Study Abroad- Creating Cities for Bikes

Being back home in Oregon and reflecting on this trip, I’m so grateful for everything I got to experience. I’ve always dreamed of traveling abroad, and not only did I get to see amazing cities, but I got to learn a ton, get off the beaten path, and interact more with locals than I ever expected I would. It was so fun to be in a new city and try to act more like a local, instead of just a tourist who pops in and out, never really reflecting much about the community they are in. Big shout out to Floris for answering all my endless questions about traveling in Europe and life in the Netherlands.

Looking through my photos, here are some of my favorite moments from my four short and quickly passing by weeks abroad.

1. (Midsommar fest! What a show! I loved seeing the bonfire, eating yummy food, biking to the other side of the water for the first time, and watching the beautiful Copenhagen sunset)

2. (selfie break after many miles on Aero island. Such a beautiful place to explore and many laughs)

3. (beautiful ride around Svenborg. Was so tired this day but glad I decided to go anyways! Saw a cool castle, many windmills and an old tree in Europe)

4. (dinner at a tapas restaurant on the water. Watching the boats go by and enjoying the scenery)

5. (Tour de France finish with Rachel! So glad I went and saw the bikers. What a time)

6. Other honorable mentions include the fancy Scan Design dinner in Copenhagen, our taco night, the creepy yet cool hostel in Korinth and going to a concert in Utrecht.

Hi everyone,

For my final project for the bike study abroad class I chose to research cycling for kids in the Netherlands and Denmark. Before this trip, I had no idea how many kids and families cycle around Danish and Dutch cities. Growing up in a car dominant American neighborhood, I was driven to school every morning, or I took the bus. Needless to say, I was extremely surprised to see so many kids off biking on their own, especially in busy cities like Utrecht and Amsterdam. This topic is important to me because I want to work more on bike education in the future, as I’m passionate about cycling and love working with kids.

So how did these two countries create a cycle culture that’s so bike friendly? Firstly, both countries prioritize traffic safety education for children. This starts at a young age. For example, in Copenhagen, we visited the traffic playground and kids from as young as two can learn the rules of the road and practice biking there. In the Netherlands, bike safety for kids expanded in the 1970s after their “Stop Murdering Children” campaign. This campaign was created because of record number of car deaths, especially for children. It led to infrastructure changes such as more separated bike lanes and reduced speed limits for cars. For education, the Netherlands also has traffic safety exams that children have to take at around age 12. This exam has a knowledge based part as well as a practical test where the kids go out, bike, and practice their hand signals.

So why biking? Well firstly, in the Netherlands, children are much happier and healthier than in many other countries. Obesity levels are also lower. This might not fully be because of biking, but I’m sure that it is a large contributing factor. Kids are moving a lot, have a lot more independence, and are doing something that’s great for the environment by walking or biking to school. It also gives mothers who would normally spend time transporting their kids to and from school more free time by allowing their kids to go off on their own.

Altogether, it’s nice to see two different countries with a large bike culture that focuses on teaching kids to bike and prioritizing traffic safety lessons from a young age. This way, biking comes as a second nature to these kids and akin to walking down the street. If we could replicate this in America, then more kids would be able to get outside, have increased independence, and feel safer when biking for transportation.

Below is a photo of the traffic garden in Copenhagen (photo from Copenhagen architecture)

We started our journey in Copenhagen, where everyone follows the bike rules. In Copenhagen, cycling is less of a free for all and more about getting from one destination to the next, as quickly as possible. I also noticed that in Copenhagen cycling usually wasn’t meant to be social. Many people were cycling alone, in a vertical line or had their headphones in. I also noticed that bikes don’t run the red lights and also don’t waste any time. When the light turns green, they go automatically. Additionally, I saw more people wearing bike helmets in Copenhagen and less kids cycling alone, when compared to the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, cycling is a bit different. Here it seems more like a social activity. Bike lanes are wider and designed so that two people can ride next to each other, going on either direction of the path. Cycling seems more fun and lively here, vs. in Copenhagen it just felt like a lot of people going to work. I heard more people laughing and talking on their bike rides in the Netherlands than I did in Copenhagen. Especially in Utrecht, a large city with many tourists and students living there. I also noticed more kids biking alone, less people wearing helmets and more people making eye contact. We learned that eye contact on bikes is a large part of the culture here, which is great, but can be confusing from an outsider or tourist perspective. Many people on bikes would run red lights, not yield when they were supposed to, and go on roads that were just meant for pedestrians. However, people seemed to be more forgiving in the Netherlands when I made a mistake. Whereas in Copenhagen, I got yelled at a couple times when I accidentally didn’t yield.

One thing I prefer about cycling in the Netherlands is that you can bike anywhere. In Copenhagen, there is a designated bike lane. However in the Netherlands, any lane can be for bikes. Even if it seems like it’s meant for cars, the cars still have to yield to you as a cyclist. For lessons to bring back to the U.S., Copenhagen’s bike structure would be more applicable. It seems safer on paper and is more rule oriented, so I think it would be easier for communities and politicians to get behind. It also still allows a separate and designated space for cars, which people in the states care a lot about.

At first, I preferred cycling in Copenhagen because it was less chaotic. However, I remember when I first got there I couldn’t get over how quiet it was. Not just from a lack of cars, but because of people on bikes not talking either. Everyone seemed so serious and if I did talk to my friends on my bike, I felt out of place. I think in the long run I would prefer cycling in the Netherlands because it is more social and not so serious. It just takes longer to get used to, but after a few weeks I think I would be fine.

Photos- Biking in Odense, Denmark and a bike path above a school in Utrecht, Netherlands

Overall, I really love Utrecht. We’ve been here for 2 days and I’ve enjoyed exploring the city a lot. I’ve seen many cute cafes, the canals are pretty, and I love walking through all the urban green spaces. It’s also a city full of life and people of all different ages. I even really enjoyed walking through the mall, which seems so arbitrary and boring, but it had an awesome design, with a lot of open area and bright lighting. You could even see through into the canals from inside the mall. Additionally, outside the mall was a lot of underground bike parking. We learned that this was the biggest underground bike parking in the world. The bike parking garage emphasizes how important biking is to the culture here in the Netherlands.

Other things I’ve enjoyed about Utrecht include how safe I feel here and the old architecture. I was walking with two friends late last night and we felt fine. Even though it was dark and we were in a big city. I think part of this is because how trusting the culture is here, and also because it was crowded still. Many people were out and about, so we would get help easily if something happened. For buildings, I’ve seen a lot of old churches and cathedrals that are just next to the city center and main shopping districts. Biking here has also gotten less stressful as I get used to it more. The first day, it was intimidating because a lot of people don’t follow traffic laws. However, people seem to be nicer here if you make a bike mistake, which I’m thankful for.

I’ve also enjoyed exploring some fun vintage stores (one gave us free drinks while we shopped?) and seeing all the stores that have cats. I must have ran into five cats already that just live in stores or wander the streets. We also went to a bar on accident that had “keep Portland weird” on their menu, which was a fun surprise. It makes me think maybe the world isn’t so big after all. 
above is a cat from the cafe, the canal through the city and underground bike parking.

Nijmegen structured post below-

For a stakeholder group, I choose people that commute to work. This is an important community to educate on transportation because there are many different methods people use to get to work every day. Some use cars, some use buses, others bike or walk. My entire life until last year I would always take the bus or drive my car to school and work. In high school, I drove to work even though I had a bike. If the infrastructure in Salem, OR was more geared towards bikes, maybe I would have chosen that mode of transport instead. Once I moved to Eugene I started to bike to work almost every day. Sometimes I do fall into the driving trap, especially on days when it is raining a lot or I am running late. However, driving doesn’t even save me that much time because I still have to search for and pay for parking.

In order to communicate with people who commute to work about a new cyclist project, I would tell them all the benefits of cycling to work. The first benefit I would share is how good cycling is for your health. If you bike every day, it’s an easy way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Another benefit is that you can save money. Once you own a bike, you don’t have to pay for bike parking like you do for cars. Bikes are a lot cheaper than cars too. You also don’t have to pay for gasoline.

I would also share that biking being challenging is a misconception. So many people on this trip have already biked over 200 miles, even when most of us wouldn’t self-identify as cyclists. Biking a few miles a day to work and back is much easier than people expect. Especially in towns that are more flat, like Nijmegen or Eugene. And for people who are concerned about the amount of physical exercise, there are always e-bikes too. I noticed many older people on e-bikes in Nijmegen. While they are more expensive than a normal road bike, they still cost less than a car.

Biking to work can also save you time, be a social activity if you bike with a co-worker and is better for the environment. You’re not releasing emissions from your bike, but you would from a car. A new cyclist project would also limit safety concerns. If there was a new project for a bike only lanes or bike bridges, it would make biking to work safer and easier to understand.

I didn’t bike much in Odense because I was tired after the bike touring. I felt safe when I came into Odense on our first day together as a bike group. I also liked how it was easy to bike in the public squares and near the walking streets, because the cars were so far away from you. You had space to explore and didn’t feel like the cars would run into you. Compared to Copenhagen, I thought that biking was easier in Odense. This is because in Copenhagen there is less room to mess up. Many people are biking and in a rush. If you hesitate, it’s likely that someone will run into you. It was also a lot more crowded on the bike paths in Copenhagen than it was in Odense. I didn’t notice any biking campaigns or cycling playgrounds myself when exploring the city, but it sounds like they were common, due to the presentation we listened to on the first day in Odense.

For lessons to bring back to mid-sized U.S. cities, I would encourage them to use more pedestrian and cyclist only bridges. I really enjoyed the bridge near our hostel that we took to get to the food storage carts. It was safe and easy to use. I would also encourage more traffic lights that are just meant for cyclists. I see these on 13th in Eugene, but haven’t noticed them in any other places in the United States. I also would encourage more walking only streets. I really liked the area near the Hans Christian Andersen museum, as it was quiet and had a lot of places that were pedestrian and bike only. I think streets like this encourage a better sense of community, support the local economy, and help to limit pollution through less CO2 emissions. Lastly, I would suggest more bike paths through parks. I didn’t have time to explore the bike path in the park where we held our meeting with Robert and Catherine, but I really liked the idea of it. That park was also beautiful and a great place for families to recreate, as it was right near the water and easy to get to.
Below are two photos from streets in Odense I walked on.

My favorite part of bicycle touring was the lack of traffic, especially on the island. It was really nice to have my headphones in, follow the route and enjoy the sea view. I wasn’t concerned about cars, especially on the gravel paths that were further away from the main road. It was so peaceful and it felt a lot more relaxed than biking in Copenhagen. I also got to enjoy the nature around me a lot more, such as the wildflowers and wheat fields I saw. I really liked going down the hills, and feeling the sun and wind on me.

One thing that surprised me the most about bicycle touring was how nice the cars were. This was less true in Svenborg and on the way to Odense, but in Aerø islands, every car that passed me slowed down. The drivers also gave me plenty of space and many of them smiled at me. I think the signage was also easy to follow, which made the bike tour experience more enjoyable.

For lessons to take back to the states, I would encourage more paths that are pedestrian and bike only. The only longer bike ride I’ve done in Oregon is to the end of Fern Ridge Path and back. I really enjoyed that ride, especially with the wetlands near it. If there were more routes like this that I knew of near Eugene I would go on them a lot. I’ve biked up Fox Hollow before and that was really intimidating when cars passed me, because there’s so many corners, cars speeding and the bike lane isn’t wide enough. I would love to see more protected bike lanes on longer bike tour routes and more paths that are completely closed off to cars (such as the gravel ones on the island).

I didn’t end up going on the train to Odense, as I just biked the last part. But for me, the rail path from Korinth was so nice. Even though it was narrow, I didn’t feel unsafe. It was flat, quiet, didn’t have cars and was near a lot of nature. I think all of these aspects made it a safe route for tourists and for recreation. The rail path from Korinth or the island route was probably my favorite bike ride we’ve experienced on this whole trip. The past four days have also made me excited to do more bike touring when I get home, as the miles always intimidated me before. After doing 100 miles over the past four days, I feel a lot more confident as a distance biker.

Before going on a bike infrastructure hunt, we got to listen to a lecture from the director of Copenhagenize. Copenhagenize is a design company that works on bicycle design and planning. They have clients from cities all over the world and always use a human centered approach to design cities and make biking more accessible. We learned about the bike bridges, what percent of people bike to school and work and how people continue to bike in Copenhagen even in the winter months.

One aspect of bike infrastructure that I really liked is the circular bike parking in the neighborhoods. This makes it easier to fit more bikes into a smaller space. It’s also interesting because it looks more aesthetically pleasing from a design standpoint. Additionally, it’s an important part of biking in Copenhagen because there are so many bikes that they need places to go. Bike parking almost seems like more of an issue than car parking, as there are so many bikes everywhere and the sidewalks are so narrow. Not everyone is able to just leave their bike outside of a store front.

Another part of the bike infrastructure that’s helpful from an American viewpoint is filled in bike curbs. It sounds like something small, but it makes a really big difference. That way, as a biker, you don’t have to hop these large sidewalk curbs when getting onto the bike path. It’s safer and more convenient. I saw hundreds of different bikers using these during our infrastructure tour with Copenhagenize. The curbs are also easy to find because you see them all over the city.

Another good aspect of bike infrastructure is two way bike traffic. At first, it was intimidating having people fly right by you when biking, especially so close to you and going the opposite direction. But eventually I began to appreciate this because it is a fast and convenient way to move a lot of people through the city at once. This was especially helpful on the bike and pedestrian bridges. You can see a sign alerting people that bike traffic goes both ways in the photo below.

Lastly, another part of bike infrastructure I appreciated was all the pedestrian and bike bridges. We were told on our tour with Copenhagenize that thousands of people cross these bridges every day. Eugene has some of these, but I liked how in Copenhagen they are more common and also are a lot wider. You can see in the photo below that the bridge has two lanes for bike traffic, as well as a side for pedestrians. No cars are allowed on these bridges, and it’s also helpful because you know exactly where you need to be. It’s intuitive, even as a tourist from another country who doesn’t speak Danish. You don’t even need a sign to figure out where to go, just look at the markings on the bridge. I used bridges like this almost every day when biking around Copenhagen.

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Yesterday (6/26) I did more touristy things than I had the whole trip. It was still fun and good to experience a different side of Copenhagen. I went to the Rosenborg castle with Claressa where we saw a lot of cool art and old furniture. The castle was walking distance from the hostel and right near the Jazz Festival. It had 5 stories, including 2 in the basement. We saw renaissance style art of the kings and queens and their portraits as well. The castle was built in the 1600s and it was interesting to see how well many pieces of it were preserved. My favorite parts were the Crown Jewels and the weapons with rubies embedded in them. The weapons were swords and knives used in battle. Additionally, on display they also had a bloodied outfit from one of the Denmark v. Sweden battles where the king lost an eye.
After the castle, I went on a walk through the botanical gardens. It was so peaceful and nice to explore a large green space in the middle of the city. I walked by the pond, a fun bridge and saw many flowers. The pond was full of Lilly pads and looked so beautiful and refreshing. I sat near the plants and was able to relax for a bit. I hope to go back and check out the dock more, the gift shop and the butterfly garden. My favorite parts were the sculptures throughout the garden and the aster flowers I saw. The best statue was of Artemis, the Greek goddess, and her stag.