Top 10 Bicycle-Friendly Design Elements in Copenhagen

Chapter 07: Micro design

From an organism perspective, all aspects of design are important.

Macro design, the entire infrastructural network, bridges over the harbour for bicycle and pedestrians.

But also micro design just as important, and in many ways, it's these tiny details

on the road landscape that are most interesting and quite often the most fun.

Trademarks of Copenhagen at the moment is innovation.

Thinking differently about now, we can use micro design to broadcast the message or to be more helpful to people who ride bicycles.

bicycle ramps

Now every train station in Denmark has elevators for baby carriages and bicycles and wheelchairs,

but on the stairs, you often see at little ramp.

It makes easier for the cyclist come up and down the stairway. It has very important accessibility function,

but it's a great example of micro design, it's an addition to the existing stairway.

Bicycle counters

PeopIe in Copenhagen, they don't know how amazing they are, you know,

in the global perspective, they just go from A2B and back again,

and so they do everything and they don't think they do anything special.

But having the counter there, you can see that, wait a minute,

1,7 million people riging bicycle passed this point this year.

You know, we don't know how many people are riding bicycles in Copenhagen.

You see a number on it, it really makes you feel proud, makes you feel amazed

that so many people ride bicycles, which also encourages, more people will do so.

Trash bin for cyclists

One of the ideas that we had, here at the company, a few years ago,

we suggested to the city of Copenhagen that they have the garbage cans on the street

along service track of cycle track, why don' they tilt them?

Redesigned this little tilt towards people riding bicycles because,

when you use your bicycle all day, every day, you often have garbage to throw off.

Conversation lanes

On certain sections of the city's cycletrack network, now on the very wide sections,

we see some small arrows, positioned off to the left of the middle of the cycletrack.

Now the city of Copenhagen wanted to think about this concept of conversation lanes.

And this has really become a goal for the bicycle office here,

is to have space enough on every cycle track for two people having conversation

on the bicycles and still have room at the left for some rider to overtake them.

Railings for cyclists

One of more interesting I think, and funny additions to the bicycle culture here is,

that the city of Copenhagen has put up a railing.

So that while you are waiting at the red light, you just can hold on the railing,

you don't have to get off your seat, which is always irritating, when you are on the bicycle.

You don't have to put the foot down, you just hold on the railing or put your foot on the footrest.

And the text on mini the footrest is: "Hi cyclist, rest your foot here and thank you for cycling in the city"

This is a behavioral template that we designed for the City of Copenhagen's Bicycle office.

A very human little touch, it's a pat on the back if you like, to the people who ride bicycle every day.

copenhagenize.eu