The Central Denmark Region is the most populated part of Jutland with a population of 1,3 million inhabitants. The region has a strong focus on green and active mobility and a lot of high quality cycling infrastructure in both urban and rural areas, for commuting and recreational purposes alike. The Central Denmark Region is joining CRC, to strengthen the cycling culture across its 19 municipalities.

“In Denmark we share a strong biking culture, and many municipalities have innovative plans and visions to support active mobility. However, these individual municipalities need solutions for their active infrastructure to connect with one another. That is one of the reasons it is of great value that we are now part of ECF” says Henrik Qvist, Council Member in Central Denmark Region.

In 2021, the ten easternmost municipalities in the Central Denmark Region (Aarhus, Randers, Norddjurs, Syddjurs, Favrskov, Silkeborg, Skanderborg, Odder, Horsens and Hedensted) established a Cycle Superhighways collaboration to better connect the cycle path networks between municipalities. The vision of the Cycle Superhighways collaboration is the cohesion of green mobility solutions into a network of approximately 1000 kilometres of cycle superhighways.

The Central Denmark Region not only supports this collaboration as a green regional transportation development project, but also for the added societal and health benefits from the physical activity associated with active mobility. A strong focus is placed on knowledge transfer and exchange across the municipalities of the region.

With 45% of its population living less than 10 km from their workplace, the region places a strong emphasis on intermodality. The Central Denmark Region covers an area of 13,000 square kilometres, therefore one of the key tools in reducing car dependence and enabling more people to cycle is to combine train and bus travel with the first and last mile taken by bike. The cycle superhighway network is to be connected with public transport and thereby make cycling an easy and efficient part of everyday transportation.

“Europe is moving fast when it comes to green and active mobility. In the Central Denmark Region, we are very curious about other European regions' experiences on how to succeed with enabling the citizens to combine active travel with public transport. Especially on how to connect the outlying areas with each other and the outlying areas to urban areas” says Henrik Qvist.

In 2022 the region signed a declaration committing to work towards a 20% increase in bicycle traffic by 2030.

The Central Denmark Region joins a network of cities and regions committed to promoting cycling as a mode of transport and leisure, collectively representing over 50 million citizens across Europe and beyond.

For more information on ECF’s CRC network and how to join, visit our Cities & Regions for Cyclists page.

For more information on Central Denmark Region, click here.