Now it's architects having a go at cyclists

She’s used to cycle paths in the UK, where peds bimbling around is par for the course. It’s the cyclist that has to keep their wits about them.

Cycling in Denmark is a ‘proper’ form of transport. Walking in a bike path is akin to taking a stroll in the middle of a motorway in the UK.

I've been to Copenhagen, I never had any issues with bicycles on pavements, all were using the lovely cycle paths or lanes.

Yet as someone that designs living spaces she didn't notice how quiet CPH is with so little vehicle noise.

As far as I can tell, Copenhagen works by keeping peds, cyclists and motorised traffic segregated. As long as you don't wander onto the bike lanes, then you'll be fine. I have noticed that most cyclists are using phones whilst cycling as well.

I reckon there are two things to be said here.

Firstly, since a number of pedestrians are drivers, they should just take a moment to consider that the vulnerability they feel around streams of cyclists is the same as cyclists feel when being bullied by drivers on  busy roads and that said pedestrians should apply this feeling to their driving.

Secondly, as cyclists, we need to consider that we feel vulnerable around cars so maybe when we're the ones travelling fast on vehicles, we ought to apply a little more of the same consideration we rightly expect of drivers.

No-one and nowhere is perfect, but we can all be a bit better!

I'm currently on holiday in sunny Copenhagen (well, sunny this morning) and we hired a couple of bikes yesterday to get around after spending a few days as pedestrians.

I found it quite easy and safe to navigate on foot, though you do need to keep an eye out for the cycle lanes and you have to obey the traffic lights whilst crossing roads. Getting off buses is strange though as you'll be exiting onto a cycle path, though cyclists know this and will give way to pedestrians. I felt more at risk whilst cycling as I'm not used to their system for turning left (go straight over the junction, then turn and wait until you can carry on). Also, you need to keep to the right to allow other cyclists to overtake (we were going quite slow), so any drifting leftwards could cause a collision.

Overall, the traffic seems very calm and civilised compared to England - cars will give way to cyclists and peds and I didn't see any near misses. (I did almost have some old codger cycle into me in a pedestrianised shopping street, but he was travelling slowly and stopped before I even saw him - he wouldn't have had priority there).

We cycled over the Inderhavnsbroen bridge and it didn't strike me as poorly designed at the time, though looking back, it did have a couple of pinch points where the turns are. The recently consumed cider may have dulled my critique somewhat though.

An architect designed Copenhagen’s  Inderhavnsbroen, which kind of destroys what little remaining credibility architects have when it comes to cycling (who thinks it’s a good idea to put four turns on a cycle bridge, only an architect).

Darley is asking the wrong question, it’s not what this place I’m visiting is doing wrong, but what am I doing wrong that I can’t fit in. Seriously, if visually impaired Danes can navigate the city, what’s her excuse?

She sounds like a confused tourist who expects everywhere to be like home.  I've spent time in Copenhagen and you have to respect cyclists.  That's just the way it is.  Locals accept this because most of them cycle.  Sounds good to me.

About as worth reading as my comments on building design and architecture?

Correction - my apologies; Darley's not apparently an actual, real-life, architect, but a "pontificator" on "real architects", a "paid-by-word-spouter"?  Aka, just another journalist ... who happens to know a bit about buildings in Essex, and f***-all about cycling.

I am an architect, they call me a butcher. I am a pioneer, they call me primitive.

Not quite, but such is the cost imposed it had to be set up by the industry.

And the cyclist was not breaking the law by riding with no insurance.

To answer the comment that questions if drivers have crowdfunded for reckless drivers, yes they do, because so many are illegally driving without insurance, all those purchasing motor insurance pay towards a fund to give towards those injured by the uninsured.

Meh. I spent a couple of days in Copenhagen with my family on holiday a couple of years ago. None of us died.

Well, those are people's perceptions. Obviously there will be confirmation bias, we're all susceptible. But I don't think you can just write them off as "pathetic". The first step in dealing with the issues has to be to acknowledge the validity of people's experience and perceptions of each other.