As I have explored Copenhagen from the seat of my rented bicycle over the last week (137 miles total, according to my Garmin!), I’ve been wondering about a few things. Here are those things, in no particular order:

1. How does the bike-friendliness of the rest of Denmark compare to Copenhagen? Most of my riding so far has been in the city, but I also completed a trip to the Louisiana Museum in Humlebæk (about 23 miles north of Copenhagen) and a trip to Farum along a cycle superhighway (about 15 miles northwest of Copenhagen). Both of those rides felt just as safe as riding around the city, but I am not sure if that is because they are major routes. Do other Danish cities have bike infrastructure on almost every street like Copenhagen does?

2. Is there a chance that Copenhagen would ever revert to increased car usage? And what would cause that?

3. Why do I not see more e-scooters? The only e-scooter I have seen so far was halfway along the route to Farum. It was abandoned on the side of the bike lane. Eugene recently introduced e-scooters and they seem to be wildly popular. I wonder if it has anything to do with the percentage of people who already own bikes in a city. Maybe so many people in Copenhagen already own bikes that the idea of renting an e-scooter is not as attractive as it is in Eugene. Even in Eugene, I find myself wondering what criteria a person uses to decide between a bike and an e-scooter. I, personally, would usually choose a bike because I like the idea of getting exercise while I get where I need to be…but sometimes that can make you sweaty and limit wardrobe choices. E-scooters seem like a useful option because a rider does not have to get sweaty, or worry about getting long, flowing skirts hopelessly tangled in, and chewed up by, greasy bicycle gears.

A sad, abandoned scooter wallows forlornly on the side of the cycle superhighway to Farum.

4. How popular are e-bikes? I feel like I’ve seen fewer here than in Eugene, which is surprising to me.

5. What are the dynamics between commuters and hardcore cyclists (the speedy ones)? I have heard several of the professionals we’ve met with mention that there is some frustration and worry from commuters about people going too fast on their bikes. At first I thought this was a silly concern – isn’t the point of riding a bike to get somewhere faster than you would by walking? And up to a certain point, that’s probably true. But now that I have a little more experience biking here, I can see that going fast on a bike in the city can be dangerous. You have much less time to react to surprises and are more likely to make unwise decisions if you are in a hurry…I wonder if there is technically a speed limit for city bike lanes? I haven’t seen any posted.

6. What strategies have planners in Copenhagen used to overcome resistance to increasing the amount of bicycle infrastructure? We have already learned about some techniques from the professionals we have met with. For example, the representative from Gehl Architects said that we should start by installing bike infrastructure on our biggest roads first because those are roads that are most visible and give the most people the most options to get where they need to go.

7. Is there any shame associated with choosing to drive instead of bike here?

8. What is the criteria for walking vs. biking vs. driving?

9. How many bikes on average does the average household own?

10. Is there any research documenting the long-term effects of good bike infrastructure on kids? I know it helps to make them more independent at an earlier age, but what does that look like when they get older? I’m curious about how I would be different if I had grown up in an environment like this.

11. One of the professionals mentioned that cycle superhighways are allowing people to move further away from the city because the high-speed routes enable them to commute longer distances more efficiently. She said it as if it were a good thing, and in many ways it probably is – people living further away now have the option to bike to work in the city instead of contributing to car traffic and pollution by driving. But is there a chance that having these convenient cycle routes in and out of the city will decrease density in the city/lead to sprawl over time?