Bikes and Northern Europeans — They Really Have It Going On
April 14, 2012 — the first part of a Bicycle Superhighway network opened. Copenhagenize brought us the story of new bike routes that will help Copenhagen to continue leading the way in this arena. Dreams are coming true. (Cyclist’s long-distance bike-riding dreams.)
The infrastructure in greater Copenhagen for these routes was planned way back in the 1960s and ’70s. There has been some thoughtful consideration of bicyclists for decades in this part of the world, of course.
Watch this sweet comic video above (connected with the new bike routes) and relish in the airborne freedom and the causal elegance of cyclists arriving at work.
Visionaries, Plans, and Multiplicities
Much of the infrastructure was actually created in the ’60s. However, the present work to integrate, organize, and finally manifest this project is immense.
Copenhagen is a city of 550,000 people. The urban area extends out with many different municipalities surrounding the core. Imagine the town meetings necessary to get all of these different communites to clear and make way for this! It took some time and hard work, but the project is underway.
The project needed tenacious visionaries to work all the proper channels. Things moved slowly and difficulties had to be overcome with the Danish Road Directorate. Copenhagenize describes this group of engineers and city planners as being “tough to dance with.” These are the folks who had to approve and place the necessary signs, etc. Enjoy the full story and see tons of photos on Copenhagenize….
Bike Pumps, Sensors, Green Lights, and Bike Shops along the Way
The plans are going to take this bicycle network beyond the ordinary. For example, there will be “sensors under the cycle tracks that can register if there is a group of cyclists riding together. If so, the lights at the intersections will turn green in order to let them continue freely towards the city.”
One will find bicycle pumps along the way. There are a bounty of bike shops in the towns one will be gliding by. All along the way, one can feel safe knowing that any challenge will be taken care of along the way….
Image: Sweeties Side by Side by Comrade Foot
