{"id":418,"date":"2019-07-05T14:41:03","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T13:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=418"},"modified":"2019-07-05T14:41:03","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T13:41:03","slug":"contrast-of-bike-paths-in-new-york-city-and-copenhagen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=418","title":{"rendered":"Contrast of bike paths in New York City and Copenhagen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Big city, big road, yet bigger cars, narrow or no bike lanes. The places you could safely ride bikes were the central park, the Brooklyn\u2019s bridge, Hudson river greenway, east river greenway and may be a few other places, which we couldn\u2019t visit. At least what I am trying to say here is, there are some bike paths and you could see some people riding bikes, but when one talks about the connectedness, its hard to find. In Manhattan area, there is bike lane but it was very rare to see anyone riding bikes in those areas. In the city core area, one struggles to find his\/her way in the traffic. Also we took a bike for a day when we wanted to explore central park. This day we realised as was said by one random guy on the street in Harlem, that we \u201clooked pathetic with the bikes\u201d and nobody rides bike around these areas. Believe me, having lived in Germany for a while, where even university professors, people in their 70s-80s ride bikes everywhere, it was a strange thing to encounter. And also when people say that New York City is so vibrant, it\u2019s a people\u2019s city, I found it little hard to digest on couple of encounters we had. And the bikers biking in their bike ways, they weren\u2019t the nicest people, you could get seriously hurt if you come in their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pedestrians out of the way of the bike way!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Copenhagen, every street, every neighbourhood, any place that you could see or walk, you could see bike lanes. The amount of people cycling there had definitely made the traffic so well managed. And in this city we decided not to rent a bike because it was just too hot and we had to be outside to explore all the time. So we definitely had to spare some energy and water inside our bodies. But the sight was amazing. To see so many bikes passing and crossing everywhere, everything so well managed nobody was suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Elevated bike path along the road of Copenhagen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cyclists knew what they were doing, the pedestrians also valued each others path, nothing was going wrong. As this was happening in daily basis, there was a silent rule that was followed by everyone. Cycling was not for leisure, not just a quicker alternative to walking, it was a means of transportation. No wonder it is the most bike friendly city in the world. A whooping 62 percent of the residents ride bikes to work and education with only 9 percent of the population driving. They are doing a lot more than this. You can check out this site<\/a>. Isn\u2019t that something for cities which are expanding their infrastructures to accommodate more cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking about my hometown Kathmandu in this context. Such a small city,\nwhere you could reach everywhere by bikes, wouldn\u2019t it have been better to\nprioritise bike lanes than expanding roads for more cars. Anyways, the traffic\ncongestion will not go unless we have underpasses and overhead bridges. So why\nnot go for some feasible options. And for people who would say the pollution\nwill make it hard to ride bikes, I would say if they have noticed the city\nduring strikes and Dashain & Tihar festivals. Anyway, this is just a\nthought, I haven\u2019t done any detailed study or research to talk about this any\nmore than I just did. But when I was doing a study with the children of\nKathmandu for my project, I found out that not even 1 percent of the students\nwhom I asked were going to school by bike, not even riding bikes as leisure. May\nbe road safety is the concern for the parents.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was in Copenhagen, I could\nfeel the city enjoying riding bikes and when I asked someone who was living\nthere if it\u2019s the same during cold and dark winter days, she said it\u2019s the\nsame, they wont stop riding bikes. The paths are cleared off the snow and made\nbikeable all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Look, a bike parking! N\u00f8rreport station, Copenhagen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In New York City, even in places where bike lanes were integrated with the landscape, for example central park, the convenience level was a bit low. We hired the bikes to stroll around the park and we were not even allowed to enter all the paths that were only meant for \u201cwalking\u201d. The bike lanes were with all the traffic lights and strongly disconnected with the park. So most of the time, we had to just move around with our bikes by our side. The bikers were just biking around the park and nobody would dare to cross their paths. So for the tourist it could be a bit overwhelming to go around in the park with bikes, maybe walking would be a better option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
We found our way!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, we really enjoyed our bike rides for the day. The bike paths were very nice to see around the outside areas of the park as well, you could also bike through the east river greenway to have a pleasant view of that side. It depends on what is your motive of riding a bike. There it was definitely not to integrate bikers to the park. At least in touristic spots like Brooklyn bridge, it could have been a little friendlier. The bike lanes did provide a lot of positive impacts. One could have a view of the beautiful scenery around the park as well as have some workout with pleasure. The rules were easy to follow and not misguiding. It is strange how back in the late 80s and 90s, when we were watching TV shows like Seinfeld, they were always complaining about scarce parking spots, grotesque subway lines, and till date they are still facing these problems. May be these are part of the \u201cbig city living\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
There is a bike lane, if you can see.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was contrasting to see New York City and Copenhagen in their bike friendliness. Of course, we can argue that Copenhagen is small, New York City is way too big to be bikeable. Still there are people who ride bikes half way to work and then take trains too. Its all about how you want to live and make impact in the society. Cities sure are providing a lot of alternatives and provisions when it comes to bikers in Europe. In Copenhagen one could really witness that. Riding bikes is a good exercise if you are looking for a personal benefit too. In the long term one must not even mention that it helps in less carbon emission, friendlier neighbourhood, place attachment due to slower movement and openness than cars, just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It cannot be done only by people\u2019s will\nor by government\u2019s efforts. Government must encourage people with such infrastructures\nand the public should also be aware and enthusiast towards it. Would you\nconsider riding bikes around your city to go to work or to just travel around?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cities sure are providing a lot of alternatives and provisions when it comes to bikers in Europe. In Copenhagen one could really witness that. Riding bikes is a good exercise if you are looking for a personal benefit too. In the long term one must not even mention that it helps in less carbon emission, friendlier neighbourhood, place attachment due to slower movement and openness than cars, just to name a few.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,6,9,13],"tags":[38,39,40,43,46,64,75,121,124,125],"class_list":["post-418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-denmark","category-europe","category-north-america","category-usa","tag-bike-friendly-city","tag-bike-lanes","tag-bikes","tag-brooklyn-bridge","tag-central-park","tag-copenhagen","tag-european-cities","tag-new-york-city","tag-norreport-copenhagen","tag-nyc"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":780,"url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=780","url_meta":{"origin":418,"position":0},"title":"Phuket \u2013 way to the old town and around \u2013 a different perspective!","author":"Apekshya","date":"30 August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This is how we ended up going to the old town in a bus. But I won\u2019t say I regretted it. The bus was with open windows so we could get some natural wind flowing in from between us. The ride was fun with around 15 more people, mostly tourists,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asia"","block_context":{"text":"Asia","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/phuket-views-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/phuket-views-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/phuket-views-scaled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/phuket-views-scaled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/phuket-views-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/phuket-views-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":864,"url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=864","url_meta":{"origin":418,"position":1},"title":"Bridge, Grass and the Sunset – One Fine Day in Salzburg","author":"Apekshya","date":"4 March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"How something which is out of intention in design can have influence of this level that people who are using certain space and elements have the capability to change its aesthetics and change its architecture. This is the strength of the combination of architecture and people.","rel":"","context":"In "Austria"","block_context":{"text":"Austria","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1912-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1912-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1912-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1912-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1912-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1912-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":865,"url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=865","url_meta":{"origin":418,"position":2},"title":"Boundary, Chaos and the Standing Strong – Ashoka Stupa","author":"Apekshya","date":"4 March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The form of stupa gives a passer-by a feeling of contentment. The very form of Stupa symbolizes five elements earth, water, fire, wind and space, which is represented by its cubic base, dome-shaped mound, triangular conus, calyx and the top flame respectively.","rel":"","context":"In "Nepal"","block_context":{"text":"Nepal","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2-2-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":686,"url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=686","url_meta":{"origin":418,"position":3},"title":"It\u2019s Time for Communities to thrive!","author":"Apekshya","date":"6 May 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"If there was a big green space in my neighbourhood, if I had a place to go during this pandemic, I would quietly go there and sit. I would sit for hours and contemplate. I would lay down in the grass and hear the birds sing. I could stay alone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nepal"","block_context":{"text":"Nepal","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mauerpark-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mauerpark-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mauerpark-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mauerpark-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mauerpark-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mauerpark-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":140,"url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=140","url_meta":{"origin":418,"position":4},"title":"Let Play be Public","author":"Apekshya","date":"4 March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Kathmandu's dynamic environment offers potential for children's play, yet many are confined indoors, lacking freedom. While families invest in education and entertainment, true growth occurs through unstructured play and exploration. Developing local parks and play areas can foster creativity and community connections, allowing children to thrive within their neighbourhoods.","rel":"","context":"In "Research and Philosophy"","block_context":{"text":"Research and Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?cat=175"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1-3-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":479,"url":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?p=479","url_meta":{"origin":418,"position":5},"title":"Childhood \u2013 different perspectives","author":"Apekshya","date":"17 January 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Amongst the ruins of temples and houses, patis and shattals (rest houses) with unrestful people, sound of prayer bells and vehicle horns, the white neoclassical palace also under reconstruction, lots of eateries, shops and bargains, there still seemed to exist a time that was still. It seemed that the rush\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nepal"","block_context":{"text":"Nepal","link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover-photo-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover-photo-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover-photo-2-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover-photo-2-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover-photo-2-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover-photo-2-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1.jpg",2560,1707,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1.jpg",2560,1707,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg",880,587,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true],"blask-post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-880x587.jpg",880,587,true],"blask-site-logo":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-220x147.jpg",220,147,true],"jetpack-portfolio-admin-thumb":["https:\/\/archyatra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/img_4979-2-scaled-1-50x50.jpg",50,50,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Apekshya","author_link":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":5,"rttpg_category":"Denmark<\/a> Europe<\/a> North America<\/a> USA<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Cities sure are providing a lot of alternatives and provisions when it comes to bikers in Europe. In Copenhagen one could really witness that. Riding bikes is a good exercise if you are looking for a personal benefit too. In the long term one must not even mention that it helps in less carbon emission,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archyatra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}