Bikes – W&L Corporate Social Responsibility

Oh, the places you’ll go

The last time I was in Copenhagen, I stayed in the main touristy areas surrounding Tivoli and Strøget. While the old town is a beautiful area, there is so much more to the city that I missed. Armed with more time and a bike, I was determined not to make the mistake.

Running a Saturday morning 5k with parkun at Amager Fælled, clearing my head at Østedsparken and an impromptu stop at the Botanical Gardens before visiting the Geology Museum have taken me to a few of the different parks and green spaces. Although each park is somewhat different, they usually share similar characteristics. Most parks will have lots of green space, a lake, lots of ducks/birds/geese/swans and trails for running or walking. The parks are not usually very big in size – nothing on the scale of Central Park in New York City. However, they are dispersed throughout the city, meaning that everyone can find a park within biking, if not walking, distance.

One of my favorite places is the Amager Strandpark. It is slightly further out, about a 20 to 25-minute bike ride from DanHostel, but absolutely worth it! The area is a park, but it is also a beach. There’s a trail along the beach for those who want to roller blade, bike or walk. On a sunny day, the water is clear and probably a good place for a swim (when it is warm). The geographic location of Amager Strandpark provides for interesting sights: you can see planes taking off and land at the airport, wind turbines, Malmö and the Øresund Bridge connecting Sweden and Copenhagen.

Aside from the parks, which I have used as a place to relax and people watch, there are other interesting areas in Copenhagen. The most famous is Christiania, which is know for its green-light district and the fact that it is a proclaimed autonomous neighborhood in the middle of downtown Copenhagen. Another unique area is called Nokken. It is near the park Amager Fælled and is an area of miniature houses. The area is protected and therefore cannot be used in city planning. The place stands out among the new, modern buildings in the area not only because of the difference architecture, but also due to the lack of maintenance. Years ago, Nokken was probably a charming place with little houses and garden. Now, the charm is diluted by some houses that look like they need repairs and the gardens that are overgrown. However, I did enjoy walking around Nokken. It is an area of Copenhagen that I had never been to before and certainly a very unique place.

One of the most famous parks that I have yet to been is Fælledparken, which is on my ‘to see’ list. With just over a week remaining in Copenhagen, I am excited to see what other places I discover.

The Ease of Traveling

One thing that has surprised me is how easy it is to travel around Copenhagen. Cole and I decided to make a last minute trip to Vienna. We booked our flights Monday night for a Thursday night flight. The tickets were fairly cheap, another perk of traveling from country to country when in Europe, and getting to the CPH airport was surprisingly easy. All we had to do was walk over to the central train station, jump on a train going to CPH airport, and we were there in a matter of minutes. Since the trains are so easy to figure out you can arrive at any time and find the train you need. Being from Phoenix, this is a luxury that I have never had since mass transit is terrible there. Even though it is one of the largest cities in the U.S., mass transportation is practically none existent besides some light rails in downtown Phoenix and bus routes. Although Copenhagen is a big city, it is really easy to navigate. From biking to using the train, there doesn’t seem to be a place you cannot get to. Traveling around Vienna has been easy as well due to their train system and our hotel’s location near the central station. All we had to do to travel around the city was hop on the U1 train and we were in the city center within a matter of minutes for only a few euros.

I also decided to get a bike earlier this week. The bike was around 300 kroner for the four weeks and has made getting around so much easier. Although Danhostel is in the city center, every place I want to eat or visit is around a mile away so this significantly decreased amount of time it took to get places. I have become comfortable with the rules of biking here and have started to be able to strategize my route. I have mostly used my phone with Google Maps and Bluetooth headphones to get around but I find myself not having to reference it as much now. I did say to Cole at the beginning of the trip that I may be hit by a bike at some point during the trip but so far so good. The first full week is officially over and I can say I have become more comfortable with this city than I ever expected.

Just a Learning Curve

Update: Biking to the airport is incredibly easy and convenient if you don’t have any suitcases.

Bicycle etiquette is probably one of the most important things you can learn when in Copenhagen. Following the lead of Ellee and Daniel, I decided to rent a bike. So far, it has been a fun, but nerve-wrecking, adventure.

There are definitely advantages to having a bike in Copenhagen. It is incredibly convenient and makes the city more accessible. I initially hesitated in my decision to rent a bike, because I didn’t want to lose the exercise I had from walking around. However, I definitely made the right decision. I look forward to going places on my bike and even rode around the city for fun one night. Getting to places on my bike has also led me to areas of Copenhagen that I had never been before – there are neighborhoods that are more residential with amazing restaurants and parks that I want to explore. There’s a newfound sense of freedom that I have found incredible – there is no longer a debate of whether I should walk or take public transportation anywhere.

However, there is the saying that “with great power comes great responsibility.” Even though I have heard multiple people say that the city is designed around bikes and that the cyclists usually have the right of way, I still worry. Are there roads I am not allowed to bike? Do I yield to the cars when there is no bike lane? Am I supposed to yield to pedestrians on a right turn? And the questions go on. Even though I grew up riding a bike in Canada and definitely feel very comfortable on a bike, there are things that I have yet to master. Left turns on a bike are not allowed in Copenhagen. I never know whether I should ride my bike when crossing with the pedestrians, or if I should walk my bike. I think traffic in general makes me nervous. When driving, I sometimes irrationally panic when the
light turns yellow and in other situations. Similarly, on a bike, I still have yet to figure out if I am going to be able to make a light or if I should stop and risk the wrath of angry Danish bikers. Also, I definitely have to focus on the road and cannot afford to become starry-eyed at things on either side of the street. Another challenge with biking is that it is harder to stop and pull out a map.

One unfortunate incident, that thankfully did not become an accident, was when I turned right and nearly ran over someone crossing the street. The incident reminded me of another experience. During our dinner with a Danish family earlier this week, one member of the family mentioned that she nearly crashed into a tourist on a bike. Instead of saying ‘sorry,’ she told the tourist ‘you can’t stop here.’ To clarify, the Danes are very nice and friendly, they just take biking very seriously.

With any new experiences, there is a learning curve. Given how seriously the Danish taking biking
and the high traffic volume, this is a rather steep learning curve. Ideally, I would like figure out the most efficient way to turn left, or find routes that have only or mostly right turns. But the most important goal is to get through the rest of my time here without any more biking incidents. In fact, I will be biking to the airport later on today – we’ll see how it goes!

Cyclophobia

Cyclophobia is the fear of bicycles. Cyclophobia is often caused by a traumatic experience occurring with a bicycle, such as falling off a bicycle or seeing someone crash. I am a survivor of such an incident and am a self-diagnosed cyclophobe. Having fallen off a bicycle, riding down a hill as a 4th grader made bikes lose all of their appeal, despite their essential role in many peoples childhood. Since then, I have seen my fair share of bikes and had plenty of opportunities to ride them, but have managed to avoid them. Living in Copenhagen for close to a week now, avoiding bikes have been difficult for a couple of reasons.

Walking down Strøget yesterday, I saw a sweatshirt printed with a bicycle wheel and “Copenhagen The Bicycle City.” The graphic was certainly appealing and the sweatshirt seemed soft and comfortable, but it spoke more to the ubiquity of bicycles in the city. Bikes are so prevalent and beloved that they choose to represent their city as such. One cannot escape the bikes here in Copenhagen. Infrastructure is built around the bikes; elevated bike lanes, specialized bike routes, bike racks on every street in front of nearly every building, and train cars built to accommodate the bikes. The bikes whirring around are exceptionally intimidating for me, not being accommodated to this atypical type of traffic. While many of the bikers are willing to follow the rules, I have certainly seen them on the sidewalk, if only to turn right. With the bike lanes adjacent to the sidewalks, the cyclists will often come exceptionally close to the sidewalk. Whilst waiting for the cross walk to change, you can feel the breeze of the them whizzing by. After a few close encounters, I try to keep back from the curb.

It’s estimated that 75% of Copenhageners cycle at some point each year. Having discussed the importance of bicycles for transportation in the weeks preceding this trip, I assumed it was simply a convenience issue for local residents. After a week in Copenhagen, I realize that bikes are more of a necessity than anticipated. Walking around in this cold weather, you want to be outside for a short of time as possible. Biking cuts down on the time spent getting from point A to point B, which is essential when the cold wind cuts through your many layers. Not only is biking seemingly the most efficient way of getting around Copenhagen, public transportation is expensive. It seems as though the Copenhagen government wants to do all it can to encourage individuals to bike with the price of these tickets. Additionally, the taxes on vehicles in Denmark are outrageous, making vehicles seem like a luxury. It only makes sense to bike in this city, certainly if you are a resident.

I swore I would not ride a bike while I was in Copenhagen, given our history. Now having spent a week in this city, I am considering otherwise. Bicycles are efficient and seem like a great way to assimilate to the Copenhagen culture. I have been warned that this is not the place to practice cycling, but I might go against my gut on this one.

Giving up Four Wheels for Two

Copenhagen is a city of cyclists. Those visiting for the first time are often taken aback by the volume of bicycles on the streets and the number of bikes in the racks around various metro stops and other high traffic areas. I’ve seen statistics that suggest 40-60% of Copenhageners cycle to and from work daily.

I grew up in Houston, which is a city of solitary drivers. “If it can be done on two wheels, why not do in on four?” seems to be the attitude of Houstonians. “Even better if a 5-8 passenger vehicle can carry only a lone driver,” one might conclude from the number of cars and SUVs with a solitary person behind the wheel sitting in Houston rush hour traffic.

There are certainly plenty of other cities that exhibit cycling propensities similar to Copenhagen and many urban centers the more closely resemble Houston. Why is this? What accounts for the differing preferences for cars vs. bikes?

Allow me to get a few of the more obvious similarities and differences out of the way quickly. While both Houston and Copenhagen are coastal and relatively flat, the climate varies greatly. Copenhagen has a temperate climate, with average summer high temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s according to Wikipedia. That’s typical of Houston too . . . in February. While average winter lows obviously vary too (just below freezing in Copenhagen to mid-40s in Houston), most would say you can dress for the Copenhagen chill easier than for the Houston heat and humidity. Beyond climate, the cities exist on an entirely different geographic scale. Municipal Copenhagen is roughly 33 square miles, while Houston covers 667 square miles. Account for suburbs and the difference grows. There is, however, another key reason for the difference that mirrors one of the big differences between the broad commitment to sustainability of Denmark vs. the US. The respective governments have committed to divergent paths, in this case related to sustainable transportation.

For my entire lifetime, Houston has been investing in expansion of its freeway system to handle the large population and the propensity to drive. Sure, there have been initiatives designed to introduce alternatives, but they have been half-hearted at best. A high occupancy vehicle lane here. A new bus route there. We notice them as we sit in our SUVs twice a day during morning and evening rush hour(s).

Copenhagen, on the other hand, has made and continues to make significant investments in infrastructure to encourage more sustainable transport. We could complain about the metro expansion and the disruption it has caused around the city for several years, but it is likely to make a good mass transit system even better. Let’s get back to the bikes.

City planners in Copenhagen have taken steps for some time to nudge people out of their cars and on to their bikes. Many years ago the city introduced what amounted to free loaner bikes. This ensured that there was always a two-wheeled option available. Next? Turn the city’s parking lots in to parks and green spaces or plazas full of cafes, kiosks, and places to relax with a meal or drink. While improving the aesthetics of the city, these public spaces also made it a bigger hassle to park a car, thereby nudging folks to the bike racks. Ample bike lanes and bike traffic signals make navigating on two wheels much easier (just learn the rules of the road before you hop on a bike).

As I was walking to my favorite bakery (Andersen’s, if you must know) this morning, watching the wave of bikes build for the morning commute, I wondered . . . How many other cities could follow Copenhagen’s lead? I’m not sure that a 15 mile commute from Houston’s suburbs to the central business district in 98 degree summer heat will ever be feasible on a bike, but I suspect that there are other decisions that might at least increase willingness to consider other more sustainable alternatives than hopping in that SUV by oneself. I’m not holding my breath.