This bike bridge, soaring above street level, elegantly loops between the surrounding buildings, connecting one bridge to another.
Hidden at a nameless corner next to one of the few shopping malls in the city, the elevated orange line known as Cykelslangen shoots at cyclists between the gray and glass streets of Fisketorvet (Copenhagen Mall) and Kalvebod Brygge. The curving bridge smoothly takes them to the edge of the harbor, where the Quay Bridge awaits them and takes them to the islands of Bruges.
Planned as the city's first bicycle bridge, the 200-meter "snake" is an elegant seven-meter structure that safely separates cyclists and pedestrians, protecting them from rain. It replaces the uncomfortable ladder they used to use, actively encouraging the choice of motorcycles instead of cars, easily and excitingly moving them on two wheels across this once faceless terrain.
The Cykelslangen appeared in 2014 after eight years of planning, but its projected daily use by 12,500 riders was conservative, with 20,700 riding its length in one day in 2015. Its popularity has since led to new initiatives to create "supercycle lanes" - be it lanes, bridges or tunnels - to promote cycling as an easy and safe way to get around the city. These include Inderhavnsbroen, which opened in mid-2016 and completed the Harbour Circle - a 13-kilometer bike and footpath connecting 12 city districts together - and the harbor with the green south side.