For it’s annual Study Trip, the team at Planning & Design Practice visited the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Our Director, and Chartered Town Planner Richard Pigott reflects on the trip and what the UK could learn as part of a cycling revolution.
On our recent study trip to Copenhagen, you won’t be surprised to learn that ‘everything worked’. It was clean and easy to get around. But the most surprising thing was the sheer number of bicycles…everywhere. Ironically, the place where the benefits of this really hit home for me was when I was standing at the top of the Rundetaarn (Round Tower), a tower built in 1642 with the main aim of allowing a horse drawn carriage (i.e. the car of its day) to travel up the 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the viewing platform at the top of the tower.
From the open-air viewing platform at the top you get wonderful views across the city but what struck me was how quiet it was on what should have been a busy Friday afternoon in the nation’s capital. The reason? In modern times the streets of Copenhagen have been completely repurposed, with bicycle lanes at every turn and you sense that cars are very much part of the support act rather than the main event.
Bikes are everywhere in Copenhagen. So widespread are cycles and cycle lanes throughout the city that the term “Copenhagenize” has come to mean adding bicycle infrastructure to a city. In fact, when New York City decided to make their city more cycle-friendly, they hired Copenhagen urban designer Jan Gehl.
Nearly 40% of people in Copenhagen cycle daily, with that number expected to continue rising. That is a phenomenal number when you think about it. But it wasn’t always this way in Copenhagen; if you see photos of the 20th century, up until the late 1960’s, there were cars everywhere. Copenhagen isn’t just an example of how cycling infrastructure can work, it’s an example of how fast it can be adopted by a city and its people.
The benefits of a cycling city are extensive, including:
- Improved air quality
- Reduced traffic congestion
- Healthier lifestyles
- Reduced carbon emissions
- Improved community engagement and connection
I regularly cycle through both Derby and Sheffield and find that the provision for cyclists is a bit of a mixed bag. Whilst both have steadily improving cycle facilities such as cycle lanes and cycle parking shelters, stands and the like, a physical separation between cycle and traffic lanes, such as a small intermittent kerb/ridge/or slabs is rarely seen in this country. So how can we improve this? Are there any obvious reasons why it could not happen? Lets look at some of the key so-called ‘obstacles’.
Narrow streets – In many cases, when people say there is not the width for cycle paths on our roads what they really mean is that the space that currently exists on our roads cannot be reallocated or reassigned for cycle paths. This is, therefore, not an argument about space, but an argument about priorities. Lets not forget, we’re not the only country to have narrow, historic streets in our cities. Cycle lanes do not need to be built on every street – they are typically only needed where volumes of motor traffic are high and/or where traffic is travelling at a higher speed. We just need to get creative with solutions such as one-way restrictions or ‘filtered permeability’, where you allow through journeys for selected modes of transport, typically walking and cycling (but sometimes also buses), but remove it as a through route for motor traffic.
Safety – Understandably, safety is a concern for many people who are reluctant to ride. However, cycling is hugely beneficial for our physical and mental health and the evidence suggests that many Britons would like to cycle for work, leisure and exercise. This therefore goes to show that measures like segregated cycle lanes would give people greater confidence to cycle and better personal health as a result.
Initial cost of a bike – for some, the initial cost of a bike is a turnoff. However, analysis by Saga Health Insurance suggests that cycling works out cheaper than other options.
Hills – unlike Copenhagen or Amsterdam, some of our cities are quite hilly (I’m thinking Sheffield), whilst some have hilly areas (Nottingham, Lincoln for example). But this should not stop us. The physical benefits of cycling are increased when you through in the occasional climb and for those that need them, E bikes are becoming ever cheaper and easier to own and rent.
Weather – we are not the only country in the world that has ‘unpredictable’ weather. Bikes fitted with mudguards and some decent waterproofs enable cycling in all but the very worst weather.
Investment – this is the crux of the matter. Clearly there is a cost involved in providing cycle infrastructure and altering our roads but the long term benefits, in so many ways, pay for this many times over. It seems that we are slowly waking up to this reality. £200 million government funding was announced in May 2023 for cycling and walking schemes, helping to promote healthy travel, reduce emissions and grow the economy. In Derby, there are a raft of improvements completed or in the pipeline including recent pop-up cycle lanes on London Road were considered a success and many workers used them when there was a reluctance to travel on public transport. Manchester is home to the Bee Network, a £70m pipeline of funding which will create protected cycling routes throughout Manchester. More than 13km of cycleways have already been constructed, with additional routes in locations such as Ancoats and Deansgate in the pipeline. But, according to Cycling UK, community initiatives such as The Inclusive Cycling Experience and The Big Bike Revival are as important as hard infrastructure in making cycling more accessible and breaking down perceived barriers
So, in my eyes there are no reasons why we cannot or should not promote cycling more. The benefits are extensive and ultimately, a simple cost benefit analysis shows that the more we can do to ‘Copenhagenize’ our cities, the more attractive, safer and liveable places they will be for everyone.
Richard Pigott, Director, Chartered Town Planner, Planning & Design Practice Ltd
A postcard from Copenhagen
