Denmark among the leaders in bicycle traditions

By Marlene Lyhne Sørensen

The sleet slaps against the car window as we roll through the streets of Copenhagen. Mr. Miri is sitting in the passenger seat, staring out in disbelief at the dark figures steering their two-wheeled iron horses around the slushy snow drifts in the bicycle lanes, heads bent and defiant feet on the pedals.

“Why don’t they just buy a car?” he exclaims with a wide-eyed look.
Mr. Miri was born in Iran but has lived most of his life in USA and Canada, where the bicycle is not exactly a widely-used means of transport.

But the picture is different in Denmark – one of the world's leading bicycling nations. Danes cover more than two billion kilometres on their bikes every year. In Denmark, bicycles account for 18 per cent of all trips taken, while in the UK the figure is only one per cent. See chart

The first bicycles, known as velocipedes, came to Denmark in 1860 and in the following decade the tall and unsteady penny-farthing was introduced. This was reserved for the wealthy classes as an exclusive and daring toy, but from 1890 developments started to gather pace. Comfortable rubber was put on the wheels and the construction became more user-friendly and safe, which made the bicycle a continuously more widespread means of transport in Danish everyday life.
On the first bicycles, the front wheel was slightly larger than the back wheel, but soon the wheels were given identical diameters, the frame was improved, the drive chain was introduced, and in 1895 the crossbar became a modern feature.

Promoted by the economic upswing and urban sprawl, the bicycle now became an affordable investment and a practical means of transport, especially for the many who had moved out to the suburbs of Copenhagen. For postmen, who hitherto had worn out their shoe leather on the sidewalks, the bicycle became an attractive alternative. All over the country, especially in the expanding railway towns, one bicycle factory after another sprouted up to meet the strongly growing demand. And many women swung themselves onto bicycle seats and whizzed off with the wind in their skirts. On bicycle posters of that period, the woman is depicted as a tribute to the free-born, independent woman, who in high-neck trouser suit, laced boots, and with bulging feminine forms, became a measure of value for the era's many bicycle enthusiasts.

“In countries such as France and England, the bicycle continued its hobby status for the wealthy. But in Denmark, the development of cycling was greatly helped on its way by the country's flat terrain and relatively short travel distances,” says Lotte Ruby, head of press at the Danish Cyclists Federation.


Important habit for health
The Danish Cyclists Federation was founded in 1905 and ever since has fought to promote the interests of cyclists in Denmark. Things went well in the early days, when riding paths were made into cycle lanes, and the car was still the province of the wealthy.
But in the 1960s, the bicycle experienced its first setback. Motoring was booming, people had more money in their pockets and moved into more spacious homes, and large car parks were constructed in the cities.

In the 1970s came the backlash. New members started flowing into the Danish Cyclists Federation with a shared desire to limit the spread of the automobile, which threatened to muscle its noisy way into the most attractive squares in the cities. Their demands were helped by the oil crisis in line with the oil crisis of 1973, which made petrol- and diesel-powered transport an increasingly expensive alternative.

Car taxes went up and up, as did the population's wish for more cycle lanes and parking space for bicycles. In some places, politicians were warm to the idea. In towns especially, millions of kroner were invested in creating better conditions for cycling, and today it is widely acknowledged that bicycles are not only environmentally friendly, but also help keep down body weight and strengthen public health. About 9 per cent of women in Denmark are severely obese, while for women in the UK it is 23 per cent.
“Cycling is one of the most important habits for our health,” says one of the country's leading sport and exercise experts, Professor Lars Bo Andersen of the Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark.

“Studies show that those who cycle to work on a daily basis, have a 30 per cent lower mortality rate than those who do not cycle,” says Lars Bo Andersen.

A cycle culture under pressure
But cycling is a habit on the ebb. In recent years Danes have apparently become more inclined to take the car, as soon as the bicycle wheels encounter a steep hill or a shower of rain. People are generally wealthier, more families have two cars, and according to figures from the Danish Road Directorate, Danes covered 3.2 billion km by bicycle in 1990, while the figure dropped to 2.3 billion km in 2006 – a decrease of almost 30 per cent.
Only in the capital Copenhagen and in other larger cities, which have invested in better conditions for two-wheel traffic, are there more people who cycle.

“If the bicycle is not thought into all traffic planning right from cycle lanes to tax system, then the good cycling habits crumble away,” says Lotte Ruby of Danish Cyclists Federation, who points to the example of the Netherlands, where bicycling is far more integrated in traffic policy initiatives, and where a lot more people cycle than in Denmark.

Malene Freudendal-Pedersen, knowledge analyst in Sustainable Cities at the Danish Architecture Centre, applauds Danish cycle traditions, but also warns that they could disappear if the politicians are not careful:
“People will always choose the means of transport which is the quickest and most practical, and which they have grown accustomed to. It is no good if the car nearly always has first priority in traffic policy,” says Malene Freudendal-Pedersen, who adds that it is a favourable time to promote bicycle culture, since the environment and global warming have risen to the top of the international agenda.

“In New York, more space is now being provided for cyclists. It is symptomatic of a greener profile in many big cities,” she says.
If bicycle culture withers, it will hit public health hard, comments Professor Lars Bo Andersen.

If you look at the effect of cycling in relation to the development of cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and diabetes, the 30 per cent less kilometres travelled by bicycle (in Denmark, Ed.) since 1990 corresponds to around 1,500 more deaths annually.
Among school children however, enthusiasm for cycling appears to be intact. About two thirds of all 15-year-olds cycle to school – in England it is less than two per cent in the same age group.

“When school children cycle, it is because it is the quickest and easiest of the alternatives they have, unless the distance is very short, or their parents sacrifice their time to transport them,” says Lars Bo Andersen.

Copenhagen is a model for New Yorkers
To limit the thundering traffic, Copenhagen Municipality – which will host the UN Climate Change Conference in 2009 – aims to make the Danish capital the world's leading city for bicycles, and will invest DKK 250 million in improving conditions. Today 36 per cent of Copenhageners cycle to work; the target is at least 50 per cent by 2015. According to Copenhagen Municipality, reaching this target will spare the environment 80,000 tons of CO2 annually.
As a feather in Copenhagen's cap, New York City's park manager Adrian Benepe has recently cited the Copenhagen bicycle traffic system as a model for New York.

“My objective is to create conditions for cyclists in my city that are as good as in Copenhagen. It is a giant task, because although New Yorkers are discovering the bicycle as a means of transport, our bicycle culture still leaves much to be desired,” said Adrian Benepe to Danish newspaper Børsen, when he visited Copenhagen in September.

After about four years in Denmark, Mr. Miri from Iran is also discovering the benefits of the bicycle. He has started a juice bar in the centre of Copenhagen and has stopped taking his car to work. Instead he takes the train and supplements it with a city bike for the last section of the journey from the railway station:
“With the biking lanes and the city bikes, the system is already in place. I only have to contribute a little bit of muscle power which I guess is good for me. Taking the car is much more stressful,” says Mr. Miri.


VOX POP (Copenhagen)

”We cycle because it is the easiest option”

Tobias Stærbo, 22 I cycle about five kilometres daily, even in rain or snow. In Copenhagen it is the easiest way to get around. I am a musician and have transported virtually everything on my bike, even a keyboard.
Hans Christian Clausen, 27 (Anja Dyhr Rasmussen, 27 + Asta 10 months) I cycle 3-4 kilometres daily, unless the weather is very bad, when I take a bus or a local train. The provisions made for cyclists here in Denmark are quite good, it's the cheapest way to get around, and I get the benefit of some exercise. My Christiania bike cost me 16,000 kroner, but I can transport my kid, girlfriend and guitar amplifier in it.
Nina Frank, 33 I cycle 10-12 kilometres daily. It is fast and easy, and I don't need to go to a fitness centre after work. We have just sold the car – it is all too troublesome having a car in Copenhagen, and it costs a lot of money. I take the Metro on those occasions when I need to be very presentable, and don't want the wind in my hair or my make-up running.