Olddenmark.dk

Getting Around: Cyclists and bicycles

Danes hurrying to their jobs early in the morning

Trains and Buses

Even if there are some domestic air flights most Danes uses their car or go by bus or train when they are travelling domestically.

The country is well covered by a net of highways that guarantees that the Danes will be able to do the short distances in the small country fast and effectively. The Danes are always in a hurry.

Also there is an efficient railsystem between the bigger Danish cities and regional buses - generally timed to connect with the trains - will handle the rest. (But please notice that the Railways are in the proces of being outsourced to the private capital - fear the worst!)

If you are on a budget a cheaper but still efficient if not comfortable way to travel domestically is by the net of buses which are connecting the bigger cities as an alternative to the railsystem.

Another option is of course to rent a car, but it can be rather expensive in Denmark.

And then there is the bike. If you are staying in a local area like the the Capitol, Copenhagen, for more than a few days, just do as the danes, get a bike. A bike will fullfill all your need of transportation. It is even possible to get around in the rest of country with this efficient but cheap mean of tranportation.

All sort of Danes on bikes

Visiting a danish city like Copenhagen, the danish Capitol, you cannot escape to notice the cyclists. In Denmark the bicycle is not just used for fun by children or for recreation and sport, but is a widely used mean of transportation.

In the Capitol you will meet all sort of danes on bikes in the daily traffic. Students on their way to the university, members of the government on their way to the governmental offices, managers, bank directors, clerks, single mothers with children driving to the kindergarten, in short men and women of all ages and social groups on their way to their daily duties. In total about one third of the commuters of Copenhagen are cycle commuters.

Many parents are using bikes similar to this for transportation of children

But of course there are some main characteristics, and seen in a very generalistic view the typical cyclist is a young woman and the typical motorist an older man.

The general attitude towards cyclists is a mirror of that situation. It seems that the motorists are suffering from the delusion that because their cars are occupying much more space, making noise, polluting the air, costing more money and being a lot more dangerous to the fellow road users, they have precedence in the traffic.

Of course you and I know the motorist should rather be very grateful to the cyclists. I am pretty sure that you can think about a lot of obvious reasons by yourself, so just to give one example : should the cyclists start driving cars the city would from one day to the other be changed into one big traffic jam.

Bicycles parked at a shopping center. When the cyclist are returning to the their bikes they are expecting to find them again, and usually they will.

Cyclist tracks

If you dare to do Copenhagen on bike - and I think you shall allow yourself the experience if you ever get the chance - you have to be careful!
It is a well known fact among cyclist that some fellow roadusers behave rather aggressive and reckless. Take advantage of the system of cyclist tracks spread all over the City.

Also as a pedestrian you will notice the cyclist tracks, situated between the sidewalk and the road. And remember: its for the cyclists!. So be careful. Not all bikers are good tempered either.

The City Bike

Did you know that in Copenhagen it is possible to have a bike for free for a few hours?
It is! From spring to autumn you will find Bicycles at several stands in the Central City. You pay a small deposit - about 3 euro - and when you deliver the Bike at the next stand the deposit is returned to you. Smart, huh?
The system - called Bycyklen (The City Bike) - is managed by a private organization and financed through advertisements.
I cannot imagine that you would visit Copenhagen by car, would you? ;-)