over a curb to get to bike parking. 

A little bit of asphalt right where you need it to get off of the cycle track

Buffered bike lanes

A buffered cycle track, with parking as a buffer between bikes and moving cars

Overall, buffered or not, the elevated cycle tracks feel very safe to bike on compared to the bike lanes (or lack thereof) in American cities. The buffers, whether made of plants, stones, or car parking, provide extra protection that make it so the cars wouldn't be able to hit anyone if they were to even try to get into the bike lanes. These are very effective in creating a safe and connected network of bike infrastructure that takes people where they want to go.

10 Minutes at an Intersection

I spent about 10 minutes observing the behavior of people using all modes of transportation at the intersection of Danasvej and HC Orsteds Vej. At this intersection. there is an expanded corner used as traffic calming, grade-separated cycle tracks that are continued with paint through the intersection, and  bike traffic lights, car traffic lights, and pedestrian walk signals for all four ways of traffic. 

The Danasvej and HC Orsteds Vej Intersection

Most people using this route seemed like they were on their way home from work, with the occasional independent kids. There was a good amount of traffic for every mode of transportation used; the sidewalks, bike lanes, and busses were all fairly full. The design of the intersection is pretty straightforward for bikes and pedestrians, but it did seem a bit confusing for drivers which led to some breaking of the law. There was a spot through the traffic calming area where they were supposed to turn right with no signage, and there was a large no right turn sign on the traffic light, but I saw a driver miss that first turn and try to turn right, almost running over a cyclist. Thankfully the traffic calming measures forced them to slow down so that no harm was done. Other than that, most people followed the rules and seemed like they were familiar with the intersection, and nobody honked their horn at other cars waiting for cyclists to cross before they did anything. 

Other Cool Things on the Bike Infrastructure

A motorized wheelchair user taking advantage of the bike infrastructure

An advertisement on a parked bike

People carrying their children on their bikes

People carrying another bike while on their bike

Reflection

It is very clear how the infrastructure and design of the roads of Copenhagen drive the behavior of the users, whether in a bike, in a car, or on foot. This is an interesting and helpful way to make sure everyone follows the rules and to keep people safe, because not everyone will obey a sign, but if the infrastructure forces them to behave in a certain way, they won't have time to think or read about it.

Despite this, it's important to remember that Copenhagen has good infrastructure, but it's not some bike utopia. Today I was reminded of that when I almost got hit by a large truck. I was cycling in the cycle track, and the truck was supposed to yield at the painted triangles but did not slow down at all. What surprised me most was that even when I swerved out of the way, the driver just kept going. I'm not sure if it was because the truck was so high up that they couldn't see me, or because the painted yield infrastructure was ineffective, or both. I really like what Copenhagen has done with its bike infrastructure, but it's disappointing that it's not a safe haven for all people on bikes and that people might lose their lives as a consequence.

- Lauren

Cities for Kids

Being in Copenhagen for almost a week, something I've noticed is that parents feel free to let their kids roam around alone in the city, and that there's a lot of different activities for kids to do here. I think the bike infrastructure and transit has a lot to do with that because kids can't drive, but I have also noticed that part of the public space here is almost always designated for kids and done so creatively to help them both play and learn. 

Traffic Garden

We were able to visit the traffic garden of Copenhagen, which is a "playground" that is a simulated road space where children are free to learn the rules of the road without any dangerous consequences. It has mini traffic lights, cycle tracks, crosswalks, paths, and even hedges to simulate houses. Children ride their bikes or walk through it to understand  how the road works and how to follow the rules. 

Mini cycle track and trash can (top) and mini intersection with lights (bottom)

Many schools are able to take their children here, as well as parents that come with their children to help them learn, but for most of the kids that were there, it also seemed fun to them and they use games to learn how to bike and how to follow the rules. I think this was an interesting way to combine fun with learning and I also think this is why not only the parents but the kids feel comfortable and confident to be independent in the city at such young ages. This might also play into why you see most people following the rules here if things like this are instilled in them as a child.

A child using the traffic garden

Something that I found interesting was how the playground reflected the shift from a car-centric city to a more bike friendly city.  The people working there told us about how kids used to drive small go-karts around the traffic garden before the switch to little bikes. There was also an old gas station that doesn't really get used by the kids anymore.

The parking lot for go karts that is now used for bikes

Another interesting thing about this was that nobody needed to bring their own bike and that the whole process was free. Everyone working there helped the kids learn how to ride and how to follow the rules with a variety of bikes to provide the kids for no charge. They even mentioned that there were some adults that came in for lessons on how to ride bikes.

Some of the free bikes and helmets available to be used

Overall, I think this was an interesting way to teach people, especially kids, how to be confident on their bike and follow the rules so eventually they can commute on their bikes alone.

Playgrounds

To see how integrated play structures were for kids in this city, I looked at and compared five different playgrounds I could find. The cool part about finding these is that it's one of the easiest things to do because they have so many playgrounds here, so I tried to search for the more creative ones with themes.

Playground 1: Bermuda Triangle

The design of this playground is focused on the Bermuda Triangle, which seemed really interesting when it was mentioned during the Gehl walking tour, so I had to see it for myself. There were lots of wooden structures made to be planes with rock walls and slides on them, and there were boats, small gardens, a track for biking practice, and courts for soccer and basketball. This was a manned playground, meaning there was an adult there, but that doesn't necessarily meant parents left their kids there alone because many parents were still watching their kids. Most of the play structures were geared towards younger kids, but there were sports areas for older kids as well. This playground is located in the middle of a park, so it's very integrated with the surroundings and easy for kids to get to. Something that was interesting was the reuse of materials that might otherwise be trash in making the structures and the use of sand to both play in and provide a safe landing for anyone jumping off of the structures.

The plane structure (top) and tires reused as swings (bottom)

Playground 2: Bird Playground

This playground had a bird theme for most of its structures, with the main structure being a wooden parrot with a rock wall and slide, and it also had a soccer/basketball area, a garden, reused materials, and sand. It was very close to a lot of housing which makes it very accessible for those that live nearby, and some windows even had a view down to the playground so parents could watch their children from above. There was construction at the edges and some old construction materials, such as a pipe, had been used to create structures, such as a tunnel, to add to the playground, which was cool to see. This was also manned, and it had bikes and toys that stayed inside the gates so that kids didn't need to bring anything of their own to come play. It also seemed very educational through the manned shack and the gardening. 

The parrot structure (top) and the construction pipe used for play (bottom)

Playground 3: Red Park

This playground had a theme of the color red and everything complimented the red ground and the red cycle track very well. This was only accessible by cycling through the park to get there, which made it much more quiet and made it feel a lot safer. This felt like it was geared towards older children, with a skate park, a play-boxing ring, some monkey bars, and a slide, along with some workout equipment, and it wasn't manned. Having the workout equipment nearby that looked like it was mostly for adults was an interesting addition and could give the adults something to do while their children play, if they choose to stay with them. This playground didn't have sand, but it did have a softer ground that allowed for a safe landing from the monkey bars. 

The bikeway and playground (top) and the boxing ring (bottom)

Playground 4: Black and White

This was mostly concrete with lines drawn on it, as well as game boards, and it had plaques near everything that made me think it was supposed to be art that was also a playground. I thought this was a cool concept because it leaves more things up to the imagination of the kids with only a couple real structures, and it seemed like many of the kids there were having fun. This was also only accessible by bike through a park, which made it a bit more secluded as well. It seemed to be for younger kids, but some older kids were using it too and it was not manned. There was also a workout zone nearby for parents or even older kids and a working tire pump near the bike parking.

The playground structure with a plaque (top), some of the lines on the ground and game tables (middle), and the tire pump (bottom)

Playground 5: Banana Playground

This playground had a monkey/banana theme for part of it, but other parts were filled with beautiful graffiti and other play structures. There was a huge rock wall that was clearly for older children or adults, but there were also other smaller structures, swings, bike tracks, and a soccer court for younger kids. This was just beside a neighborhood and could be viewed from houses, but there weren't many children using it compared to the amount of adults using the rock wall (which might have been because it had just rained). In contrast to the other playgrounds I visited, this one wasn't manned and seemed not as well maintained and not as educational as the rest, so the lack of children might have also been because parents took their kids to better playgrounds.

The rock wall (top) and a swing/soccer court (bottom)

Overall, all of the playgrounds in Copenhagen are designed so creatively so that each one is different and has something special that sets it apart from the rest, whether that is a theme, the variety of toys, or being manned. They are also super abundant throughout the city, which makes it accessible to kids and somewhere that parents would feel comfortable living with kids, not just a vacation spot. I also think the amount of parks and playgrounds that are only accessible by bike or walking makes the kids feel much more welcome here. The concept of people on bikes feeling welcome here in Copenhagen is very similar to how they make kids feel welcome. Both have infrastructure set out specifically for them so that they feel that they have a place in the city, which really makes a difference in the variety of the people that get to live and be happy here.

- Lauren

Copenhagen: First Impressions

It's been a crazy past 3.5 days in Copenhagen (it feels like I've been here for so much longer), but I finally have some down time to gather my thoughts and first impressions about the city and its bike infrastructure. 

Example of Copenhagen Bicycle Infrastructure

Biking in Copenhagen

To describe the infrastructure for people reading from home, most of the bike lanes are separated from the car lanes with a curb, so they are higher up, and then the sidewalks are one curb step up from the bike lanes. There are many parts that have concrete to make a ramp so that it's easier to get up when you're crossing the street or when you have to go onto the sidewalk to get to a shop.

People here put their hand out to the right to make a right turn, and put their palm up to signal that they are stopping. To make a left turn, they first go forward then stop and turn their bike towards their desired direction (using the stopping signal with their hand) and then when that light turns green, they continue. 

Diagram of how left turning works 

Positives

One of the first things I noticed about this city is the tiny infrastructure additions people might not always think about that are important to the people biking here, such as foot rests at stoplights, a yellow light before the green so you know to get your pedals ready, slanted trash cans for people on bikes, and concrete ramps. These all make it so much easier to get around even though they are just simple add-ons.

Examples of the foot rests (during a yellow light), and the trash cans

I also like how there are laws in place so that if you collide with a car in any way, the driver will be responsible. This creates a feeling of biking in the city where you can trust that cars won't hit you or be aggressive towards you which makes the experience so much more enjoyable than being in the US.

There is also a huge amount of public space here, including parks, plazas, playgrounds, docks, and beaches. Most things are accessible to and built for everyone of all ages and backgrounds. I've seen a lot of kids biking on their own as well people in motorized wheelchairs in the bike lane. I think the environment surrounding these Danes contributes to their trust in each other because much of the city is space for everyone, so they know each other and feel a sense of community.

King's Garden, a public area

Lastly, from my excursion outside of the city, it was nice to see that, for the most part, the infrastructure continued on when you leave the city center and even get into more rural roads. There were gravel paths, grade-separated paths, and I only encountered one road without any bike infrastructure.

Infrastructure outside of the city near the water (still grade-separated)

Negatives

After a day of biking in Copenhagen, I got yelled at for the first time by a lady in her car for not riding single file. One of the things I don't like about biking here is that you aren't able to ride side-by-side with someone and talk to them. This is pretty surprising to me because everywhere else seems to have these open public spaces that foster community and connection, but it's frowned upon if you aren't riding single file, and the bike lanes are so narrow that it's sometimes impossible to ride next to others and still allow people to pass you. Don't get me wrong, I would be grateful for this infrastructure in the US, but it still feels like it is missing the social aspect that makes commutes a lot more enjoyable.

Additionally, the process of left turns here seem a bit unnatural and are hard to get used to. It also doesn't work well if you are waiting to turn in the middle of a large group, because you will have to overflow into the car lanes. It might be because I'm not quite used to the process yet, but I would rather make a left turn as we do in the US or have a designated space that is big enough for everyone waiting to turn.

Lastly, trying to take our bikes on the train was a rough experience for us. We had 8 people, but there are only 6 bikes allowed on each train, so we had to take two different trains at different times and two of us had to bike an hour and a half back or to another train station. I thought that because there is such of a bike culture here, there would be a bit more space on the trains for bikes. I've heard that on some trains in the US there is an entire car for bikes, which is weird that we are doing that better than a place with better bike infrastructure than us.

Four of us with bikes in the bike car of the train

Despite these negatives, I have generally felt so much safer biking here than in the US; I feel a lot more relaxed and I feel as if I am actually welcome on these roads, which is something I don't think I could really say about anywhere I've biked before. The first time biking here was such a freeing feeling, like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders because I don't have to worry about risking my life when I'm going somewhere, which was such a cool experience. I'm also really enjoying the city, the beautiful water and beaches, the public parks, and everything in between (except for the lack of public toilets and water fountains), so I'll give a quick recap of the things I've been able to see and the activities I've done.

Day 1

This was an exhausting but incredible day. I got no sleep on the plane, which got into Copenhagen at 8 am, then I was able to navigate the metro to get to the hostel, store my bags in a locker, and go out and explore so that I didn't nap and could adjust to the time zone. First, I went to a pedestrian shopping street called Stroget, which was pretty cool to see, then after some down time (but no sleeping, trust me) at the hostel, I went out for lunch with some others and we walked around the waterfront, which was my first experience seeing the public spaces, especially the swimming spots down near the docks, and all of the bikes. 

Stroget (top) and the docks (bottom)

After some introductions, we finally got our bikes and were assigned to follow someone and copy everything they do for about twenty minutes. At first, I thought this was a weird assignment, but it was actually very valuable to learn about the infrastructure and how everything works, like the hand signals. 

Getting my bike!

After getting lost more times than I could imagine (which I never felt unsafe doing because you can bike on pretty much every road here), I arrived at a park for dinner and to get to know everyone. It was a cool experience to get to know people that have the same interests as me because I've never known anyone in person as interested in bike infrastructure as I am. 

Our entire group after dinner

Day 2

We started the day with a scavenger hunt, which was fun and insightful because we got to experience more of the infrastructure in places we hadn't been yet, while also seeing some cool things, like the picture perfect Nyhavn. 

Me, Rosemary, and Naomi at Nyhavn

Afterwards, we did a tour with Bike Mike, which was really interesting because we got to learn some history about the city and see some cool historical sites. It's nice to see how everything was preserved and repurposed so well, because I know some sites in the US have not been preserved nearly as well. This was also insightful because we had such a big group riding around during the tour that it seemed to be too much for the infrastructure and it showed that Copenhagen is not really a place where large groups of people can ride together, mostly because the bike paths are too narrow (but Bike Mike also took some crazy shortcuts).

Old housing for the Navy that Bike Mike showed us

In the evening, after dinner at Reffen (a place with endless food options and another public space that is nice to see as crowded as it was), we got to take part in the celebration of midsummer. This was super cool because the public spaces were filled with so many people and so many bikes and there was a feeling that we were part of this huge community as we sat on the waterfront in Nyhavn and listened to live music while the fire on the water was burning; I felt like even though I'm not from here I was part of a special moment and I had a lot of fun celebrating and riding home with everyone in the dark.

Midsummer celebration at Nyhavn

Day 3

I decided to join the small group on the ride to the Louisiana Art Museum, which was long and tiring on our little grandma bikes but also really fun experiencing the coastline infrastructure outside of the city and seeing the museum. All of the art was super cool and I really enjoyed everything about the museum: the architecture, the choice to have sculptures outside, the trails by the beach, etc. 

Bike paths out of the city and a room from the museum 

After the museum closed, we decided to take the train back instead of biking another 3 hours, but taking our bikes on the train was a surprising struggle and it was sad to see there were only six bikes allowed on the train (and despite the cool train ride, we all felt super bad that we didn't bike back instead of Marc and Mindy). Overall this was a very hectic but interesting journey and I would definitely say I had a good time.

A view from the museum overlooking the water

Day 4 

Today isn't over but I wanted to talk about what we got to see. We went to a neighborhood called Nordhavn, which was super cool in its use of sustainability and design that was clearly built for people. A couple that lived there was kind enough to show us their building, which had a play area for children, and a rooftop community area and garden.

The building with a play place for children and a rooftop garden

The streets were all clearly made so that people could feel safe and connected enough to walk to stores, and that cars would almost feel uncomfortable. It was cool to see that a lot of the cars were hidden in underground parking garages that people had to pay for, which is a cool way to keep cars for those who absolutely need them and to also discourage them for people who could live without them. On top of the non-underground parking garage, which is lined with green walls, there is a gym/playground that seemed to be in use by a lot of different people of all ages, which is an interesting way to use all of the space available.

The gym/playground on top of the parking garage

I thought this area was very cool because there was a mix of different housing styles and residents (including student housing), designs that were super creative, a swimming spot nearby, and the feeling that everything was made for people to take up space there without a car. By doing this, they were able to give business to small businesses, and give people multiple options of things to do in their free time, from children playing on playgrounds, to adults paddleboarding on the water.

A view of Nordhavn from the gym stairs

Afterwards, I had an insightful conversation with a couple people and got to hear thoughts about Copenhagen from different perspectives that I hadn't thought about yet, which was super interesting.

I feel like this post was super long, but I've had an eventful past three days and I've been gathering a lot of thoughts about the city and the design/infrastructure here. I'm super excited to meet some of the people more involved in planning this week, so more adventures to come!

- Lauren