Padded Shorts » Copenhagen

37% of People Commute by Bike.

extra — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:21:10 +0000

In Copenhagen there is 37% of all people commuting to and from school, work and universities. But when you add the journeys to and from the shops and cinema e.g. all trips it is 55% by bicycle !!

Mikeal from Copenhagenize and StreetFilms.org talks about how the Copenhagen have changed and now it can be done.

It is possible.

Start riding now

extra — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:20:19 +0000

Today I read this article over on the Telegraph, Copenhagen climate conference Danes launch campaign to get the world cycling.

And it got me wondering why the UK has such a hard time in get on their bikes. The first thing people over here think is that it is dangerous and it is going to get you killed. I’m sorry but you are wrong it is not, there I have said it.

Not only is it good for the little rock we call home…

“Switching from cars to bikes brings an immediate climate change gain and signals that lifestyles and thinking have finally got the climate change message. There are no technical, financial or logistic issues in this transport transformation; the only thing missing is the will to act and the time to act is now.”

…but it is blooming good for you, just look at me. Four years ago I struggled walking up one flight of stairs and I was the wrong side of 20 stone. But getting back on the bicycle I have now lost 5+ stones and feel so much better for it. And there is some truth in the saying “you will look 10 years younger if you cycle” because there are quite a few people who don’t believe me when I tell them that my next birthday is the big four oh. :)

Your first right of passage is pretty much when you learn to walk and in Denmark we kinda celebrate that with a set of wheels. As I grew up there was no point in me asking for a lift to my after school event. If I did I was just pointed towards my bicycle. And if I moaned that it had a flat it was answered with a “well fix it then”. Every new neighbourhood we lived in I learnt to know the area before me old folks, simply because I explored the area on my bicycle. Met plenty of new friends that way, because I was not restricted to the cul-de-sac we lived in. Back then Lego and Pong were the biggest things keeping us kids indoors, but it was never as fun and as exciting as jumping on your bicycle and going exploring.

It is not hard it is easy as long you follow these three simple steps.

#1 Get a bicycle, from your local bicycle shop, go and talk to them and they will get you the ride you need and want

#2 Even if you can ride a bicycle get some cycle training, because it will iron out all the bad habits you have.

#3 Go riding as .citycycling says it doesn’t matter what you ride just as long as you do, and have fun.

So come on get on your bicycle and let’s start the next revolution. And let it not be a motorised one.

VELO-CITY GLOBAL 2010

extra — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:03:05 +0000

Well it looks like I will be in CPH next year for this. Do you think that we can get London to join in and go over there and learn something ?

Copenhagen, June 22-25, 2010

The European Cyclists’ Federation, the City of Frederiksberg and the City of Copenhagen are excited to invite you to the first ever VELO-CITY GLOBAL 2010, a conference that brings together cycling experts, city planners, decision makers, NGOs and researchers from all over the world to discuss the potential and challenges of cycling.

The conference will take place in the heart of Copenhagen, one of the world’s most inspiring cycling cities, and will offer you first hand experience of the city’s many innovative initiatives in the field of cycling.

…

With Velo-city Global 2010, we aim for a living, learning and constructive conference. We expect approximately 1000 participants from 100 different countries. As our conference is the first Velo-city with a global scope, special effort will be focused on highlighting the global flavour of the conference with respect to participants, speakers and topics. Furthermore, we have chosen to make Velo-city Global 2010 a conference focused on learning. This means that engagement, interaction and knowledge sharing will be integrated throughout the conference programme. The conference will take advantage of Copenhagen’s leading position as a cycling city, and through site visits will draw attention to ongoing projects of benchmark quality.

LINK : VELO-CITY GLOBAL 2010

London’s summer of cycling

extra — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:29:00 +0000

As part of London’s summer of cycling, an exhibition has been unveiled at City Hall exploring contemporary urban cycling culture in London and Copenhagen.

The exhibition Dreams on Wheels is organised by the GLA and the Embassy of Denmark, London, and is designed to share knowledge between the two cities where cycling is celebrated, and to encourage more people to try out two wheels.

The London incarnation, which will run from 1 September – 2 October, is part of the prologue to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year, and other versions have been shown around the world.

Found this on Copenhagenize, a brilliant blog about cycling in the Danish Capital and elsewhere.

LINK : Dreams On Wheels rolls into City Hall
LINK : Dreams on wheels
LINK : London City Hall exhibitions

Cycling in DK vs UK Part IV

extra — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Other road users

When I learned to drive in Denmark, was told to pull right next to the kerb to block cyclist coming up on your inside into your blind spot.

Even on roundabouts the other road users gave way to us. We were on the cycle lane, and were overtaken with plenty of distance to the roundabout. The car entered the round about and stopped at the first exit, we then arrived at the roundabout. We were normally cautious, and entered the roundabout and wondered why the car was waiting there. Only to find out that the driver was giving way to us. This wouldn’t happen in London.

In general other road users gave much more space to cyclists. Which is great, but that led to cyclists not looking much as they relied on others to give way.

Generally the other road users did give plenty of space.

Cycling in DK vs UK Part III

extra — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:26:00 +0000

Road positioning

When cycling on road where there is no cycle lane, the Danes are right in the gutter, even on outside of the road markings. Not giving yourself much space if the road is at a bad state, though that is not often.

When over taking parked cars, they are just about clearing the parked car, not many inches left between them and the car. Well inside the “door zone”, it’s like they don’t have a problem with people getting in or out of the parked cars.

But you are not that easily seen, looks like you are stopping or look like street furniture not like that you are a road user and is going somewhere.

We tried to pull out and take the lane, so that could get into the middle of the road to do our left turn, so therefore only need to cross one lane when it was clear.

But we just got beeped, because it is not “how we do it”. You, as a cyclist, have to pull into the side of the road and wait until both lanes are clear an then cross over.

Cycling in DK vs UK Part II

extra — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:10:00 +0000

The 3 C’s

To see and To be seen and Communicate is probably the most important thing I can teach people who are learning to cycle.

While cycling around in Denmark, I did not see much looking back checking what is behind you.

Even when starting off, pretty much step out onto the cycle lane onto the bike and hope that the people who are cycling along behind you have seen you and have time enough to stop/slow down. No looking around at all.

When cycling down the cycle lane or shared road, pretty much none of the cyclists I saw looked back just to check what is going on around them. Even at junctions, pretty much relying on that the cars coming from behind and wanting to turn right, across the bike lane you are on, would stop and give way for you. Again, no looking around at all.

When turning any direction there are barely any signals to tell you where the person is going in front of you. If there were any signals it was more of a quick little wave near the hips, which you barely can see if you are right behind let alone if you are in a car out to the side of the cyclist. Again no looking around you before doing the turn.

The only signal I saw people use quite often was the stop sign, hand up in the air. But it was only often because I saw it more often than the left/right signals which still wasn’t often or clear enough.

Cycling in DK vs UK Part I

extra — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:07:00 +0000

In Denmark the wind is our mountains.

Because it is so flat but the wind makes up for the hilly bits.

While cycling around in Denmark I noticed that most of the bikes people are commuting on are the “sit up and beg” types. These bicycles are not really aerodynamic, as you sit up and get the wind right in your face.

Tough if you are lucky enough to commute with the wind in your back, the “sit up and beg” position is a life saver :)

In Copenhagen Bicycles Overtake Cars

extra — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:27:00 +0000

“As a result of half a century of planning, Copenhagen has achieved a fabulous cycling goal – during the morning rush hour more bikes and mopeds pound the inner city streets than personal cars and buses”

Now we just need to do the same in London, just don’t know if I or London can wait that long, I just hope that it happens faster.

Link : http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/in_copenhagens.php
-extra