Two-wheeled highways? Welcome to Rush Hour, Copenhagen-style

[marmar]

Rush Hour in Copenhagen


COPENHAGEN (AFP) – Copenhagen, one of the world's most bicycle-friendly cities, has begun turning its extensive network of cycle paths into bike highways in an effort to push more commuters to leave their cars at home.

Considered one of Europe's two "bicycle capitals" along with Amsterdam, Copenhagen counts more bicycles than people and cycling is so popular that its numerous bike paths can become congested.

Two-wheeler traffic jams are especially regular on the main Noerrebrogade thoroughfare used by around 36,000 cyclists a day.

"You have to elbow your way in to go forward and some cyclists aren't always thoughtful," complains 22-year-old university student Lea Bresell. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101128/sc_afp/denmarkenvironmenttransportpollutioncycling_20101128072431

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. We have 20 mile an hour winds from the North Sea

and light snow with temperatures at 23 and yet most still use their bikes.

Though the buses, trains and subway have picked up more passengers during this rough weather.
The Danes are using them more because some of the bike paths still have snow on them.

Usually the winter is rainy and sleet around freezing and still they bike.

Parking in Copehagen is very expensive and hard to find plus gas costs around ll.56 Krone a liter

The dollar is at 5.7 to the Krone ..... so do the math........Yikes

[subterranean]

2. New York City is adopting some ideas from Copenhagen.

This month's Esquire magazine has an interesting article (interesting to me, anyway) about NYC's Transportation Commissioner, who is creating a network of protected bike lanes, along with pedestrian plazas and other innovations. It's been a while since I visited New York, and I didn't know about this.

http://www.esquire.com/features/brightest-2010/janette-sadik-khan-1210

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. Bikes here have their own traffic lights and lanes

I don't think I ever saw that in the states Yes, maybe the lanes but not both together.
Car drivers and bicyclists need to watch both lights.

The bike lights are just like normal traffic lights but smaller.

[WolverineDG]

4. I remember seeing that in Amsterdam

all the bikes lined up at traffic lights, with cars intermixed, then the light turns green, & watch out! Here comes a wall of bikers! :)

On the way back to the airport, I noticed a lot of the train stations had parking lots full of bikes, too, so even those who lived too far from the city to ride their bikes to work every day could at least ride them to the train station.

dg

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Some keep bikes at both stations

One to get you from home to the station
then another from your train trip to your work.