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Green riding on Denmark's cargo trikes, cycle tracks (photos)

While they look like something out of a fairy tale, cargo trikes--and the special cycle tracks they ride on--have played an integral part in Denmark's embrace of cycling.

Candace Lombardi
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
Candace Lombardi
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1 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Cycle tracks

Cycle tracks, which are bike lanes elevated from the road and delineated by a curb, have played a large part in getting Danes to adopt cycling over cars.
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2 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Cargo trikes

Cargo trikes have also given Danish parents with small children the option to ride instead of drive. Nihola's trikes, made by hand in Denmark, are slightly lower to the ground in addition to having three wheels--so they're easier to balance on than on a typical bicycle. Nihola offers everything from padded bench seats (shown) to cargo boxes with baby car seats, to box hoods for rain and snow protection.
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3 of 14 Nihola

For dogs

Nihola even makes the Nihola Dog, a trike with a swinging front door to allow dogs to get in and out easily.
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4 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Larsens Plads

A woman in a cargo trike cycles along Larsens Plads, a large esplanade for both pedestrians and cyclists that traverses the harbor in Copenhagen.
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5 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Lanes

From left to right: a car lane, a bus lane, a cycle track, a pedestrian walkway, and a canal for boats. That's quite a range of travel options.
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6 of 14 TrioBike

TrioBike

The TrioBike can transform without any tools from a cargo trike (shown here) to a bicycle or a baby stroller.
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7 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Intersection

At an intersection in Silkeborg, Denmark, cyclists are directed by their own traffic light.
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8 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Dolphin trailer

A father and two kids leaving a Danish supermarket with the Dolphin trailer by Winther, which includes a hood with insect netting.
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9 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

patched up

Just as bicyclists in the U.S. are often constructed from parts by DIYers, patched-up trikes are the norm in Copenhagen.
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10 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Traffic dance

Bicycles, pedestrians, trikes, and cars co-existing in a well-choregraphed traffic dance.
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11 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Pedicab

Pedicab bikes are also common in Copenhagen, especially in tourist areas like the Nyhavn Docks. Once frequented mostly by sailors and prostitutes, the Nyhavn Docks are now a city centerpiece with cafes and restaurants located both canal-side and on the docked boats themselves.
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12 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Theater parking

The New Royal Theatre in Copenhagen offers cyclist parking for its theater-goers.
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13 of 14 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Unlocked bikes

While many people do lock up their bikes and trikes, finding unlocked bikes and trikes parked without racks or on the sidewalk is common.
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14 of 14 Cycling Embassy of Copenhagen

Winter riding

I'm told Copenhageners even take to the streets on their bikes and trikes in winter. In this photo from the Cycling Embassy of Copenhagen, two women, one on a Christiania and one on a Nihola, brave the snow.

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