Do we have room for more cyclists?

Local authorities all over the country are crying out for more people to cycle. The obvious benefits to health, the environment and rush hour traffic make it something worth encouraging. London Mayor Boris Johnson vowed last year to make London's streets "as popular with cyclists as the streets of Copenhagen”.

What he fails to mention, however, is that bicycle parking in Copenhagen is a shambles.

There are five times as many bicycles as cars, and more bikes than people, and unsurprisingly they are taking over the Danish capital. Bikes can be found in piles, cluttering up pavements and other pedestrian areas. The city’s enthusiasm for two wheeled transport is inspiring, but the metal mess is anything but.

Theft is still a risk in the city and tens of thousands are stolen a year, but the Danish rarely lock up their bikes and instead leave them anywhere they can.

Only 29% of cyclists in the capital are happy with parking services for their bikes, and London isn’t doing very well either.

Whilst only 4% of Londoners cycle to work, more parking spaces are needed and where there are stands, they are usually full.

Cyclists instead lock their bikes to street furniture, which isn’t secure and can lead to theft.

If we’re already struggling to find parking space for the few cyclists we have, how can we aspire to close the cycling gap between Copenhagen and ourselves? 

Let us instead focus on looking after our current cyclists, and recruit more when we are capable of accommodating them. In fact, little effort would be needed to get people on their bikes if they could see that their city was built for them. Create a Britain where cycling is a more practical choice than driving, and we could leave Copenhagen behind as the cycling capital of the world.

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