5/19/11
Henrik wanted to get a new case for his guitar. The guitar shop owner lived in the city in the countryside on the way to the summer home. He invited me to ride along and see the countryside. Henrik pointed out that the state was experimenting with noise-reducing asphalt. The difference was noticeable. We stopped and saw tombs constructed in the stone age. You had to crouch down to crawl in through a tunnel that opened up into a small chamber where it was possible to stand up straight. Ah, to be in a place with remnants of ancient history.
At the summer home we picked up bikes and rode out on packed dirt and sand paths that run along a finger of Denmark that stretches out into the sea. One of the first paths that we took was an old foot path that residents of the village used to get from home to church. On the way out we rode along the coast.
Henrik noticed that a hotel was for sale and contemplated how to attract tourists to the area. There is a well-connected system of separated bicycle paths throughout Denmark connecting the cities. There are a few sections of about 50 km (I think?) that are gaps in the system. I suggested advertising the hotel to bicycle tourists. Active folks could make the 100km trip from Copenhagen to Klintebjerg in one day. You could offer less hearty souls a stopping point midway.
On the way back we rode through the forest. The landscape was similar to Oregon, only drier. We encountered runners in a race. I suggested that a triathlon would also attract hotel guests. The course could include a swim in the harbor, a bike through the forest, and a run along the coast. Sign me up and book my reservations!
Henrik’s family bought the summer house when he was eight. On our way back in we went down a steep hill off of the ridge. Henrik reminisced about riding as a young boy and competing with his brother to see who could get to the top of a small hill at the bottom of the descent without pedalint. I explained to Eva yesterday that for me a bike was only a toy as a child. It was not a means of transportation. Most Americans have experienced the joy of riding a bike as a child. We need to encourage people to hearken back to that sense of joy and then suggest that they adjust their perception of bicycles as not only toys, but also vehicles for transport.
On our way back to Copenhagen we drove on the scenic route, which only takes 10 minutes longer. As we passed through a smaller city Henrik pointed out that it is not only Copenhagen that is thinking about bikes. They had traffic calming devices – landscaped chicanes that required one car to yield right of way to a vehicle coming from the opposite direction at the choke point. In the city center was a festival street. Again, having never seen a festival street, I worried that the lack of grade separation would make drivers confused about where they were permitted. The bollards and different colors of pavers made the distinction clear. Yet if the road had been temporarily closed to automobile traffic pedestrians would have felt as though it were acceptable to make use of the entire space. On our way out of town the barrier for the cycle track transitioned from grade separation, to bollards, to grass strips.
From riding on the cycle tracks around Copenhagen, I have enjoyed the super functional asphalt ramps that allow cyclists to exit the track to cross the street. They seem to be almost everywhere I need them. Not much curb hopping.
I mentioned to Henrik that something that doesn’t seem to work quite right is that bus riders seem to hesitate (fear for their lives) when they try to exit the bus and cross the cycle track to get to the sidewalk. The bikes should yield to the pedestrians. I asked if it would be enough to mark crosswalks on the track at bus stops. No. Signs and flashing lights? No. Education? Yes. It’s not just about cycle tracks. It’s about changing the way people think. When I grow up, I want to be a social engineer. After meeting Kelly Clifton and Peter Furth I started thinking that I should take some traffic engineering courses. For my social engineering, I think I need to take some sociology and psychology.
Henrik also studied with Jan Gehl. He said that Gehl was all about the details. It is about the angle that you place the park bench and where it is situated. Gehl was an anthropologist. He succeeded because he knew what people needed and he gave it to them.
Copenhagen's Little Mermaid
No comments:
Post a Comment