Cycle Superhighways

Copenhagen has an impressive network of bike-friendly streets that allow people on bikes (I learned that Danes like to refer to bike riders as “people on bikes” instead of as “cyclists” because it makes bicycle transport feel more accessible for a wider range of people) to get pretty much anywhere within the city. Another one of our “assignments” was to test the limits of that network — how far out does the network go and how does it connect to other nearby cities?

A few days into our stay in Copenhagen, we met with one of the planners working on the city’s “Cycle Superhighway” project. She explained that the city is working to create high quality, continuous bike routes that radiate from its center and connect to outlying areas. The hope is that these routes will allow and encourage more people who work in the city but live elsewhere (or the other way around) to choose to commute by bike instead of by car. So far the city has completed only a few of the proposed routes. It is continuing progress on the remaining planned routes.

My Route

The way we, as students, tested the network was to pick one of the cycle superhighways and pedal all the way to the end, noting infrastructure details and our changing surroundings along the way. I was particularly excited for this task because I always enjoy trips where I get to watch the scenery slowly morph as the miles slide by. I knew that starting near the city center and then biking away from it would result in some interesting shifts in the types and size of buildings and the number of people, cars, and bikes.

I chose Cycle Superhighway 95, which extends for about 15 miles northwest of Copenhagen and ends in Farum. The map below shows the route that I took there and back (29.4 miles round trip).

Changing Scenery

Leaving from our hostel, I saw plenty of cars, people walking and biking, traffic signals, and large, five-story buildings lining the streets.

The further I went, the fewer pedestrians and people on bikes I saw…

And the buildings started to change – instead of creating solid, continuous edges along the street, they were further set back and more spread out, creating a more open feel. Cars moved faster here than in the city center, but I still felt safe on my elevated bike lane.

Eventually I even saw standalone buildings…

Including a what appeared to be a single family home! All of the homes that I had seen so far in Copenhagen were units in five-story, multi-family buildings, so this find was quite a change from what I was used to.

After a few more miles, there were no more buildings to be seen – I was surrounded by beautiful countryside. Open meadows and wildflowers. Forests. Fungi and slugs. With the highway always to my left and the pedestrian lane always to my right.

Thoughtful Touches

I was impressed by the quality of the bike lanes and the thoughtfulness of the amenities provided at various intervals along it. The asphalt was smooth the majority of the way (I actually do not remember encountering ANY bumps, which surprised me). I saw bike service stations with air pumps (a few even had retractable tethered bike wrenches) at regular intervals along the route, usually where it intersected with other roads or bike lanes. The service stations made me feel a little bit more comfortable as I rode (what felt like) farther and farther away from civilization. Except for the fact that I did not have a spare tube with me…alas. Maybe they will install bike wheel tube vending machines along the route in the near future. 🙂

I also appreciated that the route took me through several tunnels. It was nice to not have to worry about crossing a street or wait for a traffic light to turn. Many of the tunnels had interesting colored lights inside, but most of them were not very bright. There were a few tunnels I went through that were actually very dark. I doubt that the planners intended for them to be that way, but maybe the city is struggling to keep up with maintenance. Or maybe the lights just do not turn on during daylight hours…but even still, the tunnels were long enough that lights inside during the day would be helpful, especially because people on bikes share the tunnels with people on foot.

In a few places, there was no tunnel and I had to cross a road. I noticed that the further I got from the city, the more often I saw “beg buttons,” or those little buttons that people on foot and on bike sometimes have to press for permission to cross the street. In the city center, I did not see any of these buttons – the bike and pedestrian lights seem to cycle through on timer just like the car lights. Out here, however, probably because there was not as steady a stream of pedestrians and people on bikes, the beg button was the norm. I waited obediently (for what felt like a very long time) to cross the street and continue my journey.

One of the perks of being so close to the busy car road was that signage for the road was often visible from the bike trail (even when the bike trail separated slightly from it). This feature made it easy to track my progress along the route. I also saw several signs along the way telling me that I was still on the right track to get to Farum and how much further I needed to go to get there.

Lighting along the trail took different forms. In some places, mini street lamp-style lights lined the route at a consistent interval. In others, lights were embedded into the asphalt, probably as a way to show people on bikes where the edge of the lane, or the centerline on two-way sections, is in the dark.

I noticed that there were several recreation areas directly linked off of the road and cycle superhighway. I like the idea that people living in the city, even those without cars, have the option to access the outdoors simply by hopping on their bikes.

Others I Encountered Along the Way

The further away from Copenhagen I got, the more cyclists I saw. And when I say “cyclists” I mean the people on speedy bikes, wearing speedy clothing, and traveling relentlessly at high velocities. Gone were the commuters of the city center — I felt a little out of place on my rented commuter bike. I did encounter a few other oddballs though. I specifically remember being passed by a guy on what appeared to be some kind of motorized unicycle.

Farum

After approximately two hours of pedaling (and stops for picture taking), I entered Farum. It had a very different feel from Copenhagen, but the bike infrastructure, at least along the main road where I was riding, felt consistent and safe. Compared to Copenhagen, Farum seemed much more car-centered. I saw several stores and apartment complexes with medium-sized parking lots in front of them.

After passing through the town, I reached the end of Cycle Superhighway 95, indicated by the seemingly never-ending elevated bike lane merging and disappearing into the car lane that continued in the same direction. At that point, I turned around, had a snack, and pedaled back to the hostel.

Final Cycle Superhighway Thoughts

I very much enjoyed my adventure along Cycle Superhighway 95. The scenery was pretty, the pavement was smooth, and the route was convenient. From the point of view of someone looking for a recreational experience, the superhighway is a great option. I was a little surprised at how long it took me to reach the end though. Anyone trying to commute regularly to downtown Copenhagen from the furthest reaches of Farum would definitely be making a significant daily time and energy commitment. I recognize that most of the route’s users probably do not live as far away as the end of the highway, but for those that do, they would probably appreciate doing the commute on an e-bike (or even a motorized unicycle) to get to their destinations faster and with less effort.