ABSTRACT
In this chapter we examine a constellation of interconnected flashpoints over the future of cycling and the car in Copenhagen. These include the proposed harbor tunnel and Eastern Ring Road which would effectively complete a ring motorway around the city. Proponents of the tunnel and the road claim that it is necessary to remove cars from the city center. Opponents counter that their construction will bring more cars into Copenhagen while diverting transportation investment away from green mobility. Paralleling this debate are ideas to close off parts of Copenhagen to cars, proposals to remove a vestigial segment of elevated urban motorway known as the Bispeengbuen, and debates over the future of Copenhagen’s streets once the new underground Metro City Ring commences operations. Crosscutting all of these flashpoints are concerns about the future of the venerable S-train regional railway and how to protect the regional public bus system. When taken together these flashpoints are really a politics over what kind of city Copenhagen should be.
