When in Copenhagen…

Pittsburgh City Councilman Daniel Lavelle visited Copenhagen and you’ll never guess how he was getting around the city (hint: we don’t get excited about car trips). YES, by bike. Easy to deduce when talking about Copenhagen, a city with a population of about 570,000 and over 220 miles of bike lanes that offers all visitors a chance to experience everyday commute in a place that has prioritized people-centered design.

Check out these photos of Councilman Lavelle exploring Copenhagen on two wheels.

Copenhagen is a cycling haven where about 50% of all commuting trips made by residents are by bike.

And it seems like Councilman Lavelle found commuting by bike to be easy, convenient and pretty flippin’ fun.

Along with the photos the councilman shared the following thoughts about his experiences in Denmark’s capital city and his newfound mode of transportation, “Biking is as normal as driving in Copenhagen. And its quicker and cheaper than public transportation. Oh, and you can put your bike on the metro. It was weird at first biking to meetings in a suit, but I’m calculating about 30 miles biked in the city in the last four days. Might have to keep this up.”

We certainly hope Councilman Lavelle continues to bike when he returns to the 412 and we hope shares some of the insight he has gained from bike commuting in Copenhagen. The councilman represents Pittsburgh’s 6th council district which includes Downtown, Manchester, Central Northside, Uptown, and the Hill District.

Councilman Lavelle is in Copenhagen on a fellowship with the German Marshall Fund of America to observe the best practices of other city governments. He will also visit other European cities and will return to Pittsburgh on November 15th.

Socialize. Get up-to-date. Share your ideas. Want to hear the latest information on biking and walking infrastructure improvements coming to Pittsburgh? Do you want to shape the future of BikePGH’s work? Join us for the 2014 Annual Member Meeting on Thursday, November 20 at Point Park University, downtown. This meeting is open to all BikePGH members. Reserve your seat today OR become a member today to attend.