Relocation Guide - Spring 2012
Two-wheeled traffic – without the trauma Welcome to the city where the majority of the population uses a two-wheeled vehicle for transportation By Kamilla Stoffregen 2. Signal Remember to indicate your intentions to turn or stop in the traffic. Others should be able to anticipate your movements from your indications. Turning is signalled by extending the arm horizontally in the direction you intend to turn. Raising the arm vertically signals you are about to stop. 3. Wait Don’t always maintain your right of way if the situation looks dangerous. As a cyclist, you are vulnerable and often the victim should an accident take place.
Enticing, but not for the fainthearted
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4. Lorries Keep behind lorries and buses as a general rule. Most accidents happen at crossroads. Lorries making a right-turn are
iven the number of cycling paths crisscrossing the city, the general flatness of the landscape and the relatively mild climate, it’s no wonder cycling is the national means of transport.
known to be a hazard, especially to cyclists. If you are beside or
Joining fellow cyclists in the city bustle is absolutely recommended when relocating to Copenhagen. Idyllic as it may look, however, the country’s bicycle lanes are not for the fainthearted, and newcomers should get acquainted with the basic rules – written and unwritten – before venturing outside on two wheels. Here are a few tips:
in bad weather. Lights must be mounted to the bike and should
1. Helmet Even though use of helmets is optional, head injuries, which comprise half of the serious injuries that occur to cyclists, can be prevented by helmets. Helmets come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. To find a helmet approved by European standards, look for the label reading EN 1078.
behind a lorry and can’t see its mirrors, the driver can’t see you. 5. Lights Bicycle lights should be used from sunset to sunrise and be able to be seen clearly, from the sides as well, from a distance of 300 metres. Rear lights should be red and may blink, if the blinking speed is more than 120 blinks per minute. Headlights should be yellow or white, possibly with a bluish tint. Whereas white lights should blink at least 120 times per minute, yellow
Bike Archetypes It isn’t just the newcomers that irritate regular bike commuters, there are plenty of other commuter types that make cycling a pain in the saddle for the majority of riders. The unhinged parent The back wheel child-seat conspicuous in the absence of junior should send alarm bells ringing among the most confident of cyclists. These young parents are known for their lethal pedalling and God help anyone who gets in their way. The green jersey cyclist This cunning fox knows the location and timing of every red light in the city, so don’t be surprised when the middle-aged buffer who you passed three blocks earlier comes tearing past you at the speed of light to make it through a junction you gave up on ten seconds ago, often raising his hands in jubilation. The multi-tasker Chatting with friends, text messaging, reading the newspaper while driving no-handed, looking at members of the opposite sex, plotting future world domination. The deputy Self-appointed arbiters who are always there to tick you off should you dare to err from the unofficial rule book, which they frequently break themselves.
lights should not blink. 6. Alcohol If under the influence of alcohol, take a taxi or push your bike. Should you meet the police while drinking and biking,
The scooter polluter Sometimes traveling faster than the legal limit of 45km per hour, these noisy maniacs can be heard a long ways off. Pull to the right if you hear one coming, lest you become the subject of an angry honk.
you can be fined.
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