World’s Best City for Cyclists Contends with Bicycle Parking Woes

Copenhagen has been voted the world’s best city for cyclists, with approximately 400 km of cycle paths and about 40 percent of the capital’s population commuting to work by bike. Through the public bike share program, Bycyklen, bikes are available all over the city. The city bikes are intelligent electric bikes that are available 24 hours each day, every day of the year. Each bike has a touchscreen tablet which can be used for navigation, payment and guidance to points of interest in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg.

One downside, however, is the lack of bike parking space. While 95% of cyclists in the city are happy with conditions for cyclists overall, only 29% are satisfied with bicycle parking facilities. One of Copenhagen’s problems is that it has been growing rapidly. About 12,000 people are moving to the city each year, while only 7,000 new cycle parking spaces have been created over the last eight years.

Cities designed for cars are also characterized by large distances and many obstacles which hamper movement both on foot and by bicycle. In some of the world’s cities, distances are so large that a well-developed cycle path network is insufficient to ensure efficient mobility. In such cases, this network has to be integrated with eco-friendly, bicycle-friendly public transport. A number of cities in Holland have built underground “bike parks” for literally thousands of bicycles. Sections of existing car parks can often be retrofitted as cycle parking, offering advantages of location, cover, security, and parking for more people.