The bike as a way of life
The 20 bicycle counters scattered throughout the Danish capital have registered in the last year 35,080 more bicycles in circulation . This figure rises to 265,700 total bikes compared to 252,600 cars that are currently active, they report in The Guardian. This has meant a 15% increase in bicycle traffic, while car traffic has registered a 1% drop.
Copenhagen began monitoring traffic in 1970, when there were 351,133 cars and 100,071 bicycles in the city. At first, the count was done manually until electronic devices were installed in 2009 . It was also in 1970 that the Danish capital's commitment to developing a bicycle transportation network began.
20 counters monitor traffic in the city
The result? A 68% growth in bicycle traffic in the last 20 years , which together with the recent figures endorse a long-term policy, as well as the investments that the city has made in the last 12 years, since 2005: €137 million.
"It's not in our genes, it's not in our water... What we've taught the rest of the world is that if you build a protected infrastructure, people will start using their bikes ”, explained to The Guardian Morten Kabel, responsible for the Environment Area in the city.
265,700 bicycles circulate in Copenhagen
However, not everything is done. Copenhagen's population is expected to grow from 600,000 today to 715,000 in the next 15 years. For this reason, the authorities they want to continue creating infrastructures that allow for the displacement of this growing number of people : expansion of the metro network and improvement of the capacity and efficiency of the bicycle network (more kilometres, widening of lanes...) .
“You can't just ban cars and let people get away with it… That's why we're expanding the metro network and investing in bicycle infrastructure. You have to give people options and then slowly they will start taking space away from the car to give it to the bikes. ”, notes Kabel.
Not without my bike!