Millions to be invested in cycling

The city has pledged to invest DKK 75 million on making the lives of Copenhagen’s cyclists easier in the next three years.

Plans include a bicycle route running through the Christianshavn district, hundreds more parking spaces by train and metro stations and more bike lanes on busy streets.

Some DKK 20 million of the investments will go to a ‘green’ bicycle route in extension to the future footbridge from Christianshavn to the Opera House in the Holmen neighbourhood.

A smaller portion of the budget will be used for providing 24-hour bicycle pumps costing DKK 200,000 to implement. Another DKK 1 million will go towards an internet guide that can send pollution warnings to cyclists' mobile phones.

Klaus Bondam, the deputy mayor for environmental issues and public works, was enthusiastic about the new plans, saying that they were part of the larger goal of having half of the city’s residents cycle to work by 2015.

With the latest initiative, the city has spent DKK 185 million on improving conditions for cyclists since the 2005 city election.

Erik Hjulman, the chairperson of the Danish Bicycle Association and an advisor to the city on the most recent projects, said: ‘Working on this bicycle project is like being an eight-year-old let loose in a sweet shop.’

Source: The Copenhagen Post