I have just spent a long weekend in Copenhagen (first time) It was a revelation!
Not just the shear volume of people cycling but the whole attitude to the concept of getting about by bike. Don't read anything into this - its just an observation but loads of women in thick coats, upright bikes with wicker baskets, often two abreast, chatting away and travelling at a leisurely pace. This in contrast to the largely male, confident, fast cycling over here (I include myself in this catagory) I think of videos I've seen of London weekend cyclists powering around Richmond and steaming down the 'super-highway' during the rush-hour. I think of my commute into Bristol and the attitude of some motorists to me and my own intolerance to pedestrians and dog walkers wandering infront of me on the shared use paths.
So my conclusion - because of the crappy infrastructure and attitude to cycling in this country, cycling is not for the faint hearted; young, fit, male and fast seem more able to cope with the trials and agro of getting about by bike. Those less assertive might well be put off venturing further than the safety of a Sunday cycle path with the kids.
Can we ever achieve the Utopia they have in Denmark? For one thing the roads seemed to be really wide over there, easily enough space for segregation of pedestrians, cyclists and motors. It would not be possible to retro-fit our cities in this way so adopting the scandanaviqan model doesn't seem an option.
Its a Catch 22 : If the volume of cyclists using the roads became so high, higher than the proportion of motorists, perhaps attitudes would change, making it a viable option for everyone to get on a bike. But of course until that happens a lot of people are put off.
So - no opinion, no answers, just putting it out there. I would be interested to hear people's views on how we could change things and increase the number of people who would feel confident to take their bike to work, school, shop.
Copenhagen
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Revolution
- Posts: 221
- Joined: 20 Feb 2013, 3:23pm
- Location: North Somerset and Bristol
Re: Copenhagen
I remember cycling to and from work in the late fifties among large numbers of utility cyclists.
Along with public transport it was the common means of travel.
That was about the time that car ownership began it's rise.
After a while the new car owners began to be frustrated at the presence of cyclists on the road - I had erstwhile cyclists, now car owners, opining to me, that it was time to stop cyclists using the roads.
They were still happy however to have cyclist's rear lights to follow during the "pea souper" fogs which continued in to the sixties
At the time governments and urban planners seemed to be fixated on "futuristic" road systems separating motorists from pedestrians - i.e pedestrians had to negotiate underpasses and raised walkways often having to go far out of their way in order to cross the road - cyclists were left to cope as best they could - probably considered an anachronism that would fade away with time.
Ernest Marples minister of transport at the time said that the motor car needed to be controlled before the rise in the number of motorists made this politically impossible - ( he had construction interests and probably did well out of new road building - and he was a cyclist ).
Along with public transport it was the common means of travel.
That was about the time that car ownership began it's rise.
After a while the new car owners began to be frustrated at the presence of cyclists on the road - I had erstwhile cyclists, now car owners, opining to me, that it was time to stop cyclists using the roads.
They were still happy however to have cyclist's rear lights to follow during the "pea souper" fogs which continued in to the sixties
At the time governments and urban planners seemed to be fixated on "futuristic" road systems separating motorists from pedestrians - i.e pedestrians had to negotiate underpasses and raised walkways often having to go far out of their way in order to cross the road - cyclists were left to cope as best they could - probably considered an anachronism that would fade away with time.
Ernest Marples minister of transport at the time said that the motor car needed to be controlled before the rise in the number of motorists made this politically impossible - ( he had construction interests and probably did well out of new road building - and he was a cyclist ).