ETE: On DANISH City Bikes...

Lauren Hilliard • Tuesday September 5, 2006

The famous ‘city bikes’ in Copenhagen are actually quite hard to find since the demand is much greater than the supply — same applies for bike parking! These communal bikes can be used by inserting a 20 kroner coin into a slot on the handle bars, which then releases it from a chain connected to designated ‘city bike parking.’ Most bikes have a map of the city on it since nearly 100% of its users are tourists, not locals. As you can see in the picture, they are not exactly the most comfortable bikes to ride (especially without a seat on this one!). And you’ll get up to a 1000 kroner ($160) fine if you ride it out of the defined boundary line.

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Bicycling •• Region: Denmark •• comments

ETE: On DANISH Trains...

Lauren Hilliard • Monday September 4, 2006

Being in Copenhagen for a week now, I can hop on and off the S-Tog train system without thinking twice. It is great living only a few stops from the Stroget, the huge pedestrian city centre with tons of FABULOUS places to shop. The best part is that I can tote Nicole’s pink bike around everywhere with me! Check out the bike parking on the S-Tog is this picture — very simple and effective. You just have to look for the bicycle picture on select car windows to know which section of the train to board. This open area on the train is used for strollers as well.

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Public Transit •• Region: Denmark •• comments

ETE: On DANISH Bicycling Attire...

Lauren Hilliard • Sunday September 3, 2006

Copenhagen is world renown for two reasons:
1) It’s a global leader in the bicycling realm
2) It’s a global leader in the fashion industry

It’s been quite fun not only observing the unbelievable quantity of bikes, but the European fashion that rides them. With businessmen in expensive suits and young women in chic dresses, I don’t think attire should be a reason for us not to cycle to work in America!

*Editors Note:* This is the 100th article posted on Walkable Neighborhoods!!

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Bicycling •• Region: Denmark •• comments [1]

ETE: On DANISH Ability to Alter Travel Behavior...

Lauren Hilliard • Friday September 1, 2006

I suppose this title may not be completely accurate, but I wanted to analyze my dear friends here in Copenhagen a bit. The family I am staying with here moved from Seattle last summer for a job opportunity with the World Health Organization. It has been fun staying in this nice neighborhood filled with embassy employees and ambassadors, and just five train stops away from the city centre.

I am always curious about how people’s travel behavior changes when their environment is altered, so I thought it would be fun to document some of my observations and quotes from the family. I think the Merchants are a fine example of how an American family can completely change their travel habits when placed in a new community with great integrated transport. Just like many Americans – they are a family of five, juggle sports and activities schedules among the three kids, like to travel on the weekends, saw the need to have two cars and a motorcycle to get around Tacoma, and have more Starbucks mugs that anyone I know (even one with the original mermaid logo). And now this family is living in Copenhagen with no private car and a garage filled with bicycles!

Perhaps it is Denmark’s 180% tax on car purchases that deterred them from getting a car here; or maybe it wasn’t worth the hassle to ship their cars oversees; but it seems to be that they simply didn’t see the need to have a private automobile.

I found this fascinating and asked each member of the family their thoughts on living car-free:

Robb (parent) – Hated being so dependent on their cars in Tacoma but felt that it was too difficult to do things like grocery shopping without one. Says if they move back to America that living somewhere where they don’t need a car would be a priority.

Julie (parent) – Loves the fact that all the walking she does as part of her daily routine keeps her in great shape! Walking Julian to school and walking to the grocery store are just two things that she does car-free now.

Garrett (15 years old) – Despite the freedom of mobility that the trains give him, he wishes they did have a car so that he could haul around large objects instead of walking with them. Though his mother says he never complains about it – and since you can’t get your license until age 18, all of his peers also ride the train everywhere.

Nicole (13 years old) – Really enjoys not owning a family car. Not having a bike in Tacoma, she loves toting around Cupid (her pug) in the front basket of her new, metallic-pink bicycle.

Julian (7 years old) – While sitting on the S-Tog tonight with Julian I asked him if he missed having a car to which he replied, “I like riding the train.� I am going as a supervisor on his class field trip to Dyrehavn tomorrow, and all the kids will be boarding the train to get there.

I think the Merchants are a great success story for transportation and land use planners!

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Culture •• Region: Denmark •• comments

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