"The Danish Way"--Transportation

My first week in Denmark has come and (not quite I guess) gone. Although I'm planning on waiting until this weekend at the earliest to post another "life update" post, even though I know that most of my readers never tire of them.

Today I wanted to start a new series of blog posts that I hope to continue throughout the semester entitled "The Danish Way," looking at particular aspects of Danish society through the lens of a transplanted American. Maybe this will become a weekly event...we'll have to wait and see. The first post of this type will focus on an issue very near and dear to me, given my long commute each day: transportation.

In a word: easy. In two words: easy and clean. The most common way of traveling around the greater Copenhagen area seems to be a combination of a bike and public transportation. The public transportation system is a combination of busses, trains, and a subway. For example, for my commute into Copenhagen, I have the option of walking 10 minutes to my local bus stop and taking a bus to the train station one town over (which comes every ten minutes and takes roughly 18 minutes) or walking 10 minutes to my local train station, taking the 8 minute train (that comes each half-hour) to that same station one town over. At that station, I get on what's called an S-train that takes me directly into the center of Copenhagen in about 37 minutes. I then walk about ten minutes down Nørregade to Vestergade, the street that my classes are located on. All told, my door-to-door commute is roughly 70 minutes. In a car, driving the same distance would most likely take about 50 minutes, so it is a little bit slower, taking the extra 20 minutes to avoid the hassle of parking in Copenhagen is worth it. Also, given the price of Petrol in Denmark (roughly 10 dkk or $2 per liter), my $550 train pass (called an "alle-zoner," meaning I can pretty much go anywhere on any public transportation in the greater Copenhagen area) starts to look like a bargain.

The S-train is clean and quiet. Most of the time you can find a seat if you are willing to park yourself three-across on the bench, and if you go at off-peak times it's possible to find a bench to yourself. The S-trains (there are 5 lines I think) run mainly north to south through the city (underground once you get inside city limits). A few years ago, Copenhagen opened its brand new Metro system, an east-west Subway. Although my commute doesn't call for the use of it, I have been on the trains, and they are also clean and quiet and are a very quick way to get around the city. In addition, every train runs EXACTLY on schedule. Don't be a minute late trying to catch a train...it won't be there anymore.

The bus system is relatively easy to use (and I'm sure it would be easier if I spoke Danish), and the busses go all around the city at very frequent intervals. I haven't been on one of the ground busses yet, but they do appear to not run quite as punctually as the trains. One cool addition to the bus system is line 901-902-903, also known as the "harbor bus" brings people along the harbor from the Black Diamond to Nyhavn to the Opera House and beyond! It's a way to literally be "on a boat" while taking public transportation.

For those Danes who live relatively close to the city, a popular tranportation option is biking. In fact, there are significantly more bikes than cars in the city. It is not an uncommon sight to see a man in a full business suit or a woman in a dress and high-heels riding their bike past you on their way to work in the morning. This results in a large number of bikes parked in the city and a large reduction in the amount of traffic that one encounters while trying to navigate the streets. In reality, I am far more concerned about being hit by a bike than a car during my daily commute.

There are a lot of advantages to the Danish system of transportation, and I want to encourage all of you reading this who do not use a bike or public transportation to give it a try in the coming months!