Bicycling in Denmark

Cycling in Denmark is both a common and popular recreational and utilitarian activity. Bicycling infrastructure is a dominant feature of both city and countryside infrastructure with segregated dedicated bicycle paths and lanes in many places and the network of 11 Danish National Cycle Routes (along with many regional routes) extends more than 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi) nationwide. Often bicycling and bicycle-culture in Denmark is compared to the Netherlands as a bicycle-nation.

There are an estimated 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) of segregated dedicated bicycle paths and lanes in Denmark and the four biggest cities alone account for more than 1,350 kilometres (840 mi) with 609 kilometres (378 mi) in Aalborg, 510 kilometres (320 mi) in Odense, 450 kilometres (280 mi) in Aarhus and 412 kilometres (256 mi) in Copenhagen.

Cycle paths are often raised above the shoulder of the road and separated by a curb, but on older roads it is more common to have a cycle lane separated by a thick white line and sometimes the lane may be marked by coloured asphalt. Massive infrastructure investments are taking place to create more cycle ways and thus increase safety. At intersections, the continuation of the cycle way or lane is often highlighted by a broad blue band to increase its visibility and cyclists may find that they have their own set of traffic lights. In general both paths and lanes are designed for the more slow pace of utility cycling as opposed to more speedy designs in other countries. The Danish Roads Directorate acknowledges that the Danish cycle track system "functions best when cyclists travel at relatively low speeds".

In Copenhagen a system of interconnected green cycle routes, "greenways", is under development, with the aim of facilitating fast, safe and pleasant cycle transport across the city. The network will cover more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) and consist of 22 routes. As of 2011, there were 40 kilometres (25 mi) of greenways in Copenhagen.

...
Wikipedia