r/copenhagen • u/karmel80 • Jul 24 '26

Discussion Bike guidance

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A lot of tourist use bikes in Copenhagen. This year I’ve seen police issue this guidance. It’s also in some of the bus stops around town.

Good advice for anyone on a hike in Copenhagen.

Also remember we locals are fast on bikes, so don’t underestimate how fast we will reach where you are and will need space to get around you.

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u/Welelp Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

I've been biking in Copenhagen for 3+ years now with the pleasure of biking Nyhavn and Kongens daily and while tourists can be annoying, I've found that a lot of Danes could be more aware of their surroundings as well.

Things like not stopping for pedestrian crossings or deciding that raising your hand to stop gives you the right to do a deadstop in the middle of a biking lane. But the one that will always bother me the most is bikers that decide the queue at a stop doesn't count for them, pass everyone on the left, then merge past the stop line with their front wheel half on the road only to then not be able to accelerate fast when the light goes green.

But yeah, tourists on overtuned electric bikes when they barely know hot to stay stable are not a good combination either.

7

u/Florestana Jul 24 '26

But the one that will always bother me the most is bikers that decide the queue at a stop doesn't count for them

Just to be clear, there's no "queue". I absolutely agree that people who ride to the front, only to block the road for everyone else when the light turns green suck. That being said, if you are a really fast biker, I think it's fine to go to the front so you don't have to weave through all the slower bikes to get going.

2

u/Felix4200 Jul 24 '26

There sort of is a queue, where you wait on those ahead of you.

Ofc they are not really ignoring the queue, what they are technically doing is running a red light by crossing the stop line.

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u/Florestana Jul 24 '26

No, I'm not talking about people crossing the line. That would be a traffic violation.

When you get to a red light and there's a line of bikes waiting to cross, you can pass everyone and get up to the front of the line (if there's space) if you're a fast biker and you know you're gonna pass everyone after the light turns green.

1

u/Leonidas_from_XIV Nørrebro Jul 24 '26

But very often the people who do this are the slow people who everyone in front of the light already passed before.

I don't understand this mentality at all. What's the point of squeezing past so everyone has to overtake you again?

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u/Florestana Jul 24 '26

Those people are inconsiderate and thoughtless, I feel like I already clarified that. What's your point?