June 20, 2023. 

When bicycles transitioned from tall wheeled vehicles used for stunts and novelty to safer "wheels," they were swiftly embraced by suffragettes and young women seeking unprecedented freedom. As a girl, my bicycle offered me what felt like unbridled liberation with countless days spent riding from house to house, to the park, and back. All the while, the "kitchen sink window" network of my rural community and probably a fair amount of luck kept me safe and unaware of any dangers in my surroundings.

However, as I grew older and became a mother, I succumbed to the pervasive messaging that dictated I needed a large car to ensure the safety of myself and my children while on the road. Astonishingly, myself and countless other rational individuals fell victim to the auto industry's marketing, engaging in an escalating "light truck" arms race, all in the name of safety. But at what cost does this illusion of safety come? And is it even genuine? For answers to these questions, I urge readers to watch the video by Not Just Bikes. In short, these suburban monster trucks are inflicting harm, with women, communities of color, and the economically disadvantaged bearing a disproportionately heavy burden of injury and death. For a deeper understanding, I recommend reading  The Road to Transportation Justice: Reframing Auto Safety in the SUV Age). 

Nowadays, as a researcher focusing on pedestrian and cyclist safety, my goals extend beyond protecting vulnerable road users. I also strive to enhance the diversity of active transportation participants by fostering a greater sense of safety. While Denmark currently lacks the number and size of light trucks found in the United States, the European Union is witnessing a rise in larger SUVs and crossovers on their city streets, interacting with a larger pedestrian and cycling population. During this trip, I aim to learn from the Danish experience—exploring design, policy, operations, and cultural aspects that have cultivated a richer cycling culture, with a particular emphasis on the drivers of the participation of women and children. I hope to identify transferable practices that can be implemented in the United States presently or pursued as future goals. Additionally, I am interested in understanding Denmark's strategies for addressing the presence of larger and heavier vehicles, which are already prevalent in the United States and increasingly common there.

If I can bring any of these insights back with me, my aspiration is to restore the original promise of freedom that bicycles offered to women and marginalized groups—a promise stolen by larger, more aggressive vehicles that propagate the fallacious notion that roads are exclusively reserved for a single type of user: drivers--increasing of SUVs and Pickup trucks. 

June 25, 2023. 

Day 1 

Kind acquaintances and strangers who had been to Copenhagen before, told be "you'll be amazed by the shear number of bikes", "there are bikes everywhere", "their problem is bike parking". And like most unsolicited advice it was met with shrugged shoulders and an "okay" from me. But I will say, when I got off the train and was trying to drag my suitcases to the hotel, I was thunderstruck by the overwhelming number of bikes. They were every-freaking-where and with no obvious owners around, it made me wonder if this is how Europeans feel when they encounter a mall parking lot in the US. 

As I continued my suitcase-bound hotel slog, I began to see the people on the bikes and one of the first things I noticed was the speed. The cyclists were not trying to race the cars down the block and had no particular need to go fast. I found this comforting as I posed a significant sidewalk obstacle for many pedestrians who had to go around the crazy person dragging two suitcases over cobblestones. I hope throughout the trip to find out more about why the speeds are slower here. My first impression is that less competition with cars for resources allows for a more natural traveling pace, but I think it may be a more nuanced answer that has to do with another thing that I noticed later.

After I ditched the suitcases, grabbed a Red Bull (jetlag fuel), and was invited out to sit at a café, I began to see more clearly the diversity of the bicycle user in Copenhagen. Rather than the fairly kitted out cyclist tropes that we're pretty familiar with in the states, the bicycle users here are everyone and they are using their bicycles to do everything. It's not so much a lifestyle or a political statement as a tool for living their lives. I saw couples in nice clothes going on a date. I saw an older woman in her summer dress with her yoga mat in her basket. I saw so many dog owners with the dog on board rather than running alongside. Parents taking their children out. People carrying groceries. All the things we use our cars for were happening before me--on bicycles, amazing.

Now I know why folks told me that I would be astounded by the number to bicycles and their ubiquity. There really are so many of them and they are everywhere and that statement does say a lot about the cycling culture here in Copenhagen once you experience it for yourself.