Overview
The new national bicycle strategy was launched to encourage more people to cycle. Although Denmark is one of the leading cycling countries, fewer Danes use their bicycles than in the past.
The trend for cycling in Denmark must be reversed so that more people again choose the bicycle every day for work, education and leisure activities.
It's a matter of focusing on more cycling and continuing to find new solutions that make it attractive to choose the bicycle as a means of transport, for both adults and children. Once the framework is established so that it is safe and secure to take the bicycle, people will have the opportunity to make the healthy choice.
The new national bicycle strategy will focus on both everyday cycling, school cycling and recreational cycling to ensure that Denmark gets on the bike.
Funding
Results
The new national bicycle strategy was launched to encourage more people to cycle, to make them consider whether the bicycle could be an option next time they are heading out the door. And for people to leave their car keys and bus passes at home occasionally and experience the joys of cycling instead.
The bicycle strategy should be an inspiration to the municipalities and to other actors who would like to participate in the green transition and who wish to invest in promoting cycling. Funding is therefore continuing to be allocated through funds that can help to bolster new cycling solutions and encourage cycling.
In the framework of the strategy these three kinds of cycling are supported:
EVERYDAY CYCLING
More everyday cycling increases mobility and provides a cleaner environment and better climate. Traffic congestion on the roads would be reduced if more people choose to cycle to work and to school instead of taking the car. Where the distance between home and work or school exceeds the range of the bicycle, a greener transportation solution would be to combine the bicycle with a train or bus. This is the focus of the Door-to-door strategy. It is about ensuring good parking facilities at train stations and other hubs and about establishing new bicycle solutions in the workplace, so commuters will have an incentive to switch from the car to the bicycle, possibly in combination with public transport.
ACTIVE HOLIDAYS AND RECREATION
But the bicycle is not only a good means of transport on weekdays. It is also a convenient and inexpensive way to get out and experience Denmark during your leisure time. Increased use of the bicycle for both vacations and leisure can provide a healthier lifestyle and new experiences from the bicycle saddle. Cycling can be a hobby for a greater number of people if good recreational routes are made available, which offer opportunities for a leisurely trip in beautiful natural surroundings or more demanding routes that are suitable for e.g. mountain bikes. The routes must also be well signposted so that it is easy to follow the route and identify the area's attractions etc.
NEW AND SAFE CYCLISTS
A third major area of focus is to establish safe roads and cycle paths so that even more new cyclists will be attracted to them. Children must be able to get safely to school and to other recreational activities, so that cycling becomes a natural choice as a mode of transport and so that they learn to become part of a good traffic culture.