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Copenhageners love their bikes
Young girls in stilettos on their way to a party and businessmen in suits going to work - no matter the weather and no matter where they are going - Copenhageners go by bike. It is no wonder Copenhagen was elected Bike City as the first city ever. In Copenhagen 50% of all citizens commute by bike every day and there are more bikes than inhabitants.
Photo: Michael Colville- Andersen, copyright Wonderful Copenhagen
In Copenhagen there are more bikes than inhabitans, there are almost 400 kilometers of biking lanes among which you find the worlds busiest biking lane with up to 40.000 cyclist passing daily.
Middle class families and top politicians
Though cycling is the cheapest mean of transportation next to walking Copenhageners love their bikes no matter their financial income. Many middle class families with kids in Copenhagen don't even own a car. They use their bikes to commute to work, bringing the kids to kindergarten etc. In fact 25 percent of all families with two kids in Copenhagen have a cargo bike.
Even top politicians ride their bike every day to parliament. A majority (63 percent) of the members of the Danish parliament, located at Christiansborg Castle in the middle of Copenhagen, commute by bike.
Cycling and carbon neutral
As a first time visitor in Copenhagen the amount of bicycles on the streets can be overwhelming. But you will soon realize, that life in Copenhagen is based on bicycles as a very important means of transportation.
With 390 kilometers of biking lanes and traffic lights especially for bikes, the city's infrastructure is build on the fact that a bicycle is not only the cheapest, healthiest and fastest way to get around the city, it is also a very important factor in reducing carbon emission. Therefore bicycle culture is a vital part of the city administrations ambition to become the first carbon neutral capital in the world by 2025.
Facts on bikes in Copenhagen
50 % of all Copenhageners commute to work or study by bike.
35 % of all who work in Copenhagen – including people who live in the suburbs and neighbouring towns but work in Copenhagen - commute to work by bike.
25 % of all families with two kids in Copenhagen have a cargo bike they use to transport the kids to kindergarten and for grocery shopping etc.
In total Copenhageners bike 1.2 million kilometers a year, which equals a trip to the moon and back, twice. In comparison Copenhageners only travel 660.000 kilometers by Metro.
In central Copenhagen there are more bikes than citizens. 520.000 inhabitans and 560.000 bicycles.
The busiest biking lane in the world is Dronning Louises bro in Copenhagen with up to 36.000 cyclist passing throu daily.
63 % of all members of the danish parliament, located in the middle of Copenhagen, commute daily by bike.
Copenhagen was elected Bike city 2008 – 2011 by ICU.
Read more about Copenhagen's biking:
Download strategy
VIDEO: GOOD BICYCLE KARMA
THE BIKE MAN OF COPENHAGEN
Danish Bicycle Culture
Explosion of bikes and street festivals in Copenhagen
Copenhagen: Bike City for more than a century
The cycling world championship in the bike capital of the world
