I've been helping out John Pucher from Rutgers University with some statistics for a new book he's writing. We were looking into bicycle parking in Denmark. I found the numbers to be interesting.
The infographic above (hopefully) spells it out. Total number of parking spots at 297 Danish train stations and the number of spots reserved for bicycles and cars, including the occupancy rate of those spots.
It applies to the national rail network and the S-train network serving Greater Copenhagen. I've combined the two in the stats. There are many trains that have, not surprisingly, occupancy rate of + 100%. A town like Lystrup has a bicycle rack occupany rate of 283%; 250% in Mørke, 147% in Odense, 208% in Svendborg, 121% at Copenhagen Central Station.
The country's busiest train station - with S-trains, Metro and regional trains - is Nørreport with 102,189 passengers a day (53,004 arriving/49,185 departing). It has 996 bicycle parking spots (it's going to be renovated and will include more) and an occupancy rate of 97%.
There is no car parking at the station, nor is there at the nation's terminus, Copenhagen Central Station.
In comparison, John Pucher tells me that there are 38,280 bicycle parking spots at train and bus stations combined in the United States.
John was looking for stats not only for regular parking spots but also bike cages, bike lockers and bike stations (manned parking). We don't have any bike lockers in Denmark but there are 82 bike cages at various stations where you can lock your bike up in a secure 'cage'. There are only one or two bike stations in the country, including one a the Central Station. The idea simply hasn't caught on here. I can't see myself using one. I want quick access to my bicycle, but that's just me.
I'm looking forward to the next publication by John. Until then, he and Ralph Buehler have updated their overview article entitled, "Walking and Cycling for Healthy Cities," Built Environment, Vol. 36, No. 5, December 2010, pp. 391-414. It opens as a pdf.
Here's the abstract:
Walking and cycling are the healthiest ways to get around our cities, providing valuable physical activity for people on a daily basis. These forms of active transport also generate indirect public health benefits by reducing the use of automobiles, thus diminishing air, water, and noise pollution and the overall level of traffic danger. This paper provides a broad overview of the role walking and cycling can play in making our cities healthier. First, we summarize the scientific evidence of the health benefits of walking and cycling. Second, we examine variations in walking and cycling levels in Europe, North America, and Australia. Third, we consider the crucial issue of traffic safety. Finally, we describe a range of government policies needed to encourage more walking and cycling: safe and convenient infrastructure such as sidewalks, crosswalks, bike paths and lanes, and intersection crossings; traffic calming of residential neighborhoods; integration with public transport; land-use policies that foster compact, mixeduse developments; people-friendly urban design; improved traffic education; strict enforcement of traffic regulations; and reductions in motor vehicle speed limits.
Source for infographic: Danish Ministry of Transport