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Video: mesmerising time lapse of Copenhagen's bicycle rush hour

Clip shows a tightly packed peloton of commuters in the Danish capital

A mesmerising video showing a time lapse of Copenhagen's morning rush hour gives a visual indication of just how many people commute by bike in the Danish capital.

The 24-second clip, titled Morning Ebb and Flow, shows a tightly-packed shoal of hundreds of cyclists edging forward with each traffic light phase.

- Robert Goodwill and Chris Boardman head to Copenhagen to discuss Danish cycling infrastructure (+ video)

In a week where British Cycling's policy advisor, Chris Boardman, is taking our cycling minister to Copenhagen to show him what a cycling city looks like, this footage gives a unique perspective of how many people commute by bike there, and an indication of how many cyclists the UK could have, given the infrastructure.

Morning Ebb And Flow from jim slade on Vimeo.

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21 comments

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WolfieSmith | 8 years ago
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The adherence to signs in Denmark in contrast to the UK that Timsen mentions is a strange one. In the UK stopping for zebra crossings, signalling on roundabouts and not slowing for crossing pedestrians ahead have become the norm. The UK has definitely gone over to the dark side in the 33 years since I learnt to drive and a national re-education is long overdue.

For all it's idiocy in America overtaking a school bus or 'jaywalking' can still earn you a fine and they manage to make a 4 way stop sign work. Can you imagine 4 British motorists at a cross roads deciding who went first? It would be a mayhem of blacked out gitpanzers side swiping each other.  22

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Dnnnnnn replied to WolfieSmith | 8 years ago
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MercuryOne wrote:

Can you imagine 4 British motorists at a cross roads deciding who went first?

Yes, if you put a circle in the middle it might work OK.

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Timsen | 8 years ago
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I walked & cycled in Copenhagen last year & it's a world away from the UK. One of the most notable aspects is the discipline of all road users. It's notable that people there take road signs & traffic signals VERY seriously. Car drivers, bike riders & pedestrians will all wait patiently by the side of the road indefinitely until the green light shows for them ....even if it appears that there is no traffic coming. Unfortunately I can't ever see this being recreated in the UK ....especially London !

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QDubs replied to Timsen | 8 years ago
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Copenhagen is a wonderful place, especially compared to the UK or US. If you spend a bit in The Netherlands and then go to Copenhagen it seems amazingly poor though. This is also born out by their having 1/3 fewer people riding bicycles as The Netherlands and about a 40% higher fatality rate among bicycle riders (though still the second safest place to ride behind The Netherlands).

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ChairRDRF | 8 years ago
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You can see quite a lot of videos and particularly photos of this kind of thing on www.copenhageize.com

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Jacobi | 8 years ago
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The UK's politicians please take note - if only you had the will to act!

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therealsmallboy | 8 years ago
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As long as our culture continues to defend lazy, overweight over-eating type behaviours, this will always just be a pipe dream. The British reason for the same volume of people being in cars will often come down to the people in the cars being too fat and lazy to use their own body to propel them and if you say otherwise, the goodie-goodies P.C. brigade lambast you for having a health-conscious opinion.

The whole fat-shaming rubbish that is being banded about as soon as somebody points out that we have a lazy, overweight modern society will be the downfall of it.

In many countries, people feel responsible and embarrassed for acting like slobs and being lazy and irresponsible. Here and in the U.S, it is actively defended. I've actually been the victim of prejudice because I take the decision to use my bike to commute instead of driving. "Oh I bet you're one of 'those' aren't you?, The skinny eco-warrior types".

I'm actually not, I'm just not a fat, lazy cvnt- but of course I can't say that because it's 'fattist'

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skull-collector... | 8 years ago
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<3

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Tired of the tr... | 8 years ago
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Note also how the cycle lane continues across the junction (although the colour has faded), doesn't have an ASL, and the cars turning right have to wait before crossing the cycle lane; bicycles (and pedestrians) have priority over vehicles that are leaving their lane.

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pmanc | 8 years ago
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I know Copenhagen is supposed to be progressive in this respect (and having cycled there it's way ahead of us), but actually, watching at that video, it seems the cyclists have very little time (traffic light phase) and space (cycle lane) dedicated to them, considering how many of them there are compared to cars.

The cyclists joining the back of the queue don't always get to the front in one phase despite the bunching - that's not right. Due to the short phase the vast majority of cyclists have to stop and then start. And as Bmblbzzz says, they could stand to convert at least an extra lane into cycle facility. More work needed.

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P3t3 replied to pmanc | 8 years ago
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pmanc wrote:

I know Copenhagen is supposed to be progressive in this respect (and having cycled there it's way ahead of us), but actually, watching at that video, it seems the cyclists have very little time (traffic light phase) and space (cycle lane) dedicated to them, considering how many of them there are compared to cars.

The cyclists joining the back of the queue don't always get to the front in one phase despite the bunching - that's not right. Due to the short phase the vast majority of cyclists have to stop and then start. And as Bmblbzzz says, they could stand to convert at least an extra lane into cycle facility. More work needed.

Your comments echo those of David Hembrow who reckons Copenhagen has become complacent and is actually loosing modal share from bikes. http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2009/12/truth-about-copenhagen.html

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webbierwrex | 8 years ago
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It's just depressing to see what cities in England could look like with a little forward thinking from (some of) the population and politicians.

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jacknorell | 8 years ago
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It's also noticeably how few motorised vehicles are on the road joining what looks like a busier trunk road.

At least in London (anywhere in the city...) there are more cars for each light phase than in this entire clip...

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jmaccelari replied to jacknorell | 8 years ago
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jacknorell wrote:

It's also noticeably how few motorised vehicles are on the road joining what looks like a busier trunk road.

At least in London (anywhere in the city...) there are more cars for each light phase than in this entire clip...

That's the whole point. Put 90% of the cyclists in this video into cars and it will look as busy (and congested) as London...

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Bmblbzzz replied to jmaccelari | 8 years ago
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jmaccelari wrote:
jacknorell wrote:

It's also noticeably how few motorised vehicles are on the road joining what looks like a busier trunk road.

At least in London (anywhere in the city...) there are more cars for each light phase than in this entire clip...

That's the whole point. Put 90% of the cyclists in this video into cars and it will look as busy (and congested) as London...

Hence my comment that instead of one cycle lane and three for 'traffic' there really ought to be two each.

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DaxPlusPlus replied to jacknorell | 8 years ago
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 24

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Danger Dicko | 8 years ago
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Heaven

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nowasps | 8 years ago
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Just imagine what it would be like if all those people were in cars.

Well, actually you don't have to...

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to nowasps | 8 years ago
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nowasps wrote:

Just imagine what it would be like if all those people were in cars.

Well, actually you don't have to...

And people still try to argue there's "no room" for cycle infrastructure on London roads! As if cars use space more efficiently in their bizarro world.

Though it does strike me that with cycling levels like that an entirely different set of cycling skills would be required (for me, at least, not being accustomed to cycling in large groups).

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CXR94Di2 replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 8 years ago
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FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
nowasps wrote:

Just imagine what it would be like if all those people were in cars.

Well, actually you don't have to...

And people still try to argue there's "no room" for cycle infrastructure on London roads! As if cars use space more efficiently in their bizarro world.

Though it does strike me that with cycling levels like that an entirely different set of cycling skills would be required (for me, at least, not being accustomed to cycling in large groups).

Club group cycling is completely different where close proximity is for energy saving. Commuting is much more relaxed and everyone gives space to each other

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Bmblbzzz | 8 years ago
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Looks like they need to convert one of the car lanes into an extra bike lane.

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