290 Miles of Bike Superhighways to Connect Copenhagen and its Suburbs

Annemarie Zink writes about Denmark's "fast-growing network of bike infrastructure targeted specifically at suburban commuters, featuring smooth pavement, good lighting, separation from traffic, safe road crossings, rain shelters and air pumps." Copenhagen and 21 of its suburban neighbors are planning "[a] total of 28 routes with 467 km (290 miles) of cycle paths are planned. Eleven of these will be ready by the end of 2018."

At least some of the political support for the network was built from a 2008 survey finding that "one in three people who normally drive would switch to a bike if there were more direct bicycle tracks with a consistently high standard of quality from one municipality to the next." The network does not just provide straight lines to Copenhagen—there are suburb-to-suburb routes as well.

Zink provides additional details about the political and planning process that enabled the system as well as the ongoing project of maintaining the network.