If you live in Denmark it's not unusual to have heard stories of pregnant women riding their bicycle to the hospital with contractions. We've all heard the stories. Today, however, Copenahgenize is thrilled to provide some photographic documentation. Our friend Ole of "I read Copenhagenize and sold the family car" fame hooked us up with two friends of his, John and Lina. The time came for Lina to give birth - the contractions were getting closer together - and the couple, who don't own a car (like 70.9% of Copenhageners) headed out to their bicycles. John and Lina are actually from Montreal but live in Copenhagen. John and Lina have kindly allowed us to blog the photos that John took on the way to the hospital. It was only 1.5 km away but Lina had to stop a few times because the contractions were strong. The above photo was taken at 03:58. Head leaning on her pre-packed bag.

This photo was taken at 04:04. So the contractions were six minutes apart. I'll never know how it feels but having two kids I have a pretty good idea.

Like most bicycle stories, it all ended well. They arrived at the maternity ward of the hospital at 04:15 and baby Viggo made his entrance into the world at 07:19. We're absolutely thrilled for John and Lina and they have our warmest congratulations on the birth of Viggo. And thanks to them all for letting us share their fantastic bicycle experience.

Ironically, there is this poster hanging around Berlin at the moment, says one of our readers, Michael. An election poster for the liberal party. It reads:

Q: "Why isn't the FDP (liberals) not sharing the dream of a car free city?"

A: "Because no woman in the world wants to ride to the delivery room by bike"

Cycling whilst pregnant is virtually prescribed here in Denmark and there is no reason not to do it. Beats walking by a long shot, easy on the back and it increases your mobility radius while giving you decent exercise. Above is a book called Pregnancy and Exercise, written by a doctor. The cover image says it all. Regarding cycling as a transport form for the majority of cyclists, I found this text on the Netdoktor website about cycling and pregnancy. It is highly recommended by doctors in Denmark to ride while pregnant, right up to the end if you can. But this text says it all about how cycling is regarded in Denmark:"Cykling er ikke kun en transportform, men i lige så høj grad en motionsform"In English: "Cycling isn't only a form of transport, but also a great way to excercise."I love that. Reminding Danes that cycling is good exercise, too. 

Above is my lovely ex with our boy and 8 months pregnant with our girl. We actually lived across the street from the hospital so getting there was a walkable cinch. The midwife clinic was also across the street and there is always a long line of pregnant women popping by for a check-up. Here are some photographs of cycling pregnant in Copenhagen:

Placing responsibiliy where it counts. There’s something I’ve been wondering about. I’ve noticed that the majority of traffic ‘safety’ campaigns seem to focus on everything except the bull in the china shop - the automobile. It’s a global tendency, stemming from the seemingly irreversible prescence of cars and trucks. I find it odd that so few campaigns actually place the focus firmly on the problem: the large, heavy, dangerous machines that rumble about our streets and the people who seem to have difficultly controlling them. The billboard prototype above is a logical illustration of how traffic safety campaigns should be focused.

In Frederiksberg, the city in which I live - not surprisingly it is staunchly conservative/right wing - these posters were slapped up recently. It rhymes in Danish, but reads "She checked her text messages, and died in the process."

What a stupid girl. Cars are everywhere and they're not going anywhere anytime soon. It's her own damn fault for impeding their route. Think of the poor motorist who had no choice in running her down. He/she was just regular citizen on their way to or from work. Not only were they forced to suffer the mental anguish of killing a text-messaging pedestrian [shockingly sans walking helmet], but they were made to wait around at the scene of the accident, be interviewed by the police and they were probably late for dinner/work.

So someone let a bull into society's china shop. We all realise that and it doesn't look like the bull is going anywhere. All the fragile fine china on the shelves is getting knocked about and smashed on a regular basis. [An estimated 1.2 million people are killed in motor vehicle accidents every year around the world].

It seems quite ridiculous that nobody is talking about the bull. Instead there is constant talk of wrapping up all the pieces of porcelain in thin bubble wrap and tsk-tsking about how dangerous it is to even CONSIDER placing fine china on the shelves of a china shop now that there's a bull stampeding about. Meanwhile the bull just shit on the floor in aisle 9 and tipped another shelf over. Crash bang boom. Here's a radical idea. If it proves too difficult to remove the bull entirely from the china shop, what about lassoing it and tethering it to a fixed object? Restricting its movements and not letting it run about? Castrating it and calming it? If need be, creating a pen within the china shop where it can graze, out of reach of the china? The automobile industry wants us to forget the bull.

And the proud stallion, ram, birds of prey, big cats, mythical dragons. These poor innocent creatures. It's a shame that they can't just freely roam about without all these soft, squishy obstacles that get in their way. Their marketing has succeeded and it's not surprisingly that the industry is among the most fervent advocates for making cycling appear more dangerous than it is. Society has turned a blind eye to the bull.

Even in traffic safety campaigns that employ scaremongering about car accidents, the focus is often on YOUR safety and that of the other passengers. Rarely the external problem of killing innocent people. I've been trying to think about examples of adverts that are focused on the actual problem and that place responsibility for the heavy hitters in the traffic equation, rather than the "soft traffic", as we call pedestrians and cyclists in Denmark. One example, or rather exception, is the annual campaign above. It appeared for many years when school was starting, featuring various kids. "Watch out for Laura. She's new in the traffic" But it's been difficult to find other examples. Does anybody know of any out there?
A recent public service campaign from Wales, above, is another exception. It focuses on the latest cause celebre - the dangers of texting while driving, but it graphically show how dangerous driving is. It is also the greatest public service campaign for advocating motoring helmets. Have a look and see, despite the seatbelts and airbags, why motoring helmets have been developed first by an Australian company in the 1980's and later at the University of Adelaide in Australia. [after an Australian government study showed that 25% of all car fatalities could be avoided if the motorists had worn helmets - despite seatbelts and airbags. That's over 250,000 lives saved every year globally, and 10,000 in the US alone] Virtually everyone involved in the accidents has a head injury of some sort.

Like our previous post about applying logic to the case and placing health warning labels on all cars and trucks, a change of focus about the very real possibility of killing innocent people while driving would be an effective way to place responsibility in the right place, as well as encourage motorists to choose alternative transport forms. There are numerous ways of taming the everpresent bull in society's china shop. There are congestion charges in place in many cities, discouraging motor vehicles and encouraging people to take public transport or cycle. Dozens and dozens of cities around Europe are actively implementing lower speed limits. Down to 20 or 30 km/h in built-up areas and the effects on the number of accidents is positive. Sadly, this very simple idea is not being considered in Copenhagen.

A recent BBC article completely ignores the bull, whereas in Denmark and the Netherlands drivers of large trucks [HGVs/Heavy Goods Vehicles] are being made to improve their mirrors, install cameras and warning sensors and there are other technological advances that will improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

There are changes to laws, like in Denmark and the Netherlands that place the blame firmly on the automobile in accidents, unless it can be proven otherwise. The idea is simply that the person in the most dangerous vehicle has the most responsibility.

What started as a "what if" idea at the Dutch Cyclist Federation - Fietsersbond - is now evolving rapidly into a real project. External airbags on cars in case of collisions with pedestrians or cyclists. The project has recieved a great deal of funding and simulations have been produced. A crash-test dummy simulation is on the calendar for later this year.

All in all, it's high time that we turned around, looked at the bull and did something about it. The sooner, the better. It's not rocket science, it's merely a question of changing our marketing tactics.

In 1974, a Traffic Playground opened in Fælledparken, Copenhagen, giving children the opportunity to hone their skills riding bicycles and interacting with other traffic users. On November 29, 2014, the Traffic Playground reopened after being renovated, in time for the 40th anniversary. Such traffic playgrounds have been commonplace in Denmark and the Netherlands since the 1950s and go hand in hand with the fact that the bicycle has been on the curriculum in Danish schools since 1947. Children recieve their first taste of bicycle “school” in the 3rd grade and, in the sixth grade, they complete a bicycle exam. All the facilities at the Traffic Playground in Copenhagen were renovated. New asphalt was laid down and everything else was shined up. Safe traffic learning is really prioritized in Denmark and, of course, our kids deserve the best conditions.

The traffic playground is a public playground with a “kid-sized” traffic town where children learn to move in a safe environment. The playground is staffed during business hours and children can borrow go-carts, pedal vehicles with trailers and small bikes. The children are also welcome to bring their own bikes, roller skates and scooters. For younger children (2-5 years), there is a small, fenced traffic lane where the little ones can borrow carts, tricycles and bicycles with trailers. Furthermore, the playground has a garage with go-carts, which are intended for children between 5 and 14 years. In the classroom, children can receive classroom teaching.

The traffic playground consists of small roads that wind in and out between lawns, shrubs and trees. Everything on the small rehearsal roads is reduced in size to match the children's perspective. There are mini signals, driveways, road markings, sidewalks, crosswalks, bike paths, a gas station, a roundabout, bus stops, traffic lights and even trash cans tilted towards the cyclists - just like in real life (you can see one here in this earlier article).

Every aspect of traffic in a city and a suburban area is present. Kids switch between being cyclists, motorists and pedestrians in order to learn from the different angles. Living in a city like Copenhagen, it’s really useful for kids to be taught in how to interact and signal in traffic from a young age. By the age of six, many children ride to school, and therefore you can’t start the practicing soon enough. During our every day cycling in Copenhagen we see that the young ones excel at riding bicycles and interacting with car and motorcycle traffic. All cities can certainly learn something from that. A facility like this fits perfectly in our idea of what a truly life-sized city should be. The traffic playground caters to schools and kindergartens, as well as other organised groups and parents are welcome to stop by with their kids.

Photo from the reopening - courtesy Traffic Playground and their Facebook page. But hey... normal in Denmark and the Netherlands for decades but check out this film from London in 1938:

If this was 2007, I’d expect some confusion and misinterpretation regarding Best Practice for bicycle infrastructure. It was a brave, new world back then. This blog was a lone voice in the wilderness regarding bicycles as transport in cities, with only testosterone-driven, frothing at the mouth sports and recreational cycling blogs for company in the woods. Now, there is a chorus and the voices are getting louder and more harmonious day by day. Many, many people know better now. Knowledge has spread and the message is more unified. One thing that baffles me, however, is why on-street, bi-directional cycle tracks are actually being promoted and implemented. For clarity, when I saw “on-street, bi-directional” I mean the creation of one lane for bicycles separated by a line, allowing for two-way traffic - on city streets. I am not referring to a two-way path through a park or other areas free of motorised vehicles. In Denmark, the on-street, bi-directional facility was removed from Best Practice for bicycle infrastructure over two decades ago. That in itself might be an alarm bell to anyone paying attention. These two way cycle tracks were found to be more dangerous than one-way cycle tracks on each side of the roadway. There is a certain paradigm in cities… I’m not saying it’s GOOD, but it’s there. Traffic users all know which way to look when moving about the city. Having bicycles coming from two directions at once was an inferior design. This was in an established bicycle culture, too. The thought of putting such cycle tracks into cities that are only now putting the bicycles back - cities populated by citizens who aren’t use to bicycle traffic makes my toes curl. There are bi-directional cycle tracks in Copenhagen. They are through parks and down greenways, separated from motorised traffic, and on occasion they are on streets with no cross streets on one side. At all times they are placed where they actually make sense, to eliminate the risk of collision with cars and trucks. Cycle tracks are like sidewalks… you put them on either side of the street, except you keep them one way.

Sure, Denmark has developed an incredibly uniform design for bicycle infrastructure, with only four types of infrastructure for bicycles that creates uniformity, easy wayfinding and, most importantly, optimal safety.

You hear the same excuses in emerging bicycle nations and cities... "But I saw them in the Netherlands?!" Yes, you might have. But I asked Theo Zeegers at the Dutch national cycling organisation, Fietsersbond, about this issue and he said,

"Bi-directional cycle tracks have a much higher risk to the cyclists than two, one-directional ones. The difference on crossings is about a factor 2. So, especially in areas with lots of crossings (ie. builtup areas), one-directional lanes are preferred. Not all municipalities get this message, however."

Fortunately, the Dutch are used to a constant flow of cycling. They're not new at this. They also have space issues in many of their small city centres that few other cities on the planet have. The bi-directional tracks you may see there are sub-optimal solutions.

The City of Ottawa installed some bidirectional cycle tracks against the best advice of their Dutch consultants. CBC looked into it and found that the City chose the "least safe" option and are now suffering cyclist injuries.

In the recently published OECD report about Cycling Health and Safety you can read much of the same. Bi-directional are not recommended for on-street placement. One way cycle tracks on either side are the Best Practice that should be chosen.

It's really not a newsflash all this.
Indeed, it's not even a new thing. In this pdf document of recommendations for urban cycling in Italy, dating from 1999 it states that bidirectional cycle tracks are not recommended. Imagine removing a sidewalk on one side of the street and forcing pedestrians to share a narrow sidewalk on only one side of the street. You wouldn't do that to pedestrians (sure, stupid examples exist but hey) so why on earth would you do it to cyclists? The bi-directional cycle tracks we see in emerging bicycle cities can't possibly be put there by people who know what they're doing or who understand the needs of bicycle users or who really want cycling to boom. You can also see that in the width that many of them have. Incredibly narrow, making passing oncoming cyclists a lip-biting experience and making passing cyclists heading in the same direction a bit too hair-raising.

Another excuse oft heard is, "Well... it's better than nothing" - often spoken in a defensive tone. It is a flawed argument, lacking vision, commitment and experience.

This isn't about building stuff out of asphalt. We are planting seeds in the hopes that lush gardens will grow. We have the seeds we need. They are fertile, natural and ready to grow with minimal maintenence. Instead, people are choosing bags of GMO seeds from traffic planning's Wal-Mart. Limited fertility, modified for the simple needs of visionless gardeners. Potted plants instead of gardens.

If someone advocates infrastructure like this and actually believes it is good, they probably shouldn't be advocating bicycle infrastructure.

ADDENDUM: 18 Dec 2010. I made this little film and blogged about it. Adding it, rightly so, this post.

I spotted one of our lovely street sweepers/snow removers at work the other day. It really is the loveliest sound on the streets during winter. We've had about 45 cm of snow at time of writing but these working class heroes keep the bike lanes clear. The cities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg salt before snow falls and, after the snow is on the ground, the bike lanes are cleared before the streets. During snowstorms I've seen these bike lane sweepers roll back and forth past my flat six times before any snowploughs cleared the street. I live on a busy crosstown artery. In the above photo it's a bus stop island getting an extra sweep. That's the bike lane to the right of the sweeper. (As an aside, we have many of these bus stop islands in Copenhagen. If there is one present, disembarking passengers have to wait before crossing to the sidewalk. Bicycles have the right of way. If there is no island, bicycles have to stop for passengers.)

Then the sweeper came back on the other side of the street. Shoving the snow onto the street - and covering parked cars. The sidewalk and the bike lane are clear of snow. Here is an indication about how seriously Copenhagen takes prioritizing snow clearance for cyclists. On the left is a map of all the on-street bicycle infrastructure. On the right is a map of the bicycle infrastructure that is cleared of snow before the roads are even considered. You have to be able to count on the bicycle infrastructure, like you would a train timetable.

I've blogged many of these snow clearance photos before, but here they all are in one place. The bike lane sweepers, because they run constantly during snowy weather, are only equipped with a heavy-duty brush. Snow is rarely left for long so a snowplough attachment isn't necessary. You often see people riding Keirin-like behind them.

Another Keirin ride. This was taken during a heavy snowstorm. When such weather is upon us, many other sweepers and - in the case of the photo above - snowploughs proper are enlisted to keep the bicycle infrastructure clear.

Like this one. Not a regular feature in Copenhagen, this tractor was drafted into action during a storm last year. Brush at the front and salt spreader at the back. This was taken at 22:15 one Saturday evening. If there is snow falling, it's getting cleared. At all hours. It is a many decades old arrangement that farmers in the surrounding area to Copenhagen are enlisted to help the city with snow clearance during snowstorms.

I rode behind this one during a storm last year. But he was a bit slow, so I ended up overtaking him, leaving him to eat my flakes. With the early snow this year there are, however, some issues with budgets for snow clearance all over Denmark. Last year was a nasty winter with regular snowstorms and many municipalities spent more than they snow clearance budget. Many have saved up in case this winter was the same and so far it is - it's started much earlier, though, so budget grumbling is heard across the land.

Here's another sweeper and salt spreader. No new snow on the infrastructure, but it was forecast, so they do an extra run to clear it and spread salt. Yes, salt is a pain in the ass. There has been talk of gravel but the Copenhagen sewers, they say, wouldn't be able to handle it. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of research going on into a replacement for salt. Last winter a number of municipalities ran out of salt. A ship sailed from Sicily with salt for many Danish cities. Even the City of Copenhagen was running very low. So low that they issued a statement saying that the last salt reserves would only be used on the bicycle lanes and not the streets. Nice.

Another sweeper and salt spreader. Personally, as a bicycle user, I take the salt with... a grain of salt. It's a pain in the ass but if it helps me and the rest of the bicycle traffic rolling on cleared bicycle infrastructure, then I'll take it.

It's not just Copenhagen. This is a sweeper and, in this case, gravel spreader in the small town of Höör, Sweden. Population about 7,000. Keeping the bike infrastructure clear for the citizens.

The result? Clear channels on which the bicycle traffic can move. Prioritizing the bike lanes is, of course, a great and necessary way to encourage people to ride bicycles all through the year. On the other hand, it is also a practical necessity. If the bicycle lanes weren't cleared, a whole lot of people on the day after a snowstorm wouldn't ride. Tens of thousands. They would seek alternatives. Cars, perhaps, but mostly public transport. Imagine the complications of having tens of thousands of people suddenly show up at train stations and bus stops. A logistical nightmare. So keeping the bike lanes clear is an important factor in keeping Copenhagen moving. (As an aside, note the plastic protectors in front of the trees. This is common all over Copenhagen in the winter. Protecting the trees from salt and grime and slush. Sometimes they're plastic, sometimes wicker fences.)

Here's a good result photo after a spot of snowfall last year. Sidewalk (at bottom) is cleared somewhat. Not entirely, but enough, by the super in our building. The bike lane is cleared to perfection. The streets have been ploughed. Repeat on the far side. Copenhagen is kept moving. When the going really gets tough, The Slow Slinger is called in. Once the snow drifts get too big from all that pushing snow out of the way, this machine eats them up for breakfast, spitting the snow into dumptrucks.

The groovy snow sweepers serve other functions all through the year. They're designed for use on the bicycle infrastructure. Here is a shot of one sweeping up leaves in the autumn. ADDENDUM: More shots

Watch out where you park your car! The bicycles rule.

ADDENDUM: 10 JANUARY 2016 Just spotted this. It's 19:00 on a Sunday night at the sweeper/salters are in action as soon as the snow starts falling.

Clearing snow and salting, prepping for the rush hour in the morning....

But also for the people cycling for transport now.

It’s all so simple if we want it to be. For almost a century we have been asking the same question in our cities. “How many cars can we move down a street?” It’s time to change the question. If you ask “How many PEOPLE can we move down a street?”, the answer becomes much more modern and visionary. And simple. Oh, and cheaper. Let alone the fact that the model at the top can move 10 times more people down a street than the model at the bottom.

When I travel with my Bicycle Urbanism by Design keynote, I often step on the toes of traffic engineers all around the world. Not all of them, however. I am always approached by engineers who are grateful that someone is questioning the unchanged nature of traffic engineering and the unmerited emphasis placed on it. I find it brilliant that individual traffic engineers in six different nations have all said the same thing to me: "We're problem solvers. But we're only ever asked to solve the same problem."

This graphic is inspired by the wonderful conversations I've had around the world about my keynote. How many people we can move down the street is the New Question for liveability and transport in The Life-Sized City.

With urbanisation on the rapid rise, we need to think big. Think modern. We need to travel Back to the Future for the solutions that will serve our growing populations best. Cycle tracks. Trams. Wider sidewalks. It's all right there for the taking if we dare to take it.