2022, A year in review

Written by Clotilde Imbert

2022 This past year has demonstrated that the unprecedented cycling explosion of recent years is more than just a temporary post-lockdown solution, it’s a valid mode of transit gaining momentum with the public.

In this unique time, the Copenhagenize team is working more than ever alongside city stakeholders who want to accelerate this mobility paradigm shift. From France to Luxembourg, Tunisia, and Canada, Copenhagenize is continuing its mission to promote quality bicycle urbanism.

Supporting the development of projects in the company’s four areas of expertise, the team - now entirely managed by Clotilde Imbert - has grown with the arrival of Anne Xiong, graphic designer and communications specialist, Kassandra McCleery, education and research project manager, Guillaume Verguin, artistic director, and Laure Verdier, landscape architect. Arthur Duhamel is now leading the Urban Design and Conception team.

In France, a country where the world of cycling is evolving and becoming more structured, the team has delivered one-of-a-kind projects: an ambitious regional cycling plan, the first national study on the mobility of middle and high school students, branding and communications strategies for bicycle highway networks, and quality bicycle infrastructure design.

How Do We Make Cities Cycle-Friendly?

A Conversation with Michael Wexler & Kenneth Cobb on the Anticipate Podcast

Written by Copenhagenize Planning Assistant, Ava Klein

Earlier this month, the director of our Montréal Office, Michael Seth Wexler, sat down with Kenneth Cobb, the Associate Director of Transport Planning and Mobility at WSP-Middle East, to discuss emerging micro mobility trends, the importance of safe and protected bicycle infrastructure, and to explore how cities like Dubai can effectively implement better bicycle planning. On this episode of WSP’s Anticipate podcast, the two express the importance of presenting biking as an accessible mode of transportation for everyone, tracing how cycling has boomed through the COVID-19 pandemic, and how cities around the world are adopting bicycle planning strategies that work for them. 

While they credit the influence of Danish and Dutch cities as leaders in the urban bicycle movement, the two opt to talk about the more unexpected places that seemingly “came up from nowhere” as cycling cities, and how these cities function as an emblem of the potential that bike infrastructure holds. Wexler gives Bogotà, Colombia, as an example; despite struggling with heavy car congestion, the city is focusing on protected and pop-up bikeways that are starting to shift the role of transportation in the city. Oslo, Norway is another example where despite being known for its investments in electric cars and its hilly topography, the city is making efforts to remove car parking and make way for bike lanes. 

Dubai is another one of these cities that Cobb and Wexler specifically focus on, due to its recent political commitments to being more cycle friendly. The two go on to discuss some debates surrounding how to effectively implement cycling in cities like Dubai. 

The general conclusion boils down to inclusivity – make biking easy and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. One way to do this, they discuss, could be through electric bicycles which help mitigate the aversion to cycling for those who have decreased mobility, or for cities that are either topographically or climatically difficult to cycle in for long periods of time. As well, Wexler explains that by having quick and efficient bicycle infrastructure that easily connects to other forms of transportation, such as transit systems and bike sharing systems, citizens will be inclined to use this more easily accessible way of getting around the city, thus pivoting away from car-reliance. Wexler explains that cities like Dubai need to observe who is riding bikes in order to track inclusivity. Who is using the network? Is it a representative broad cross-section of society? This indicates that the city is succeeding in making infrastructure that people of all backgrounds feel comfortable and safe using. 

Any city can implement bicycle infrastructure, and looking at cities that pose greater “challenges” to cycling, such as the hot weather in Dubai for instance, can give us greater insight in how to effectively implement bicycle planning into our cities. For a city to succeed in transitioning their transportation away from cars, the infrastructure must be accessible to all, easily flow to other forms of transportation, and, most importantly, must actually exist!

To hear Michael and Kenneth discussing these topics you can listen to the full podcast episode below. 

The Montréal Master Class Recap

The Two Sides to Montréal’s Cycling Infrastructure

Written by Ava Klein, Planning Assistant

The Copenhagenize Montréal office recently hosted our first ever North American Master Class from September 22nd to 24th. For three days, twelve participants from across Canada and the United States, and from a diverse range of professional backgrounds, had the opportunity to engage in an intensive curriculum focused on cycling infrastructure, communications, and culture with the Copenhagenize team. Each day was complemented by an extensive bike tour around Montréal as well as workshops that gave the participants hands-on experience about bicycle planning.

The Master Class showed a unique example of a city undergoing change and evolving into a cycling city. Montréal has been investing in bike infrastructure since the 1980s and is continuing to implement progressive bicycle infrastructure that is fundamentally reshaping how we get around – as demonstrated by guest speakers such as Montréal City Councillor Marianne Giguère who has been integral in the implementation of the express bicycle network –  the REV. However, there are still many challenges to the cycling infrastructure, from poorly maintained pavement, to difficult bicycle-metro connectivity, to some dangerous and outdated bicycle intersection designs. During the course of our Montréal Master Class, we used this contrast to highlight, critique, and reimagine the city’s bicycle planning and urban design practices.

Some highlights from our Master Class included our daily bike tours, where our participants rode around the city on bicycles provided by Allo Vélo, a Griffintown-based bicycle shop specializing in European brands and cargo bikes. We could feel the difference in the level of safety between unprotected, pot-hole laden roads that were not built for bicycles and the well-maintained and newly implemented bike paths, such as the REV, with one participant noting that his favourite experience was: 

“... riding alongside many other cyclists on the protected paths – I never thought this existed in North America!”

In addition, our workshops pushed our participants to think about urban cycling beyond merely implementing status-quo bike lanes, asking questions like “who are using these bike lanes?”, “why are some using cycling infrastructure and others not?” and “how can we market cycling to get the widest range of people to feel safe and comfortable riding in their city?”. Presentations by Pierre-Luc Marier of BIXI, and Lina Lopez, the co-founder of EnCicla, a bicycle renting service in Medellín Colombia, are just a couple of people who showcased to our group innovative and new ways urban cycling can be implemented. 

But the most interesting aspect of our Master Class has to be the engagement from our excited and dynamic group of participants who were eager to provide a unique and diverse range of perspectives about how and why we should build cycling infrastructure. From discussions about weather conditions in their cities, to accessible street design, to the difference between rural and urban cycling implementation, our participants were able to learn from each other as well, swapping ideas and enthusiasm about urban mobility. 

Over these three days we were able to appreciate the significance that good cycling infrastructure makes in people’s lives and how good design leads to safe cycling for all ages and abilities. Montréal is not a perfect place for urban cycling but is making huge improvements that can hopefully inspire other cities to follow the same path. 

A new concept for Bruges’ bicycle network

Cycling street

The City of Bruges (Belgium) reaffirmed its ambitions to become a bicycle-friendly city by addressing a new challenge. After observing their cycle tracks gradually fill up with increasingly more bicycle users, the City decided that it was time to re-imagine their cycle network. 

In August 2019 and within the framework of the European Horizon 2020 project, HANDSHAKE, the City called upon Copenhagenize Design Co. as well the renowned landscape architecture firm, West 8 and traffic company Vectris to help them design a new concept for their urban cycling network. 

To elaborate a strategy, both qualitative and adapted to the needs of the inhabitants, the City of Bruge invited European mobility experts to join us during a seminar and nearly 100 residents during a whole day of discussion and workshops. 

Respecting and enhancing the unique attributes of the historical city, the new vision includes innovative strategies to make the network more attractive and comfortable for bicycle users of all ages and abilities. Mayor Dirk De fauw : “We do realize that if we want to remain bicycle-friendly, our work will never be done.”

To discover the whole strategy for the City of Bruges’ cycling network 2.0, check out the brochure, which we created with the City and the partners on the project. Find it here in English and here in Dutch.

A new Copenhagenize office in Paris

*version française ci-dessous*

This autumn 2020 will witness a new step for Copenhagenize France development, our French speaking entity created in 2015 is opening a permanent office in Paris. Clotilde, one of our three directors and associates, who has been involved from day one in the development of our business across the world for seven years, is returning to her roots in the French capital.

Clotilde started her career as an urban planner in Paris area, but after a while she moved to Copenhagen looking for a new way of designing cities, managing projects and focusing on developing an entrepreneurial approach. She found in Denmark the components matching her professional ambitions: urban cycling, design driven approach, flat hierarchy, all of this with a touch of hygge. 

The bicycles are leading to significant changes in our cities and play a key role in increasing our urban quality of life. The design driven approach allows us to bring back user needs at the heart of the urban projects’ conception. The flat hierarchy enables projects to be handled by motivated and accountable people. The hygge offers a human touch to daily life. All those elements are gathered within an internationally recognised brand acknowledged for its limitless sharing of information highlighting the world's best cycling practices, combined with a contemporary and minimalist graphic style. Enabling our company to be among the best partners to support new French speaking cities in their transition to safe cycling infrastructure. Over the last years, the team has already provided guidance to the cities of Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg or Montpellier among others.

Having departed from Paris nine years ago, Clotilde left behind a city in which cyclists were representing a small presence within the urban landscape. The Vélib’ had just been launched, and the city was not offering bicycle infrastructure supporting safe cycling trips. 

A decade later, an assertive political will, a long public transport strike, a unique health crisis, and more importantly, kilometres of separated cycle paths are leading to a major shift, allowing millions of Parisians to re-discover a fast, reliable and pleasant means of transportation.

If you want to know more about Copenhagenize France, or if you want to collaborate with the Paris office, please write to the following address: ci@copenhagenize.eu. A brochure describing our activities, our competencies and our latest references is available upon request.

As soon as the sanitary conditions will allow us to resume our traveling patterns, we look forward to welcoming you in Paris to join our study trips in which we will offer unique experiences and discoveries... just like our well-known trips to Copenhagen.

Until then, for French residents, there are still a few seats left to attend our Master Class which will be held on October 06 & 07 in Paris. You can register following this link.

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Cette rentrée 2020 s’accompagne d’une grande nouvelle pour Copenhagenize France, en effet, notre entité francophone créé en 2015  ouvre un bureau à Paris. Clotilde, une de nos trois dirigeants,  ayant participé au développement de notre activité à travers le monde depuis sept ans, est en effet de retour dans la capitale française.

Urbaniste en région parisienne en début de carrière, elle était partie à Copenhague chercher une nouvelle façon de concevoir les villes, une nouvelle manière de gérer des projets et développer une approche entrepreneuriale. Elle a trouvé au Danemark les composantes de son projet professionnel : le vélo, le design, l’organisation horizontale, sans oublier une touche hygge.

Le vélo change les villes et la qualité de vie urbaine. Le design permet de remettre au centre de la conception les besoins des usagers. La hiérarchie plate permet de mener des projets en s’entourant de personnes motivées et responsabilisées. Le hygge donne une touche humaine au quotidien. Tout cela rassemblé au sein d’une marque reconnue internationalement pour son partage sans limite d’informations sur les meilleures pratiques mondiales en matière de vélo, mais aussi son style graphique contemporain et minimaliste, donne une société de conseil en urbanisme cyclable prête à accompagner de nouvelles villes francophones.  Le bureau a déjà coopéré, ces dernières années, avec les villes de Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Montpellier. 

En quittant Paris il y a neuf ans, Clotilde a laissé derrière elle une ville où les cyclistes faisaient très peu partis du paysage urbain. Le Vélib’ venait tout juste d’émerger, mais la ville ne disposait pas d’infrastructures cyclables qui permettaient à tous de pratiquer le vélo en toute sécurité.

Une petite décennie plus tard, une volonté politique affirmée, une longue grève des transports publics, une crise sanitaire unique, mais surtout des pistes cyclables séparées et qui tendent à s’uniformiser, permettent aux millions de Parisiens de disposer d’un mode de déplacement rapide, fiable et agréable. 

Rue de Rivoli, symbole d’une reconquête majeure du vélo dans la répartition des modes de déplacement. Photo prise hors heure de pointe.

Si vous souhaitez en savoir davantage sur Copenhagenize France, si vous avez envie de collaborer avec nous, n’hésitez pas à écrire à l’adresse suivante : ci@copenhagenize.eu. Une brochure décrivant nos activités, nos compétences et nos dernières références est disponible sur demande.

Dès les conditions sanitaires plus propices aux  déplacements, nous vous recevrons à Paris pour des voyages d’étude riches en découvertes et en expériences cyclo-urbaines… comme le sont déjà nos voyages à Copenhague.

D’ici là, il reste encore quelques places disponibles pour assister à notre Master Class qui se tiendra les 06 & 07 octobre à Paris. Inscription ici. 

Copenhagenize in the Arcachon Bay area

version française ci-dessous

The Copenhagenize France team was in the Arcachon Bay (France) last week to launch a new mission for the local authorities named Pays Barval, an entity gathering the cities of the north and south of the bay and the ones of the Val de l'Eyre. After having started a bicycle urbanism consultancy mandate in Bordeaux 4 years ago, Copenhagenize is delighted to initiate a new assignment in Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

The region around the Arcachon Bay is unique in many ways and its natural territory is extremely diverse. The local authorities developed cycling infrastructure there for several years already. The region now has more than 220 km of cycle paths. In the bay area, the bicycle is the ideal means of transport to take advantage of the natural sites: the highest sand dune in Europe, a lagoon, a cape, some bird sanctuaries, some oyster farms, some salt meadows, and even some pine forests.

Long-distance cycling enthusiasts can explore the bay on EuroVelo No 1 (EV1), also called La Vélodyssée, crossing the bay area from north to south and then extending along the Atlantic coast.

This region is also emerging as an attractive employment area, with new permanent inhabitants and new business developments. Mobility is however constrained by the site’s geography and daily bicycle trips must be developed to the same level as cycling related to tourism.

By following our social media accounts (French Facebook page and Instagram), you will get the opportunity to regularly see photos of the Arcachon Bay over the upcoming months.

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L’équipe de Copenhagenize France s’est rendue la semaine dernière sur le bassin d’Arcachon pour lancer une nouvelle mission auprès du Pays Barval, entité regroupant les communes du nord et du sud du bassin, ainsi que celles du Val de l’Eyre. Après avoir commencé une mission de conseil en urbanisme cyclable à Bordeaux il y a 4 ans, Copenhagenize est ravie de repartir en mission sur les terres aquitaines.

La région située autour du bassin d’Arcachon est unique à plus d’un titre et son territoire naturel d’une grande diversité. Les autorités locales y ont depuis longtemps développé des infrastructures cyclables. La région compte, aujourd’hui, plus de 220 km de pistes cyclables. Le vélo est le moyen de déplacement idéal pour profiter des sites naturels : dune de sable la plus haute d’Europe, lagune, cap, réserves ornithologiques, élevages ostréicoles, prés-salés ou encore pinèdes.

Les passionnés de séjour à vélo au long court découvrent le bassin depuis l’EuroVélo n°1 (EV1), aussi appelée Vélodyssée, traversant le bassin du nord au sud et se prolongeant ensuite le long de la côte Atlantique.

Cette région se relève également être un bassin d’emplois attractif, comptant nouveaux habitants et nouvelles zones d’activités. La mobilité y est pourtant contrainte par la géographie de la région et les déplacements cyclables du quotidien doivent y être développés au même titre que le cyclotourisme.

En suivant nos réseaux sociaux (page Facebook en français et Instagram), vous pourrez régulièrement voir des photos de la région du bassin d’Arcachon durant les prochains mois.

Clotilde Imbert : "A unique opportunity to speed up the implementation of bicycle plans."

*version française ci-dessous*

Opinion Column. I am often asked if, to transform the streets and foster cycling as a means of transportation, it is better to act gradually or all at once. In recent months, my answer was: look at the massive impact on cycling during the public transport strikes in France. The combination of a recently expanded cycle track network with a sudden, but temporary, halting of public transport, helped thousands of Parisians realize the convenience and effectiveness of the bicycle.

 Soon, my answer may be: look at what happened in the world during the COVID-19 health crisis! An invisible virus may have accelerated the development of bicycle mobility more than years of rational, pragmatic, often passionate arguments from advocates convinced that the bicycle is a means of transportation perfectly suited to today's world.

 We are not there yet. Even if cities like Bogotá and Berlin have reacted quickly by building and/or widening secure corridors for bicycle users, it will be more specifically needed as confinement measures are eased. Some countries are working on transition plans from the strict containment to the return to a normal life. During this period, cities should set up temporary cycle paths to encourage a mode of travel that facilitates social distancing, is faster than walking, and above all, less space-consuming and polluting than driving. Currently, from the window of my living room office, I can already observe pedestrians walking on the cycle lane and cyclists circulating on the roadway. A new distribution of public space takes place in a spontaneous way while few inhabitants leave their homes. What will happen as confinement measures are eased?

Concepts of actions borrowed from tactical urbanism, normally implemented by advocates, are legitimate by authorities. In France, the Government has commissioned the Club des Villes Cyclables to set up a network of temporary cycle paths in metropolitan areas. Everyone who is convinced by the benefits of cycling mobility is delighted. For years now, the team at Copenhagenize Design Co. has been promoting the creation of transitional cycle paths protected by light segregations. In fact, a delegation to Copenhagen from the City of Montpellier discovered the benefits of quick implementation.

 Acting quickly does not mean acting impulsively. These lightly separated cycle paths are an opportunity to quickly and affordably implement plans already published in many cities. Light separation and temporary markings must allow the creation of new and efficient facilities and better secure cyclists than unprotected cycle lanes. Although they are the result of quick actions, these facilities must be part of a longer-term planning process which include an evaluation period leading to the durability of some infrastructure. They should serve the densest employment areas and main health facilities.

Even though we are talking about temporary infrastructure, let’s take a look at some of the basic principles of bicycle urbanism. First of all, to all those who fear that the bicycle will not be able to move locals efficiently, recall the figures: A 2.2 metre wide unidirectional cycle path can move between 3,200 and 5,900 riders per hour depending on the quality of the infrastructure and the density of users that we find acceptable and not too stressful... in times of social distancing these figures may fall, especially if we applies the results of a Belgian and Dutch study explaining that there must be a space of 10 to 20 metres between each cyclist.

Talking about capacity immediately brings up the width required for a cycle path. Normally, the minimum width for a unidirectional cycle path is 2.2 metres ; 2.5 metres ideally ; 3.5 metres for corridors with large flows. It is no longer only a question of allowing ‘passability’ among riders travelling at different speeds, but of giving the possibility of having a continuous flow of several lanes of users. While social distancing is necessary, these widths could even be expanded. Let’s go back to basics and consider users’ needs during this period.

Calculation of the ideal width of a bicycle lane during the covid-19 period. This width is credible when a car lane is removed.

As with the construction of permanent cycle paths, the implementation of the infrastructure is not the major technical issue. In the case of temporary cycle paths, bollards, road separators, or other light devices creating a separation easily identifiable for street users can be put in place. The crucial point remains the management of the intersection and, in this case, the management of the waiting area at the red light. By leaving 1 to 2 meters between each waiting cyclist, the area may stretch from a very long distance, or even fail to be contained properly along the block. Thus, longer green light phases for cyclists on major routes should be able to limit the effect of overcrowding. In addition, the creation of a “super bike box” using the cars' right-turning lane might also help to ease this situation.

No one yet knows how long the necessary measures will last. But there are certainly many questions on all of our minds. What will the future of mobility be like for urban inhabitants who are afraid to take public transport in big cities? What will the output of this period look like? If we haven’t learned anything from this situation, it may not be possible to predict the future, but possible to be better prepared. The day after tomorrow is something to build together. The strategy will have to go through precise monitoring of flows on temporary cycle paths. “Data is gold”, whatever the historical context.

During this global crisis, the bicycle once again humbly presents itself as a tool of resilience at the service of cities and its inhabitants. This period therefore becomes an appropriate time to speed up the implementation of bicycle plans, to test new cycling routes, but also to change the traditional approach to urban mobility planning. It involves accepting temporary and perhaps seemingly radical implementation, continued monitoring, correcting courses as necessary, and considering the sustainability of the most convincing experiments.

Clotilde Imbert

Director, Copenhagenize France

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Clotilde Imbert : “Une opportunité unique d’accélérer la mise en place des plans vélo.”

Tribune. On me demande souvent si, pour transformer les rues et faciliter la mobilité cyclable, mieux vaut agir de manière progressive ou d’un seul coup. Ces derniers mois, ma réponse fut : regardez l’impact massif des grèves des transports en commun en France sur la pratique du vélo. La concomitance de l’ouverture de kilomètres de pistes cyclables sécurisées et la fermeture du métro pendant des semaines a permis à des milliers de Parisiens de prendre conscience que le vélo était un moyen de déplacement efficace et envisageable pour leurs trajets quotidiens.

Bientôt, ma réponse sera : regardez ce qu’il s’est passé dans le monde lors de la crise sanitaire du covid-19 ! Un virus invisible aura peut-être davantage accéléré le développement de la mobilité cyclable que des années d’argumentaires rationnels, pragmatiques, souvent passionnés d’activistes convaincus que le vélo est un moyen de déplacement convenant parfaitement au monde actuel.

 Nous n’en sommes pas tout à fait là pour autant. Même si des villes, comme Bogotá et Berlin, ont réagi rapidement et créé ou élargi des corridors sécurisés pour les usagers du vélo, c’est surtout durant la période de déconfinement que les villes devraient mettre en place des pistes cyclables temporaires pour favoriser un mode de déplacement qui facilite la distanciation sociale, qui est plus rapide que la marche à pied et surtout moins consommateur d’espace et pollueur que la voiture. Actuellement, de la fenêtre de mon salon/bureau, je vois déjà les piétons marcher sur la bande cyclable et les cyclistes circuler sur la chaussée. Une nouvelle répartition de l’espace public s’effectue de manière spontanée alors que peu d’habitants sortent de chez eux. Qu’en sera-t-il durant la phase de déconfinement ?

 Des concepts d’actions empruntés à l’urbanisme tactique, normalement mis en œuvre par des associations, nous en voyons arriver en France, notamment, où le gouvernement a missionné le Club des Villes Cyclables pour mettre en place un réseau de pistes cyclables temporaires. Toutes les personnes convaincues par les bienfaits de la mobilité cyclable s’en réjouissent. L’équipe de Copenhagenize Design Co. fait d’ailleurs la promotion de la création de pistes cyclables transitoires protégées par des séparations légères depuis longtemps dans ses formations sur l’urbanisme cyclable. La ville de Montpellier en a découvert les bienfaits et la rapidité de mise en oeuvre suite à une visite dans nos bureaux de Copenhague de leurs élus et techniciens.

 Agir vite ne veut pas dire agir impulsivement. Ces aménagements légers sont l’occasion de mettre en oeuvre rapidement et à moindre coût les plans vélo dont disposent déjà de nombreuses collectivités. Par de la séparation légère et du marquage temporaire, ces dispositifs correspondent à la création de pistes cyclables qui doivent permettrent de créer des aménagements neufs et efficients et de mieux sécuriser les cyclistes qu’avec des bandes cyclables existantes et souvent étroites. Bien qu’issues d’actions rapides, ces aménagements doivent s’inscrire dans un processus d’aménagement à plus long terme qui doit intégrer une période d’évaluation menant à la pérennisation de l’infrastructure.  Ils devront desservir les zones d’emplois les plus denses et les équipements de santé. 

Voici quelques rappels des grands principes de notre vision de l’urbanisme cyclable. Tout d’abord, à tous ceux qui craignent que le vélo ne puisse permettre de déplacer massivement des habitants, rappel des chiffres : la capacité d’une piste cyclable de 2,20 m. de large est de 3 200 à  5 900 cyclistes par heure selon la qualité de l’infrastructure et la densité d’usagers que l’on trouve acceptable et pas trop stressante… en période de distanciation sociale ces chiffres doivent forcément chuter, surtout si on applique les résultats d’une étude belge et néerlandaise expliquant qu’il faut un espace de 10 et 20 mètres entre chaque cycliste. 

Parler de capacité amène tout de suite à évoquer la largeur requise pour une piste cyclable. En temps normal, la largeur minimale pour une piste cyclable unidirectionnelle est de 2,2 m. ; 2,5 m. étant   l’idéale ; 3,5 m pour les axes aux flux importants. Il ne s’agit plus de favoriser le dépassement d’un cycliste par un autre plus véloce, mais de donner la possibilité d’avoir plusieurs flux continus d’usagers. La distanciation sociale étant de rigueur, ces règles de largeur pourraient même être revues à la hausse. Repartons des besoins des usagers durant cette période.

Comme lors de construction de pistes cyclables définitives, la création de la section n’est pas l’enjeu technique majeur. Dans le cas de pistes cyclables temporaires, potelets, séparateurs, voire plots de chantier ou autres dispositifs légers créant une séparation facilement identifiable pour les usagers de la rue peuvent être mis en place. Le point crucial reste la gestion de l’intersection et, dans ce cas précis, la gestion de la zone d’attente au feu rouge. En laissant 1 à 2 mètres entre chaque cycliste en attente, la zone d’attente risque de s’étirer longuement, voire ne pas réussir à être contenue correctement.  Aussi, un allongement des temps de vert pour les cyclistes des axes majeurs doit pouvoir limiter l’effet de promiscuité. Par ailleurs, la création d’un “super sas vélo” en empruntant la voie de tourne-à-droite des voitures peut pallier à cette situation.

Personne ne sait combien de temps va durer la période de déconfinement ? Quelle va être précisément la mobilité des habitants ayant peur ou non de prendre les transports en commun dans les grandes villes? Que restera-t-il de cette période après le déconfinement? S’il n’est pas possible de prédire l’avenir, il est possible de le préparer. Le jour d’après se construit. La stratégie devra passer par un monitorage précis des flux sur les pistes cyclables temporaires. Data is gold, quelle que soit la période.

 Lors de cette violente crise, le vélo se présente encore une fois humblement comme un outil de résilience au service des villes et de ses habitants. La période devient donc un moment opportun pour accélérer la mise en oeuvre de plans vélo, pour tester de nouveaux itinéraires cyclables, mais aussi pour changer l’approche traditionnelle de l'urbanisme. Il s'agit d’accepter une mise en oeuvre transitoire, de la monitorer, de la corriger si besoin et d'envisager la pérennisation des expérimentations les plus probantes. 

Clotilde Imbert

Directrice, Copenhagenize France

Master Class Virtual Reunion

As we finish an unprecedented month of March, and enter into a socially-distant April, many of us are locked-down and spending hours on end home alone fighting the urge to go stir crazy. We know how important it is to stay connected to one another and share ideas during these times of uncertainty, to keep everybody thinking about the world beyond their apartment and how life might be different after the global pandemic.

In that spirit, on Friday March 27th we hosted our first virtual reunion for the past participants of the Master Class by Copenhagenize. We were thrilled to see more than 70 participants from around the world join us from the last 6 years of sessions we’ve been hosting in Copenhagen. We had friends log in staying up late in Yokohama and Perth with a beer in hand, while others in Chile and California were tuning in with their morning coffee. Not only was this an excellent chance to reconnect, but we also learned of developments all around the world in cargo bikes, all-season cycling, cyclo-tourism, and hilly-city bicycle planning.

João Camolas presenting

The two-hour programme included:

A Mayors Guide to Cargo Bikes

James Thoem (Copenhagenize Team)

James introduced how municipalities and other levels of governments can foster greater cargo bike usage among both public and private groups. Turning to case studies across multiple sectors, he demonstrated how decisive policy measures can directly encourage cargo bike ridership. 

Planning for Four Seasons: Cycling in Helsinki

Oskari Kaupinmäki (Class of 2017)

Oskari works as a project manager for the City of Helsinki and collaborates with the Handshake project where three EU pioneering cycling cities share their cycling solutions with ten aspiring EU cities. Oskari shared his knowledge on how Helsinki has made winter cycling a realistic transportation mode, giving examples of how other cities can take advantage of their bicycle infrastructure in all seasons.

Bicycle Tourism in Northern Italy

Giuliana Ganzini (Class of 2019)

Working as the manager of a boutique hotel in Udine, Giuliana has been pushing to leverage growing bicycle tourism infrastructure to better connect to cities in the regional community. Giuliana shared her experiences lobbying for change among a group of like-minded professionals pushing for more bicycle-friendly cities in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.

Empowering Commuters for All Season Cycling

Andrey Zhukov (Class of 2018)

As a technologist and Founder at BikeTo.se, Andrey and his team have developed an app that allows municipalities to crowdsource information on urban cycling patterns. Andrey shared his experience working in the Swedish city of Gävleborg, where their app has helped the City better understand and facilitate winter cycling habits.

The City of Seven Hills: Promoting Urban Cycling in Lisbon

João Camolas (Class of 2016)

Despite Lisbon being such a hilly city, and cycling seemingly impossible to some people, João presented the ambitious cycling policy of the Portuguese capital. As an advisor of the City of Lisbon for the past 10 years, João has been working in communication and urban cycling to create better conditions for active transportation. He is focused on building a safer cycling network and improving the public bike share system in order to help increase the cycling modal share in the city. To recognize the recent efforts to transform Lisbon’s streets and to encourage continued innovation, the City of Seven Hills will host the Velo-City conference in 2021. 

A group photo of a past Master Class in Copenhagen

The Copenhagenize Master Class alumni family is full of passionate practitioners from all around the world committed to making our cities better places to live and using the bicycle to leverage positive change. Stay tuned as we share ideas and stories from our network in these times of isolation and upheaval, showing what cities around the world are doing in lockdown and how the bicycle might help us return to some semblance of normalcy.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us last week. It was truly heartwarming to have the chance to reconnect with you all. We wish you good health and hope to be pedaling and planning more bicycle-friendly cities with you all very soon!

Register for our Master Class To Go in Paris

For several years, Copenhagenize Design Co. has been organizing Master Classes in Copenhagen, bringing together participants from all backgrounds and nationalities for the discovery of best practices in terms of urban planning cycling. 

Since 2019, the Master Class has started travelling around the world and has become the Master Class To Go. The first session was held in Bordeaux in 2019 and new sessions are coming to the United States and France in 2020. Registration is now open for the Master Class held in Paris on 06 & 07 October 2020.

Over two days, participants will attend an intense program, alternating presentations, discovering local cycling infrastructure, workshops, exchange time with other participants and local stakeholders. Clotilde and Arthur, part of the Copenhagenize France team will cover a multitude of topics related to bicycle urbanism, presenting key points that allow the creation of optimal conditions to facilitate cycling mobility as well as understanding user behaviour. The training is based on internationally recognized case studies. In addition, the program always links best practices to the local context in which the event takes place. Attendees will be able to bring a specific case study from their city  that will be discussed with the trainers and the rest of participants.,

The Master Class held in Paris in May will also be the opportunity to meet French mobility experts currently intensively working on bicycle plans. Representatives of the City of Paris, the Greater Paris Region and the Paris Urban Planning Institute will share their experiences during this event. A bike tour will be organised at night in the City of Lights to discover the new cycling infrastructure built in the past years which is intensively used by Parisians. 

You can find here a brochure describing the training and here the registration form to attend the Master Class held in Paris on 06 & 07 October 2020. The training will be held in French. 

From Scepticism to Inspiring Study Trips in Copenhagen: Story of Montpellier's Viral Hashtag

The whole delegation experiencing the qualitative cycling infrastructure of Copenhagen.

Ⓒ Copenhagenize France

Last week Copenhagenize France, led by Clotilde Imbert, welcomed a delegation of politicians, mobility experts  and representatives of an association from Montpellier, France to the Danish capital city. Mayor Saurel, accompanied by elected members of his party, transport planners and members of Vélocité, a cyclist’s association demanding better infrastructure, travelled to Copenhagen to learn more about cycling infrastructure and policies, and experience how intuitive and enjoyable cycling is in the world’s most cycling-friendly city. The delegation was unique in its constitution as it gathered members from both public entities and associations, which shows the commitment and determination of all actors of the development of cycling infrastructure in Montpellier.

Mayor Saurel made newspapers headlines a year ago when he declared on local television that building cycling infrastructure for only a couple of bicycle users was not worth it. A few days later, hundreds of cycling enthusiasts gathered on the streets of Montpellier to demonstrate the need for safer cycling conditions in the city. The association, Vélocité, was key in amplifying this movement by creating a slogan, a logo and a dedicated website. The phenomenon became viral on social media and the hashtag #JeSuisUnDesDeux (I Am One Of The Two) is now the symbol of the movement. Due to the massive mobilisation following his statement on TV, Mayor Saurel reconsidered his position and gained interest in cycling as a means of transport. Since then, the transport department of the municipality of Montpellier have operated a complete change of mentality towards the use of bicycles, and Mayor Saurel and his team were eager to visit Copenhagen to be inspired by best practices.

Director of Copenhagenize France, Clotilde Imbert is used to saying that the start of a bicycle-friendly city is the meeting between the demand of the inhabitants and the understanding of this demand by the elected officials. The political will that follows to implement the necessary changes in favour of bicycle users is then enhanced and the process of redesigning the streets can begin. 

Copenhagenize France witnessed a promising dynamic between the participants during the study trip. Indeed, after engaging in a constructive debate on the subject, all members of the study tour concluded that the City of Montpellier has significant potential in terms of its bikeability. In addition to benefiting from a Mediterranean climate and a relatively flat city, last year’s phenomenon has shown decision-makers of Montpellier that citizens want a change in transport options. Therefore, urban cycling must be one of their top priorities to shape the sustainable city of tomorrow. Mayor Saurel has announced the creation of a carbon-neutral plan for the city of Montpellier and a significant increase in infrastructure investment in favour of bicycle users.

Next year’s municipal election candidates will hopefully learn from this bottom-up phenomenon and incorporate a mobility strategy in favour of what city dwellers want: a safe, enjoyable and active city.

Copenhagenize France team and Copenhagenize Design Co. CEO, Morten Kabell, welcoming a French delegation in Nordhavn, Copenhagen. Ⓒ Copenhagenize France

Bruges Appoints an International Consortium for the FR30 Cycling Project

The Lord Mayor introduces the Bruges’ cycling policy.

Together with the international landscape architecture firm West 8 and the traffic company Vectris, Copenhagenize Design Co. has been commissioned to work for the City of Bruges on a study into the construction of the FR30 bicycle ring road.

The project will allow Bruges to develop a new vision for its cycling network. This vision will focus on tackling weak areas within the existing system and on further raising the cycling modal share (already 43% in 2017). The project is supported by the EU Horizon 2020-funded Handshake collaboration.

The City Monitor, which compares Flemish cities across some 200 indicators, ranks Bruges as the number one cycling city in Flanders. “This does not mean that we can afford to slow down our efforts,” says the Lord Mayor De fauw. “On the contrary. The growing popularity of cycling also makes it clear that a number of weak points, especially near the city centre, remain to be addressed. Amsterdam and Copenhagen have clearly demonstrated that higher targets for the cycling modal shift can be achieved. New emerging trends, like fast e-bikes, challenge the current infrastructure. This is why Bruges is participating in Handshake, a collaborative project between European cycling cities that enables the exchange of successful practices in cycling.” 

The project team will work on a concept design for a bicycle ring road (FR30) to strengthen the cycling network. “Together with our partner Vectris, we will first study the city fabric and, in particular, the urban morphology. In doing so, we will analyse the need for a new supra-infrastructure and its possible location” states Maarten van de Voorde, director at West 8. “We want to preserve Bruges’ unique DNA and maximise the city’s soft values. We believe that cycling is more than a form of mobility -- that it is an integral part of a bustling and productive urban life. The expertise of local and regional experts is therefore of paramount importance. Thanks to our partner Copenhagenize Design Co., we will be able to actively involve these partners.”

“This ambitious project kicked off during our first meeting on August 23rd,” states Clotilde Imbert from Copenhagenize Design Co. “At this meeting, we discussed our first findings with a dozen local and regional experts and with our ‘Handshake-project Mentor,’ the City of Amsterdam. We did a cycling tour to witness Bruges’ vibrant cycling atmosphere as well as see the challenges the city is facing.”

Like the Lord Mayor said in his opening speech, quoting the medieval merchant family Gruuthuuse “plus est en vous.” There is more in you; you can always exceed yourself. The best is yet to come!