Fifth Day in Copenhagen

5/20/11

Stupid tourist. I was a bad cyclist today. I was lost in thought, pondering whether or not I should trust the fickle weather and go for a swim in the harbor. I saw a green light and kept going straight. The green light with a green arrow pointing to the right was for the cars who were allowed to turn right while I should have been stopped. Woops. Fortunately, I caused no damage to persons or property. Perhaps my mistake fuels the argument that Copenhagen should offer bicycle education to the growing number of tourists who are becoming curious about bicycling and giving it a go. After all, Danes get bicycle education throughout school. The police go out to the schools and teach children the laws and the children’s riding skills are tested.

Imagine that! Policemen that know bicycle traffic laws. I don’t mean to generalize. I’m sure that there are many American policemen that are well-versed in bicycle traffic laws, but I think back to a particular incident that Colleen told me about. She was stopped by a policemen and told that as a cyclist she was not allowed to be in the road and should get on the sidewalk. Wrong.

Eva said that tourists used to not dare to ride. At least when I had my bright red rental bike I stood out as someone who might not know what they were doing. Just as with drivers with foreign license plates, bright red rental bikes indicate “Beware, unpredictable behavior may ensue”. Ok, lesson learned. Moving on.

I love riding Eva’s bike. Henrik calls it the tank. I feel like a queen. What could give you better posture than riding an upright city bike? Riding an upright city bike with a guitar strapped to your back. Yes, I saw a young lady doing that on a bright blue bike with her blond hair blowing in the wind. She would have been miserable on a road bike. She does not win the prize though. Today the prize goes to a man in a recumbent that was covered with a silver shell. He looked like a bullet.

I saw the sensor activated bollards for the first time today. A car rolled up to the bollard and it sunk down into the ground. It was activated by a sensor that detects metal like those used at stoplights. A taxi approached from the other direction, where traffic was prohibited from proceeding. He proceeded to drive halfway in the cycle track and halfway on the sidewalk to pass through. Guess they aren’t foolproof. 

Today I noticed that there is a narrow sidewalk between the bus lane and the cycle track across from Christianshavn Station. I think this is a good solution. If the strip is wide enough, it also provides place for a shelter for people waiting for the bus.  Bus riders have a place to exit to and then cyclists and pedestrians can negotiate who has right of way as the cyclists prepare to cross the cycle track to the full sidewalk. Education about courteous behavior is still a good idea.

The weather was looking up so I went on a run through the city. My favorite part was running down Stroget, darting and dodging through the window shoppers. I realize that I was probably slightly annoying, but it was thoroughly enjoyable. The feeling is akin to picking a route when mountain biking, trail running, or downhill skiing, except your obstacles are people instead of rocks. Stroget might be my favorite street in the world. Why do I like it better than Hans Christian Anderson Boulevard?  Because it is smaller scale. The shops are inviting. The people in the outdoor cafes are fun to watch. They are either wrapped up in food and conversations or enjoying people watching as much as you are. The streets are full of people so you know you are in “the” place to be. There are no cars. There is no construction.

At the end of my run I went down to the harbor. They have an area fenced off with lifeguards to supervise. There is an area for lap swimmers, shallower pools for children, and a staircase that allows older kids to dive from different heights. Most swimmers were wearing wetsuits. Uh oh. I stuck a toe in and decided to take the risk. I dove in and swam the length of the pool before catching my breath. After a few minutes I decided I should get out before I catch a cold. I felt like a new woman. I guess a fresh sea water ice bath has that effect.

In the Architecture Center there was a video on creating a city that encourages active living. The pool at the harbor is one technique. I encountered another unintended technique that encouraged active behavior. Three little girls were practicing their dance moves and watching themselves in  semi-reflective glass stairs that surrounded a stairwell. Doubt the architects planned for that one.

 

There is good and bad in traveling solo. Good: I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want. Bad: It is a bit lonely. No worries. I will be with the study abroad crew soon enough enjoying their company, but likely searching out solitude. Eskil and Henrik say that there is a different style of riding in Amsterdam. Traffic is more mixed. I am looking forward to analyzing the differences.

Fourth Day in Copenhagen

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

 Lomsas's Little Mermaid

For more pictures, check out my web album.

Third Day in Copenhagen

5/18/11

This morning I returned my bike to the shop. Eva is letting me borrow hers while she is in Sweden. Fortunately the shop did not penalize me for returning the bike late. From there I took an 11 mile run along the harbor and around a large park. It is great that you can get Henrik and Eva have a large wilderness area two miles from their house. I enjoyed escaping the city for a bit. There was an awesome sculpture with a rusted iron bridge that led to a dome made of glass painted with bold colors.

After showering and stretching I went out with Eskil to the opening of the city’s new skate park. A wide range of people came out for the celebration from pro skaters to toddlers on their paddle bikes. I enjoyed the taste of Danish street culture. Eskil and I went off to find something to eat and ended up having to walk further than we expected. He explained that we were in a less accessible part of the city. I explained that because of zoning most cities in the states were equally, if not less accessible.

When Eskil and I were riding I stopped behind a car that was waiting in the path of cycle track to turn right. We were going straight. He indicated that we could pass to the left of the car. When Henrik was explaining this movement to me yesterday I could not fully conceptualize how it would work. I thought that it would force us into the path of the cars in the adjacent auto lane. Yeah for a trip to Europe! I had to ride it to feel it, to know it, and understand that it works.

Second Day in Copenhagen

 On my second day in Copenhagen I did a self-guided tour/treasure hunt of Copenhagen’s bicycle infrastructure. Eva gave me a guide to ‘Copenhagen: City of Cyclists’ that gave directions to the highlights. Bryggebroen is a bridge across the harbor with separated bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

A golden statue of a girl on a bicycle is in a tower in the Town Hall Square. There was a great deal of construction in the square. Whenever there is construction that obstructs the bike path, the city creates a new temporary path for bicycles and pedestrians. On Hans Christian Anderson Boulevard, which feeds into the square, is a bicycle counter that shows the number of cyclists that day, and I think that year, the time and temperature. I was cyclists 3,405 that day at about 11 am.

The pamphlet said that cyclists have only recently been permitted on the trails of packed sand and fine gravel along the lakes. I cycled around one and then saw a sign prohibiting cycles. Woops. I guess cycling isn’t allowed along all lakes. When I cycled around the second lake, I noticed a botanical garden. I enjoyed climbing the circular staircase that took you up to a walkway around the ceiling and allowed you to look down on the tall tropical trees.

The footrestrack was a railing with two horizontal poles that allowed cyclists to hold on and rest a foot as they waited at the stoplight.

Long green bicycle routes run through the city letting bicyclists and pedestrians travel entirely free of traffic. Abuen bridge takes a cycle route that connects Copenhagen to Fredericksburg across a high-traffic  boulevard. In Copenhagen there are several sub-mayors for different departments that serve under a head mayor. It was recently discovered that one of the sub-mayors was sleeping in Fredericksburg more nights than he was in Copenhagen. This is against the rules so he was ousted. There does not seem to be any real separation between Copenhagen and Fredericksburg. In any other city it would just be a neighborhood.

Norrebrograde is a cycle track with a green wave that allows traffic lights timed to allow cyclists to continue without having to stop if they travel at 20 km/h. They were doing construction to widen one section of the street that limited access to businesses. Bus lanes run next to the cycle tracks.  It seemed a bit perilous when cyclists stepped straight out of the bus onto the cycle track. Perhaps there should be crosswalks marked at bus stops allowing passengers to exit safely. Along this route was a cool mural of a woman on a bicycle. The cycle track leads to the busy Queen Louise bridge, which also has a bicycle counter.

The Norreport metro station has tons of chock-full double-decker bike parking.

The medieval city center has pedestrian only streets lined with shops and restaurants with outdoor seating. The streets were so full of pedestrians that I dismounted and walked my bike. It was magical to be walking down Stroget, a street I had read about in a book by Jan Gehl. The square was full of pedicabs, and food vendors on bike. It started raining when I decided to order a Nutella banana crepe from a pedal powered stand. He asked if I would mind walking to the other corner with him. He explained that the city only permits him to sell on certain corners or in front of certain shops. He said that the city is always trying to make it more difficult for pedal-powered vendors. I should hear reserve judgment until I hear the city’s view point, but perhaps even in the best city’s for cycling, there is resistance to new developments. The vendor said that he thinks the pedicabs operate outside of the city’s regulations. I appreciated the shelter of his umbrella as it started to rain harder. After he finished preparing my crepe I darted under an awning that was already packed with pedestrians. The streets were empty except for the occasional pedestrian darting across the street to an awning or another store. A bicycle raised through without a problem – a rare sight for a street usually packed with people. As soon as the rains subsided, the people flooded back into the streets.

The Christiansborg palace houses the parliament, supreme court, and Prime Minister’s office. They have ample bike parking in the palace courtyard. We need to get our politicians on bikes to fuel the bike movement.

There are two tilted trash cans along the cycle tracks that allow bicyclists to deposit trash without dismounting. Ramps wide enough for tires are helpful for carting bikes up and down stairs.

On my way home I noticed that there was a free concert on Olivia Beach. Eva and Henrik joined me. They explained that the city has decided to put parking underneath the Beach, which is next to the theater. The beach is a temporary use to draw people to the area. There are plans to make a new bike bridge to provide access to the opera house.  As of now, ferrys take people to the opera. There was opposition from sailboats that wouldn’t be able to enter the harbor. They are designing the bridge to open in the center and allow sailboats to pass. Who will have to yield, bicyclists or boats? Eva explained, this is why it is important for infrastructure to go into an area first.

It was still light even at 9:00 at night when we went out for dinner. Eva  said that bicycles used to fill the square of the Christiantown station. She fought for two years to get the city to create a position for people to move the bicycles into rows to allow space to walk. At first people were resistant to the job because they weren’t going to be provided a car for the job. When they came to understand that they would be taking the metro to organize the bikes at the metro stations they came to love the job. They also do minor maintenance on the bikes and leave a note that says, “You parked your bike in a place where it’s not allowed to be, but I oiled your chain and put air in your tires so I hope you won’t be angry that I put it in line for you.”

Eva  pointed out that the sidewalk had been extended to allow for extra bicycle parking. It is expensive to extend the brick sidewalks once they have been installed and creates problems with drainage. A taxi went by with a bike on a rack on the back. Eva  mentioned how important it is to have that option. In Sweden none of the taxis have bike racks. Eugene is the only American city that I have spent much time in where I have seen taxis with bike racks. I think that when starting up this system in an American city it would be good to work with businesses that were participating in a business commute challenge. You could offer a guaranteed ride home service via taxi for people who were biking to work. Then you would have a market to convince at least one taxi company to purchase bike racks.

I asked Eva if she has worked with Jan Gehl. She said that she had taken classes from him. She started studying as a landscape architect in Stockholm, did a year in Malmo, and then one more year in Copenhagen, where she took classes with Jan Gehl. Jan Gehl is only now starting to get the credit he deserves in Copenhagen because he was not considered a real architect by the architects. As she said, “It’s hard to be a prophet in your own city”.

For more pictures from the day go to my Picasa Web Album

First Day in Copenhagen

5/16/11

On my flight from Newark to Copenhagen I sat next to a woman who is moving from Copenhagen to Washington D.C. When I told her that I was studying planning she started to share topics of interest for an aspiring planner. She explained Copenhagen as five fingers extending from a center point. Some of the fingers are better connected to than others. The city is currently split as to whether or not there should be a tax on automobiles entering the city center. There is a new opera house. I think she said that the land was gifted to the city and transportation to the site is a challenge. I think she also said that the city is currently working to add another ring to the metro system. She said that along part of the waterfront there is a row of buildings that prevents access to the water. Further down, a section of the waterfront that has been revitalized allows access to the water.

I arrived at my Eva's house just in time for her to give me some maps and suggested activities before she had to leave for her meeting. I followed her advice and started out by climbing to the top of the church tower. An external spiral staircase takes you to the top of the spire. I enjoyed watching streams of bicycles below and noticed the pattern of blocks of housing with internal courtyards. I scoped out a running route on the path that Eva suggested along the canal.

When I descended to the path I noticed that there were actually 3 rings of paths along the canal in some places. This was a great use of terracing to make use of the space. There were staircases made of logs pressed into the sand-packed trail.  I was surprised to see residences along the canals. They weren’t luxury condos. Each was a unique Bohemian-looking cottage.  At one point I had to wait at a signal to cross a busy street. The cycle track had separate signals that stopped the cyclists as well to allow pedestrians to cross. I noticed a road work vehicle stopped in the bus lane rather than the cycle track which was raised and had a brick edge.

After showering and stretching, I walked down to a café to have lunch outside along the canal. I replenished my carbs with tasty fried fish filets and hearty brown bread. The modal split on the street included automobiles, buses, bicycles, pedestrians, a horse drawn carriage, tour boats, and kayaks. A woman rode by with a baby sleeping soundly in her classy front-load cargo bike. The female cyclists here have sexy swaying shoulders. Maybe they have to put their upper bodies into pedaling their heavy upright bikes.

In the evening Eva and I visited the Danish Center for Architecture. There were models of current buildings and some that are planned for construction. There are plans to build a trash incinerator that will be used as a ski slope. Then we biked along the waterfront and checked out some of the buildings in full-scale. We scoped out the design of new apartment buildings and their inner courtyards.

 

For more pictures from the day go to my Picasa Web Album  

Assignment 1: Intersection Observations

On Wednesday, May 25^th, I observed traffic at the intersection of 13^th Avenue and Alder Street between 7am and 9am. My observation period served multiple purposes. Not only did it inform this assignment, but I was also able to collect data for the City of Eugene bicycle/pedestrian count and record video for my exit project.

The intersection of 13^th and Alder is northwest of the University of Oregon campus. Both 13^th and Alder are major corridors for university traffic. The primary land use in the area is commercial, including restaurants and retail. There is a medical center northwest of the intersection and a university parking lot to the southwest. Further south along Alder, the primary land use transitions to multi-family residential.

West of Alder, 13^th Ave has an eastbound automobile traffic lane, and eastbound and westbound bicycle lanes. The parking lane on the south side of 13^th Ave transitions into a right turn lane for automobiles at the intersection. East of Alder, 13^th Ave has an eastbound auto traffic lane, eastbound and westbound bicycle lanes, and parking lanes on both the north and south side of the street. The westbound bicycle lane is between the sidewalk and the automobile parking. North of 13^th, Alder has on-street parking on both sides of the street, a southbound bicycle lane on the west side of the street, and a southbound auto traffic lane on the east. South of 13^th, Alder has a southbound auto traffic lane and northbound and southbound bicycle lanes on either side. There are sidewalks on both sides of Alder and 13^th.

Although the weather was rainy and the temperature was in the mid-50s, I observed a total of 227 bicyclists passing through the intersection during the two-hour period. The most common movement for cyclists was straight, eastbound on 13^th towards the university. The second most common movement was a right turn from Alder onto 13^th to go east towards the university.            

I did not observe any conflicts, problematic or otherwise. Even though road users of every category violated traffic laws at times, everything seemed to work. I did, however, observe some behaviors that indicate that the design is not entirely functional for bicyclists. Although there is not a northbound bicycle facility north of 13^th Ave on Alder, three bicyclists continued north on Alder. They rode either in the southbound auto traffic lane or on the sidewalk, neither of which are safe places for bicyclists. I also noticed that the second most common turning movement was a left turn onto 13^th Ave from Alder to go east towards the university. Some of the cyclists seemed to have difficulty integrating with automobile traffic to complete this turn.

  

The Alder Street redesign should improve the functionality of both of these movements for cyclists. The redesign will extend the northbound bicycle lane on Alder to Franklin Boulevard. I predict that the number of bicyclists riding on the sidewalk and in the auto traffic lane will decrease after the northbound bicycle lane is extended. The redesign will consolidate the northbound and southbound bicycle lanes on the east side of the street. This will allow cyclists to turn left onto 13^th Ave from Alder without having to integrate with automobile traffic. I look forward to observing this intersection again in the fall after the redesign is completed.

Jaded ... Reasons Not to Walk

Jaded
I met up with my parents in Chicago this weekend for my cousin's wedding. As I was about to head out the door of our hotel near O'Hare, I was thinking, "Man, it's been a long time since I've run on the road". With easy access to trails in Eugene, I never feel the need to hit the road for a run. I was pleasantly surprised by the 3.5 mile Bridal trail through a nature reserve that was two blocks from our hotel. I do, however, think that the trail could be improved if the underpasses were maintained, had better drainage, and had lighting. Connections to surrounding neighborhoods and nearby preserves could be improved as well. For example, there was not a complete sidewalk from our hotel to the path. There was plenty of right of way in front of an adjacent office park, and I would imagine that their employees could also benefit from a walk through the park.

Reasons Not to Walk
We moved to a hotel in Rockford for the next two nights. My dad drove me to my cousin's hotel to sit the kids while my cousin and his wife went to visit my uncle. On the way, I realized that the hotels were less than a half mile apart. "This is ridiculous", I said, "I should have walked". My dad insisted on picking me up when they return. "There aren't any crosswalks", he said, "And plus, this is Saturday night, and more likely than not there are a bunch of drunk drivers out tonight." He was right. It didn't seem like a safe place to walk, but I was right too. It was ridiculous that I had to be driven half a mile.