Pling. All of sudden this little bicycle-friendly detail showed up on the urban landscape in Copenhagen one day. I’m quite sure that very few people have noticed it, except for the people who roll up next to it. Which is the point, really.I’m talking about the railings that the man is holding onto and resting his foot on. It’s located on a little traffic island on which cyclists who are heading straight on wait. The City of Copenhagen has implemented this double railing simply as a convenience for the cyclists who stop here. A high railing to grasp with your hand and a foot railing for putting your foot up, if that’s what you fancy doing. Either way you can also use the railing to push off when the light changes.
The foot rest reads: "Hi, cyclist! Rest your foot here... and thank you for cycling in the city."
Another example of the city using the 'Hi, cyclist!' behavourial campaign/communications template that I developed for them.
This may not be a direct example of a 'Desire Line', but it certainly is a fine example of the City understanding human behaviour and basic anthropology.Because people are always going to lean:
And people will always put a foot up if they can:
Bicycle Culture Buddhas
Actually, if you cycle about in Copenhagen take a look at the light posts next to where cyclists wait for lights to change, you'll see a tiny anthropological detail. I called it Bicycle Culture Buddhas. The metal is rubbed smooth on precisely one side of the post from all the cyclists' hands that lean up against it. Just like the tummies of so many Buddhas.
Human traces. Urban spaces.
