In this episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish reflects on Denmark’s deep‑rooted social values—solidarity, community, and the informal Jante Law that discourages standing out—and how these ideals are being tested by the rapid rise of electric bicycles. Mellish describes Denmark’s world‑class bike‑lane infrastructure, then contrasts it with the growing presence of heavy, fast electric cargo bikes that can weigh up to 50 kg and legally travel up to 45 km/h (often faster). Personal anecdotes illustrate collisions caused by the higher momentum of these e‑bikes, and statistics from Politiken and Denmark’s statistical agency highlight the surge in e‑bike ownership (1 in 8 families). The host discusses safety concerns, the physics of momentum, and possible responses such as widening lanes or restricting e‑bike use, while noting the cultural tension between the egalitarian, trust‑oriented Danish self‑image and the emerging reality of speed‑based inequality. The episode closes with a promotion of Mellish’s books and speaking services.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute by appealing to the common good. Solidarity, solidaritet, and fællesskab, or community, or even samfundssind, societal spirit. These were magic words, and they still are, in particular with the older generation that built Denmark's welfare state. If you want to convince this generation of anything, just make a reference to solidarity and community. and societal spirit. It works like a charm. I'm often asked if the younger generation is as dedicated to these principles as their elders, and if they still follow the Jente Law. Now, Jente Law is not really a law. It's like a legend in which people living in Denmark are not supposed to act like they're better than anyone else, or smarter than anyone else, or know more than anyone else. This, of course, is tricky if you actually are better than someone else, or smarter than someone else, or know more than someone else about something. But the idea is, don't try to speed ahead of others. We all move at the same pace. Young people in Denmark aren't too keen to put up with that, in particular in an environment where they are competing internationally. For many Danish young people, the idea that all Danes are equal and we must all move together at the same pace seems outdated. One contemporary example is the rise of the electric bike. Denmark is famous for its love of biking. After all, it was a Dane who won the Tour de France this year, the second year in a row. But the sad truth is there are more cars than ever on the roads in Denmark, and the number keeps growing. But in their self-image, Danes are bike riders, and they have invested in an excellent network of bike lanes many places in the country, particularly in cities like Copenhagen and Aarhus and Odense. In these cities, raised bike lanes are in place along almost every major street, and they're usually about 1.7 meters wide. Big enough for one pedal bike to pass another pedal bike with a little ring from a bell. Ding, ding, ding. These lanes have always been shared to some extent with rollerbladers when that was a big fad, but also motorized wheelchairs, mopeds delivering somebody's food. That's old news. What's new is that this thin space must now be shared with electric bicycles. A lot of them. Denmark's statistical agency says 1 out of 8 Danish families now owns some type of electric bike. Some look like an ordinary one-person bike, a bit sturdier and heavier. They can weigh up to 28 kilos versus maybe half that for a pedal bike. But many electric bikes are much bigger. They are big cargo bikes with a large box on the front that can fit up to 3 children plus an adult driver in the back. These bikes can weigh up to 50 kilos. Legally, the solo electric bikes can go up to 45 kilometers an hour, but they're often illegally modified to go 60 kilometers an hour and above. That's about 37 miles an hour for my American listeners. So there you are, pumping away at your little pedal bike in the bike lane, and somebody goes whoosh! passed on an electric bike, emitting that electric vehicle high-pitched buzz. Eeeee! Now, this happened to me last weekend. I was on my way to the bakery to get some nice fresh Danish pastry when I was swept aside in the bike lane by a large electric cargo bike driven by a middle-aged woman. She shot past me, Her bike emitting that high-pitched buzz. Eeeee! I almost fell into the grass beside the bike lane. It turns out she was also on her way to the bakery, although she arrived a full 60 seconds before I did. It's wonderful to go so fast, isn't it? she said as she parked her electric bike. Yeah, wonderful for you, I said. Now, I know I sound grumpy, but I just about had my ankle removed by another electric bicyclist earlier today, and I'm not the only one. One of my neighbors is on crutches after another encounter with an electric bike. According to Politiken, the biggest left-wing newspaper in Denmark, bikes are becoming a much greater source of traffic accidents and traffic injuries as electric bikes become more popular. Now, for those of you who remember your physics formulas from school, P mv. Momentum equals mass times velocity. A 50-kilogram cargo bike doing its maximum 25 kilometers per hour ramming into someone's ankle or someone's dog or someone's kid is not good. The long-term solution is probably widening the bike lanes, which in general are very crowded these days. But that can't be done overnight. An alternate approach would be limiting electric bike use to the elderly or to the disabled. But that would not be a popular move. People who have electric bikes really like them. You can ride them to work, for example, without being all sweaty by the time you get there. And the truth is, people who ride electric bikes see themselves as heroes because they're not driving a car. They see themselves as part of the green transition. Now, if they knock over a few pedestrians or old-fashioned pedal bikers who are also part of the green transition, well, that's just the price of progress. Of course, problems with electric bikes and scooters aren't unique to Denmark. You hear similar complaints from cities all over the world. What is unique about Denmark is that we are famous for being a trust-oriented society that cares about the common good. We're supposed to be equal. Solidarity, community, societal spirit. But it seems that what has now been accepted in Denmark's bike lanes is a concept that used to be very udansk. Or undanish. It's the idea that some people simply go faster than others. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. You can get all our books on Amazon, Google Books, Saxo Books, or Apple Books. Just do a search for my name, Kay Xander Mellish. Or you can book me to come give a speech for your group, your company, your organization. I'd love to do it. Look at events.howtoliveindenmark.com. See you next time.
