Copenhagen

[John 2]

I love old wooden boats, particularly Gaff Riggers, and there are more per square mile in that city than I have seen before. They are exceeded only by the number of push bikes that litter every train station, bus stop and public spaces in general. It seems to be normal to commute in by train and then finish your journey to your place of work on your bike which has been left overnight. Interestingly, none of them seemed to be locked up. Nice society to live in.

Fuji XT-1 plus 18-55mm

[Shadowman]

Nice set.

[Ziggy]

Very nice. Is the whole city painted in bright colors as shown in the first one?

[george013]

Colourful harbour front. I only wonder what those tents are.
I think most of the bikes are locked. The first one, the red one, is locked.

George

[DEAN01]

Both beautiful.

[John 2]

Thanks John, Jim, George and Dean.

Jim, no the city is a real mix of old and new. The central older part, particularly around the waterside areas, tended to be more colourful than the rest. This area is really the tourist centre and famous for its coloured buildings.

George, the tents are awnings and umbrellas outside the many quayside restaurants along this stretch. When I say "none" of the bikes were locked up, of course I exaggerate but only slightly. Once we had noticed, we were looking quite closely and unless there was something extra like a towed child seat, they did not have locks on. What really puzzled us was the fact that outside of the main rail station for instance, the bikes were 5 to 6 deep in places and we wondered how the owner of those in the middle accessed their bikes if they were first to return. Had us wondering if you just took the first available machine and returned on your next journey.
I haven't been able to confirm this but these statistics are published on the official Web site for Denmark and given that only 50% of people commute to work or study but there are 40,000 more bikes than inhabitants, you have wonder what role the surplus plays.:

Facts on bikes in Copenhagen 2011
◾50 % of all Copenhageners commute to work or study by bike.
◾35 % of all who work in Copenhagen – including people who live in the suburbs and neighbouring towns but work in Copenhagen - commute to work by bike.
◾25 % of all families with two kids in Copenhagen have a cargo bike they use to transport the kids to kindergarten and for grocery shopping etc.
◾In total Copenhageners bike 1.2 million kilometers a year, which equals a trip to the moon and back, twice. In comparison Copenhageners only travel 660.000 kilometers by Metro.
◾In central Copenhagen there are more bikes than citizens. 520.000 inhabitans and 560.000 bicycles.
◾The busiest biking lane in the world is Dronning Louises bro in Copenhagen with up to 36.000 cyclist passing throu daily.
◾63 % of all members of the danish parliament, located in the middle of Copenhagen, commute daily by bike.
◾Copenhagen was elected Bike city 2008 – 2011 by ICU.

[wilgk]

Love the first photo very much.
The story behind the bikes is very interesting, we have enjoyed the Political Drama TV show 'Borgen' set in Denmark, complete with politicians & staffers riding to work.

[george013]

Thanks John, Jim, George and Dean.

Jim, no the city is a real mix of old and new. The central older part, particularly around the waterside areas, tended to be more colourful than the rest. This area is really the tourist centre and famous for its coloured buildings.

George, the tents are awnings and umbrellas outside the many quayside restaurants along this stretch. When I say "none" of the bikes were locked up, of course I exaggerate but only slightly. Once we had noticed, we were looking quite closely and unless there was something extra like a towed child seat, they did not have locks on. What really puzzled us was the fact that outside of the main rail station for instance, the bikes were 5 to 6 deep in places and we wondered how the owner of those in the middle accessed their bikes if they were first to return. Had us wondering if you just took the first available machine and returned on your next journey.
I haven't been able to confirm this but these statistics are published on the official Web site for Denmark and given that only 50% of people commute to work or study but there are 40,000 more bikes than inhabitants, you have wonder what role the surplus plays.:

Facts on bikes in Copenhagen 2011
◾50 % of all Copenhageners commute to work or study by bike.
◾35 % of all who work in Copenhagen – including people who live in the suburbs and neighbouring towns but work in Copenhagen - commute to work by bike.
◾25 % of all families with two kids in Copenhagen have a cargo bike they use to transport the kids to kindergarten and for grocery shopping etc.
◾In total Copenhageners bike 1.2 million kilometers a year, which equals a trip to the moon and back, twice. In comparison Copenhageners only travel 660.000 kilometers by Metro.
◾In central Copenhagen there are more bikes than citizens. 520.000 inhabitans and 560.000 bicycles.
◾The busiest biking lane in the world is Dronning Louises bro in Copenhagen with up to 36.000 cyclist passing throu daily.
◾63 % of all members of the danish parliament, located in the middle of Copenhagen, commute daily by bike.
◾Copenhagen was elected Bike city 2008 – 2011 by ICU.

You've done some homework!
Bikes are a rewarding subject, for statistics, transport, criminals, urban development and of course photographs. Ever been in Amsterdam?

George

[John 2]

Thanks Kay. It's the classic shot that you see in all of the brochures - but you just have to don't you. "Borgen" was class TV. I think that we are up to Season 3. We are hoping for a follow up series.

[John 2]

.................................. Ever been in Amsterdam?

George

It will either be Amsterdam or Bruges in the spring of next year. Either way Amsterdam is on the bucket list.

[george013]

It will either be Amsterdam or Bruges in the spring of next year. Either way Amsterdam is on the bucket list.

Abook from a photographer around here http://moderndogmagazine.com/book/sm...ens-dogs-bikes

George

[John 2]

Thanks George. I think if I ever got on a bike, it would be Huskies for me.

[arith]

Very nice;

Cambridge is another city of bikes.

Cambridge City of Bicycles by Stephen Davis, on Flickr

[george013]

Very nice;

Cambridge is another city of bikes.

Cambridge City of Bicycles by Stephen Davis, on Flickr

His own fault. That happens when you fasten your bike to some object.

George

[Kris V]

It will either be Amsterdam or Bruges in the spring of next year. Either way Amsterdam is on the bucket list.

If you make it to Bruges, post some pictures please? It's my husbands' hometown, and we lived there for about 5 years after we got married.

[John 2]

.............................. If you make it to Bruges, post some pictures please?

Inevitable Kris. My wife says that there are three of us that go on holiday - me, my Wife and my camera - and not necessarily in that order.

[John 2]

Steve, I missed your post - thanks. "Sad" is the only word that comes to mind. It's not nice knowing that nothing is safe even when you lock it up.

[Rebel]

I've nearly been the subject of manslaughter by bicycles in Amsterdam many times... 1st image is great John.

[IzzieK]

I love the first image too, John...No 2 -- I will be confused on which one is mine and which one I should take to be mine.

[John 2]

Thank you Matt, thank you Izzie. Mat, I have to say that the bicycles of Copenhagen co-exist remarkably well with pedestrians and with motor traffic for that matter. They just seem to have settled into a way of life. For instance, I suspect that most parents in the UK would think twice about towing their brood in a buggy behind a bike in busy City streets but it seems to be fairly common there.