Copenhagen's bike-friendly streets

I was in Copenhagen for most of December, and was amazed at how many folks ride their bikes there, even in the snow and sub-zero weather.



This video (via StreetFilms.org) shows a lot of the amazing technological innovations the city has implemented to make cycling safer and easier. It also has a few shots of the so-called "cargo bikes" — front-loader bikes that people in Copenhagen use to transport everything from their groceries to their kids. I found them to be very funny.

The numbers speak for themselves: 37% of daily commutes are done by bike in Copenhagen; while 55% of all trips in Copenhagen are made by bike.

This is exactly why I'm a member of the San Francisco Bike Coalition — if they can do it in Denmark, we can sure as hell do it here! Of course, in Denmark the most they do to lock up their bike is a little bolt that goes between the spokes of their rear wheel. That's what tripped me out the most — in San Francisco your bike would be gone in 5 minutes if you don't secure it to something. But I still think that with the right city planning, we can get to Copenhagen levels of bike riding.