Copenhagen: A city on two wheels

A typical rush hour in Copenhagen, Denmark does not consist of a vehicle gridlock.

"We don’t go to school to learn to ride a bike, it's part of your family, part of growing up, we start learning from a young age almost the same time we are learning how to walk!” she says laughing

Denmark has a total area of 43,000 km2 and a population of 5.8 million people. Of these, there are 4.6 million bicycles, meaning nearly everyone owns a bicycle.

The sights and sounds of Copenhagen consist of people on bicycles in literally every part of the city.

The young and the old, some carrying luggage, others with special carriers for children and even adults, are common across the city. 

Vibeke has always bought the same kind of bicycle since she got her first one from her grandmother when she was 12 years old. I have had about 25 bikes so far and I always buy the same model..” She adds

It is convenient to ride bicycles as the main source of transport in Copenhagen because there are designated bicycle paths all across the city, parking slots in almost every corner, and facilities to hire bicycles if one wishes to do so.

Even more, trains have a special area for parking bicycles.

You need to take the train with your bicycle? No problem, ride the cycle to the train station, wheel it into the train and park it at the designated cabin in the train. Once you reach your destination, you wheel out the cycle and get on your way.

They have even built spaces on the stairs going into the metro stations for the bicycles, to make it easy for users to slide their cycles down the stairs into the metro station.

We do not own a car, says Lise, we actually lease vehicles when we are going on holiday, otherwise there is no need to have cars, “ She adds 

Vibeke says she sold her car a long time ago and bought her bicycle. Since then, she has just been replacing them when they get old. “We find it very convenient to move around," even in the winter, she says. We just dress warmly and get on our bikes ready for the day”

A litre of petrol in Denmark costs about 250 Kenya shillings, a cost that most residents don’t have to worry about. Nor do they incur parking costs, which can be very high. “I used to drive between petrol stations to fill it up, and it did cost, that expense is not there any longer”, says Vibeke

“The increasing cost of fuel is another motivating factor for using the bikes, it’s good for my bank account!”explains Lise

Denmark is a country that is also putting a lot of efforts into reducing carbon emissions as well as find solutions to challenges caused by the climate crisis. By encouraging residents to use bicycles, they are helping reduce carbon emissions as well as reducing each person’s carbon footprint. 

As for the ladies, riding a bicycle does not mean you still don’t look good. We wear dresses and high heels and look pretty smart on our bikes, says Vibeke… “I ride my bicycle with a dress sometimes, I don’t care! adds Lise

The bikes last a long time, residents take care of them well as bikes are not cheap in Denmark despite being so widely used; and they also has sentimental value.

For Vibeke she cherished the one her grandma gave her when was 12 years old” Since then I only buy that same model my grandma gave me, she says smiling “We are very keen on reusing them, so that when we grow up we pass the cycle on to someone else in the family, adds Lise