Sustainable Bike Transportation in Europe

This morning was very stormy, so we pushed back the bike tour and talked inside for a while. When the weather cleared, we headed out on our bikes and visited a developing western neighborhood. Ronald said himself that they could have done a better job connecting this area with public transit, and area is primarily housing, but the area is still developing and there’s so much opportunity!

That area is also the location of the concrete box enclosing the highway. Because some trucks carry explosive material like gasoline, they cannot build on top of the concrete, but can, and have, made a park! Standing in the park, you would never know you were standing on top of a five lane highway. The enclosure spans one mile and includes a bike path.

Our route brought us over a bridge and along a track that reminded me of the Cycle Snake in Copenhagen. When we reached the bottom and looked back, we could see that the path winds over and around a school! We saw families, road bikers, and people going about their day all smiling and enjoying the bridge. 

We continued on to the location of the traveling trash whale, which is actually located in a canal that used to be a highway. The area was filled with water, with one ramp remaining to accommodate trucks accessing a building in the area. The effect, to me, is a much more calm and beautiful area – surrounded by water rather than loud cars.

We learned about the history and space of a cathedral before concluding with a late lunch enjoyed on the side of a road. That “road” used to have traffic lights and designated areas for vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. All of these, with the exception of pedestrian crossings, have since been removed. The effect is that, when you arrive in this area where about five roads converge, you must slow down, look at what other people are doing, and negotiate space with different modes. How amazing that you can sometimes increase safety and awareness by removing the infrastructure we have been engrained to prioritize.

After a rest at the hostel, I headed out to a wine bar recommended by Victor the previous night. Funnily enough, when we sat down, our same server from the night before appeared to help us! She helped us decide on a bottle of wine to share, and put together a cheese plate that complemented the flavors. 

We picked up some takeaway food and ate it watching the end of the outdoor concert before heading home for the night. 

This morning, Kelsey and I rushed out to observe kids arriving for their last day of school. The school was in a very quiet area across from a church. While we arrived a bit late, we still caught a few parents arriving with their kids – kids in a cargo bike, kids sitting on the back of a bike, a parent with one kid on their bike and another on her own bike with training wheels. There was very limited bike parking behind the school, leading us to believe that there are pretty young kids attending the school. Lots of parents were chatting with one another and seemed to be heading to work, the gym, or maybe back home with a young child.

We had time to swing by a Waldorf school and chat with a couple moms after dropping their kids off. They told us that the bikes (many of which had colorful, personalized panniers!) around the perimeter of the square belong to kids, and the cargo bikes in the middle are the parents dropping their kids off. While the square looked plenty full to us, the women told us how empty it was because of the summer holiday! They also told us that the square is available to use in the evening, and primarily occupied by university students having parties. How cool to share the space and use one area for multiple groups and uses!

We headed to Ronald’s office, passing a super cool whale sculpture made out of trash. Nick told me that it is an installation that’s traveling around the world.

Ronald’s presentation was very informative, teaching us about the history of biking in Utrecht (which more or less parallels what we’ve learned in other cities). The data they have indicates that the number of people who bike drops off significantly with more than 7.5km traveled. Therefore, we have to increase density to maintain a high volume of bike travel. He also showed an interesting graph indicating that, contrary to lots of public belief, pedestrian and cyclist deaths are highest with high gasoline consumption.

Ronald also compared a bike to a hammer, a simple tool for the job of getting from one place to another. This seemed to continue the idea that biking does not have to be your identity, but rather just a means of getting where you want to go.

In addition to the “hardware” of bike infrastructure (and “if you build it, they will come”) mentality, Ronald also advocates for investing in “software” such as traffic education from and early age, and frequent bike use.

Ronald, as well as other professionals we’ve met with, seem to be consistent in the mindset that we can influence behavior through design. We must learn why people are acting a certain way, and use design solutions to achieve the behavior we want. 

After visiting the impressive bike parking garages and having lunch, I bopped into a couple shops before venturing out on a mission to following the inside and outside streets of the perimeter canal. In addition to enjoying a lovely ride, getting a sense for biking, and experience different forms of bike infrastructure (smooth cycle tracks outside the old city!), I stumbled across a very cute restaurant called Petit Heron.

A few of us ended up there for dinner and enjoyed a lovely and creative meal. The highlight, though, was leaving the restaurant and meeting the owner. He gave us directions to the brewery and a few other recommendations for places to visit in town. He bikes everywhere because it’s the easiest way to get around, but owns a car in order to pick up ingredients from a “food forest” about a half an hour away. He even seemed a bit ashamed to have a car at all! Coincidentally, he had a Provisions cookbook and has visited Portland and spent time in Oregon. He was so kind and interested in talking with us, and gave some crucial advice when it comes to riding Dutch – have the person riding the bike get going, then the other person hop on once their cruising. 

Chip and I had an eventful ride to the brewery but made it in one piece and felt very accomplished. I had a great time at the brewery and then took a long walk home (so Chip could bike alone in peace). While I love riding through cities late at night, it was cool to be on foot moving slowly, and see group whiz by traveling to their next destination.

With an early wake up today, we walked to the train station to travel to the Copenhagen airport and catch a plane to Amsterdam. I even noticed a bike parked on the tarmac – perhaps a new inter-gate travel system is in order? Someone mentioned that this trip has been the longest time they have ever spent not riding in a car. That got me thinking about my own experience and while a very different environment, I think I went up to a month without getting in a car while living in Alta my first year. The only transport I utilized at that time were chair lifts!

Arriving in Amsterdam, we hopped on the train to Utrecht, and walked to our hotel. The free flowing bike travel is apparent immediately, and initially felt like having to look so many different directions! 

After some time to grab lunch, pick up our bikes, and get settled, we had a brief meeting with Ronald, who works in transportation planning for the city of Utrecht. Ronald briefly mentioned that the free flowing system and use of public space for biking here is more conducive to high volumes of cyclists than the more rigid model in Copenhagen. Some of us elected to “follow” Ronald to get in the swing of biking here. I quickly learned that you yield to the person to your right and should also be decisive with your movements. I also learned that few people signal and that some stop lights are slightly optional.

When Ronald left us I split up from the group, electing to meander back and pop into shops along the way. I found a nice poke spot for a solo dinner before making it back to the hostel *almost* without a map.

While the cities we’ve visited are all unique, it’s hard not to compare. With that in mind, while I loved the utopia that Copenhagen feels like, I am very excited to learn about bicycle infrastructure in a more diverse community.

 This morning we headed to the Malmö municipal offices to meet with Jesper Nordlund, the bicycle planner for the city. I learned so much but a few things jumped out at me:

• Perhaps obviously, car ownership boomed as the economy strengthed after the war. The Danish economy was not boosted as much as Malmö’s, though, so with fewer cars there was less drive (hah) to tear down bike lanes to make room for cars.
• Malmö’s bike infrastructure is primarily comprised of bidirectional lanes, which they feel is more efficient in a smaller city. 
• They have implemented a summer pedestrian street as a pilot project to gauge people’s reactions. Removing parking spaces (which they learned were almost entirely used by shop owners) increased traffic to the stores so much that other areas have requested a similar change.
• There are programs to bike around the elderly so they can feel the wind in their hair! There are classes to teach immigrants how to bike!

Biking around with Jesper, I got a better sense of the flow of the city. We checked out their extensive bike parking for the central station, saw some water drainage solutions, and even stumbled upon the adorable traffic safari.

I should note that I asked Jesper about the Swedish candy eating ritual and while he was familiar with the idea, he told me that only children participate.

That evening, we celebrated Marc’s 50th birthday with a progressive dinner/block party. Each room provided food or drinks and we made our way around eating, drinking, and hanging out. We all had a blast and were very happy to celebrate Marc!

Today was our last long ride, taking our time traveling from Ven (via Landskrona) to Malmö.  Along the way, we experienced various levels of bike infrastructure, from dedicated bi-directional bike paths to no discernible lane whatsoever. When we were negotiating space with cars, I still felt safe and comfortable.

We noticed significant traffic on a highway in only one direction, and met a woman who is a lawyer and also raises beef cattle. She works on land use issues and is familiar with city and transportation planning. 

On her recommendation, we took a small detour to visit a nice harbor and grab some ice cream. Rolling into town, our bike path took is through a green space located under a number of highway overpasses! It was very cool to see the space utilized for both biking and greenery. 

We arrived at the OhBoy Hotell, which is actually primarily occupied by apartment residents. There are a limited number of hotel rooms on the first floor which is an interesting implementation of mixed-use housing! As I learned from the Copenhangenize blog post, the space was truly designed with people and their bikes in mind – widening doorways and corners for turns, providing cargo bikes for children, and much more. First floor apartments are probably less desirable due to the noise and security, and instead of putting in shops, etc., they added hotel rooms. This also seems like a cool way to incorporate visitors into more residential areas, in contrast to mega hotels or hostels.

 

After depositing luggage in our great space, we headed straight to a public swimming area complete with three piers of varying heights to jump off of and enjoy the waves! While the waves were rough, it got me thinking about how easy access to public swimming areas gives people more opportunities to learn to swim. Similarly, there was a time that the city discouraged people from swimming in this area. When people didn’t listen, the city built piers and removed boulders to allow for safe swimming – the city was able to get the behavior they wanted through design solutions.

After a tasty pizza dinner in the park (thank you!), a few of us went on a brief walking tour to learn more about the Wester Harbor. Prior to developing the area, the city started running the bus through the neighborhood so that as it developed, people would form habits around riding the bus. How incredible to implement transit you know won’t initially be highly utilized to encourage people to hop on the bus! The buses run on used oil from restaurants and are also important to connect more neighborhoods to the seafront. 

The buildings in the neighborhood have a number of sustainable qualities including geothermal energy systems and green roofs. Buildings right on the waterfront are taller to block other buildings from getting too much wind, but are also angled such that buildings set back from the water also get sufficient airflow.

 

Trash cans are on a tubing system so on trash day a truck can hook up to a central line and suck out all the trash!

 

It was very cool to see an area developed with so many details in mind. I think we sometimes feel limited or constrained by our current systems, so it was amazing to see the way this neighborhood was developed from the ground up.

After the tour, I got candy.

Today we crossed over from Denmark to Sweden by bike and by ferry – how cool! We first travelled from Helsingør to Helsingborg on ferry. We briefly explored Helsingborg, which feels industrial in contrast to Helsingør’s beachy, summer house vibe. While walking around Helsingborg, I noticed a man counting his steps in a parking lot, seemingly measuring the space. When I asked him about it, he said they’re preparing for an event in the next few days, a food market. Sounds like a big improvement from the current parking lot if you ask me!

We biked south, following a well-marked bike route and bike path, but did encounter more aggressive or frustrated drivers than I noticed the past couple days biking in Denmark. The ride was scenic and short, a nice “active recovery” from the long day yesterday. 

After a delicious salad from a convenience store (how novel!), we hopped on another ferry to the island of Ven. 20 minutes later we rolled off the ferry and onto a gravel road to travel to our accommodation for the night. We passed quaint houses and alpacas on the way, received our cabin assignments, and settled in. A few of us headed into “town” to pick up some groceries for dinner. I have not noticed much bicycle infrastructure on the island, but there seem to be many people on bikes who have the largest presence on the road. While we enjoyed the scenic ride, grocery options were limited and the shop was very crowded!

We scraped together a nice meal and enjoyed it with most of the group, eating amongst the Swedish families at the other picnic tables.

Today, while many people took a much needed rest day, a few of us ventured out to the Hillerød Castle, about a 43 mile ride round trip. We had a great group of positive people, who maintained the good energy until the very end!

Along the way, we experienced many different forms of bike infrastructure from a painted line to a full cycle track, in between was a traffic calming bump out that reduced the road to one lane with a cycle track on either side for about two car lengths. This feature meant that if two cars traveling in opposite directions reached the area at the same time, they would have to negotiate the space, one car waiting for the other. 

While the infrastructure wasn’t consistent in nature, it was present enough to facilitate our safe and efficient travel once again. The effect of this infrastructure on me, is the message that bikes are welcome here, they are accounted for, and that their safety is a priority.

After a tasty lunch together at the castle, we split up, and I took a ride around the lake to explore the grounds and took a brief sun nap before meeting up with the group for the ride home. 

Some all star members of the group went grocery shopping and put together appetizers and dinner for the whole group, so we had a blast hanging near the beach with a fire for the evening!

 Riding to Norhavn on our way out of town, we met with some residents who told us about their experience living in the area. They used to live in old town Copenhagen, but jumped on the opportunity to buy an apartment in Nordhavn, signing the papers over a year before moving into their apartment. Apparently the apartments have skyrocketed in price as more buildings, shops, and restaurants have opened in the area.

Most interesting to me, there is a parking garage with a playground on the top. Dylan made the good point that it is notable they chose to give prime real estate to a parking garage rather than additional housing. The playground is a great resource for kids, but we also learned that there are weekly CrossFit-type classes that are free and open to anyone in Copenhagen. Instructors are local to the area, and the municipality paid for their certification and only asks that they volunteer to teach 6 classes a year. Not only is the weekly class a great way to build community but also a great opportunity for people to get certified in CrossFit instruction.

We also asked about their opinion on the cruise port for Copenhagen. While both men were appreciative for the money brought in, one was very concerned about both the pollution from the gas and waste dumped in the ocean nearby – he would be happy to lose revenue from the cruises if it meant eliminating these factors.

Rolling out of Nordhavn we headed north, enjoying scenes along the water and views before arriving at Bakken, the oldest amusement park in the world. I was happy to take a walk around the perimeter of the park, but soon got back on my bike to continue along. In between cruising along and marveling at the bicycle infrastructure along the way (a protected cycle track or bike path nearly the entire way), we climbed to the top of Frederik VII’s grotto, and took a pit stop at a scenic harbor.

Road bikers, tourers like ourselves, and people taking a quick trip all utilized the bike infrastructure. While some areas were more scenic than others, our path allowed us safe and efficient travel. Can you imagine such infrastructure on the Oregon coast?

Before long we reached the Louisiana Museum. The grounds are spectacular, and there was a powerful exhibit called “Homeless Souls,” which payed particular attention to refugees who have to flee their homes.

Arriving in Helsingør, we got settled at the hostel and enjoyed a great meal at a local food truck hall.

After a nice long sleep, we got together as a group this morning to reflect on the week. Kelsey and I covered the following topics:

• Something we were surprised by or interested in 

Kelsey talked with a playground staff member whose primary mode of transportation is his car. He has three children he transports, and with the emergence of scooters and e-bikes, does not feel safe traveling by bike with his kids.

Following my near dooring experience, I was surprised by how comfortable I’ve gotten biking here, and how quickly I’ve lost sight of obstacles or dangers that are common in the states. It also made me realize that not only does Copenhagen still have progress to be made, but also that if the infrastructure isn’t there you can’t really change behavior. 

• Something we want to take back with us 

Kelsey has been inspired by the radical implementation and intention Copenhagen has demonstrated with its attention to bike infrastructure.

I really, really want to get some footrests set up at stoplights in Eugene. 

I took a long (compared to my other trips this week) ride to the BIG office, and while the route wasn’t scenic, it was direct, efficient, and safe. After signing our NDA’s, Jennifer taught us about the history of BIG and their current projects. While the firm is doing many cool projects, I was most struck by their dedication to incorporating public space in all of their buildings. Not only can residents utilize the space and build community, but the spaces may serve as an oasis for all people. 

BIG has also been contracted by HUD to do a project in lower Manhattan to protect against future flooding. While a simple wall would do the trick, BIG views the project as an opportunity to create public space that also blocks water in the event of flooding. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon traveling through time in the Formmaking exhibit at the Danish Architecture Center. It was interesting to learn about BIG’s 10 “gifts” and see the buildings that represent those tenants.

For dinner I, along with what seemed like the rest of Copenhagen, went up to Reffen. I grabbed some tacos and walked along the water before heading back to the hostel.

Sitting in the lobby at the hostel, a man started talking to us in Danish. He was just commenting that he’d paid a lot for the ice bar and thought it was annoying that after that he had to come up here for the restroom. When he left the restroom, though, he said “Bye, enjoy the tax level in the US.” I joked back with “And you enjoy your healthcare and pension!” We explained that Californian’s are taxed more than the 8% he thought, but that the taxes are divided up so that it’s difficult to get a sense of what percentage of someone’s overall income is truly being taxed. He was surprised that we were open to being taxed as much as 50% for the social services he has access to. When we mentioned the cost of healthcare, he expressed that he thinks it’s people’s individual responsibility to take care of themselves. Not wanting the conversation to devolve into an argument, we let it slide and parted ways. It truly never occurred to me that any Danish people are dissatisfied with their current system, especially after hearing from Em that most people are grateful and know they have a good thing going.

This morning we visited the Traffic Playground, one of 26 (soon to be 27) staffed playgrounds in Copenhagen. Staffed playgrounds were first established in 1939 and are unique to the city of Copenhagen; they are not found elsewhere in Denmark. The purpose of the staff is primarily to monitor children and deter adult predators, but they also put on educational programs. Staffed playgrounds seek to foster play, movement, communication, curiosity, and education. Each playground has a different theme and respective opportunities to learn – how to navigate roadways at the traffic playground, how to care for animals, how to compost, etc. 

Children over the age of 6 may come to the playground by themselves, which also allows for an incredible opportunity to develop independence and be empowered to travel and visit places by yourself!

The staffed playgrounds create a safe space in the community. Playgrounds in socially disadvantaged areas may be perceived as unsafe (even if that is not actually the case). Playgrounds are especially important to create activities, act as a public meeting spot, and provide adult role models. Playgrounds even hire 13-17 year olds to help; they earn a salary and get experience working their first job.

Breaking off into groups, Rachel and I grabbed an early lunch at Souls to create a game plan and then set off to visit different playgrounds. Our first stop was the BaNanna Park/Playground (after almost getting doored along the way).

You enter the BaNanna park by walking through an enormous arch, which actually serves as a climbing wall. We saw adults lead-climbing and top-roping – a truly adult playground! The park also includes swings and more traditional play structures. Much of the space is taken up by a manicured grassy area with a large yellow, banana -shaped mound. 

I chatted with Julie, who was there walking her dog, Euron (which means bear in Danish). Julie lives next door to the park in an apartment, and finds this spot convenient for walking her dog. For her, the banana is a nice spot to sit and watch the climbers. She told me that the park is shared with a nearby school. Julie is from an island but has lived in Copenhagen for the last 15 years and loves to bike everywhere! 

Our next stop was the Bermuda Triangle Playground which was housed within a larger park. The playground features a wading area, play structures, and garden plots. We observed parents engaging with their children, what appeared to be nanny’s caring for kids, and a pre-school or camp group identifiable by their neon yellow vests. This playground appeared to be highly utilized by the community I’m not sure if that’s because of the demographic of the area, the warm weather with the water feature, or another factor. 

From there we headed to ByOsen, and immediately noticed the beehives and garden plots for local schools. We commented that ByOsen is not gated as both the Traffic Playground and BaNanna park were. ByOsen also features green space, animals, and a play structure/zip line. Due to this, both children and adults were enjoying the park.

We spoke with a man who was sitting with his elderly mother, watching the animals and enjoying the park. He explained that the building bordering the park is a home for the elderly and that he comes to visit his mother and they spend time in the park. He also mentioned that school groups come to the park to garden or visit with the animals. I was struck by the mixing of communities and ages in the park, and the presence of an urban old folks home. In my experience in the states, many similar communities are in isolated, suburban areas, and require a shuttle to travel. I think it also demonstrates a different attitude concerning the elderly; instead of being relegated to the suburbs and isolated from other communities, people who live in this spot have access to green space and the liveliness of children. 

We took a long ride to the Sundbyoster playground, which I was drawn to because it was identified as a handicapped-accessible playground. The provided map highlighted this feature in a way that made me think that it is an unusual characteristic for a park. While the park indeed had ramps so that wheelchair riders could experience the features, the engagement opportunities were limited. 

Our last stop was Remiseparken. We passed a few blocks of single-family homes on our way there, and found the park nestled between apartments. Unfortunately, much of the playground is under construction, but we were still able to see the animals, greenhouse, and map of what the park looked like previously (including a composting area!). We again observed parents engaged with their children learning about animals and feeding them. While we can’t be sure of this, the apartments in this area appeared to be occupied by families of a lower socioeconomic status than other areas we’ve spent time in. 

Visiting the traffic playground first, I think I subconsciously created expectations for the playgrounds that would follow. Each one we visited catered to a slightly different age group and community, but all of them seem to be a highly utilized space in their community.

In the evening I enjoyed Lena’s beautiful rooftop and took opportunities to chat with her husband, Nick, Rob, and others.  We grabbed dinner at Baest, followed by a beer at Brus, and finished the night with a stop at the candy store, naturally