Is Danish cycling culture in danger? 4 out of 10 children almost never cycle to school

The development has stalled since politicians launched a national cycling strategy in 2014 aimed at getting more children to ride bikes.

A sports researcher points to physical, mental, and cognitive benefits of starting the day with a bike ride. (Photo: © DR) 23 minutes ago

The school summer holidays are coming to an end, and everyday life is calling.

But when schoolchildren return from the holidays, far from all of them choose the bicycle as a means of transport, even though it has long been a political wish to get more children on their bikes.

New figures from the Danish Cyclists' Federation show that four out of ten children almost never cycle to school.

“There are fewer children cycling to school today. If we look back 30 years, it has almost halved,” says Kenneth Øhrberg Krag, director of the Danish Cyclists' Federation, who fears for Danish cycling culture.

“In Denmark, we define ourselves as a cycling nation. You can’t look at a tourist brochure without seeing a bicycle. But is that also the picture we will have in 20 or 30 years? I fear it won’t be.”

When parents are asked why their children do not cycle to school more often, just under half say it is because the distance to school is either too far or too short.

Besides the distance to school, just over one in four forgo the bicycle for their children because they are not comfortable with the route to school.

-----------------------

The development has stalled

-----------------------

In 2014, the then government launched a cycling strategy, which was intended, among other things, to get more children to cycle to school. But the development has stalled since then. In fact, the proportion of children who rarely or never cycle to school has grown slightly.

“We have a 12-year-old cycling strategy which was perhaps mostly just words on a piece of paper. We need a new national cycling strategy with greater ambition and more money if we want children to cycle more,” says Kenneth Øhrberg Krag.

The stalled development is a cause for concern for Jens Høyer-Kruse, a sports researcher at the University of Southern Denmark.

“We have a strong cycling culture in Denmark, but we can see signs that it will be significantly weakened going forward if we don’t teach our young people to take the bike instead of driving a car or taking public transport.”

The sports researcher points out that there are both physical and mental benefits to hopping on the bike for school.

“The good thing about cycling is that it is healthy, just like all other physical activity. It is good for your cardiovascular function, and it strengthens your bones and physique. It also helps improve your mental health and quality of life.”

According to Jens Høyer-Kruse, a brisk bike ride to school can also help reduce restlessness in the classroom and strengthen concentration among students:

Transport Minister Signe Munk writes to us at DR that cycle paths near schools will receive extra support when funds from the 2026 cycling pool are distributed later this year.

“I completely agree that we need to make an effort to get more children cycling,” says the minister.

The minister does not address whether a new cycling strategy is on the way in her response, but she writes:

“Most municipalities are working to create good and safe school routes. I very much want to support that.”

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.