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With the [[1970s energy crisis|energy crisis]], which hit Denmark harder than most countries, and the growing [[environmental movement]] in the 1970s, cycling experienced a renaissance. The government was forced to introduce [[Car-Free Days|car-free Sundays]] to conserve oil reserves. Many city dwellers thought it was the best day of the week,<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenfield|first=John|title=Danish History: How Copenhagen became bike-friendly again|url=http://gridchicago.com/2012/danish-history-how-copenhagen-became-bike-friendly-again/|newspaper=Grid Chicago|date=9 December 2012}}</ref> and the [[Danish Cyclists Federation]] which had been on life support for years and were nearly in a coma, experienced a rapid and massive increase in membership during the 1970s and 1980s. Bolstered by the increasing membership and new enthusiastic younger [[grassroots]], it organised massive demonstrations in Copenhagen and other major cities, demanding better infrastructure and safety for the city's cyclists.<ref name=speciale>{{cite thesis|type=M.Sc.|last=Jeppesen|first=Jon Gade|title=Cyklen og byen|publisher=University of Aarhus, Department of History and Area studies|year=2011|url=http://www.dendigitalebyport.byhistorie.dk/bibliografi/dokumenter/Cykel-speciale.pdf|access-date=29 September 2012|language=da|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809124244/http://dendigitalebyport.byhistorie.dk/bibliografi/dokumenter/Cykel-speciale.pdf|archive-date=9 August 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Another grassroots action cited for helping [[cycling infrastructure]] on the political agenda was operation "White Crosses" where white crosses were painted on the streets where a cyclist had been killed in traffic.<ref>{{cite web|last=Parby|first=Jakob|title=På cykel i København|year=2011|url=http://www.copenhagen.dk/files/exhibitions/pdf/VEKO.pdf|publisher=Museum of Copenhagen|access-date=15 July 2012|language=da|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225073404/http://www.copenhagen.dk/files/exhibitions/pdf/VEKO.pdf|archive-date=25 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> These protests and actions came at the same time as a number of [[Urban planning|planning reforms]] were initiated nationally, which gave individual citizens the opportunity to have direct influence on new planning and zoning laws in their communities, and with that came a clear demand for segregated cycle paths.<ref name=speciale />
 
Although the first separate [[cycle trackstrack]]s were constructed much earlier, they did not become the norm until the early 1980s. As in many other cities planners suggested to avoid interfering with car traffic on the main roads, by using a "back streets strategy" of cycling routes on quite residential streets, but uptake was low<ref>{{cite book|last=Schwedler|first=Hanns-Uve|title=Urban transport in central and eastern Europe|year=1997|publisher=European academy for the urban environment}}</ref> and the vast majority of cyclists refused to deviate from the more direct routes.<ref>{{cite book|last=Harris|first=Mike|title=Urban Adaptation – The bicycle as urban transport – learning from cycle cities|year=2010|publisher=AECOM|url=http://www.planning.org.nz/Folder?Action=View%20File&Folder_id=185&File=Harris.pdf}}</ref> Protests continued and on 4 June 1983 the Danish Cycling Federation, at a large bicycle demonstration, gave a "Cyclist Award" to [[Jens Kramer Mikkelsen]] in the form of a {{convert|2|m|ft|adj=mid|-long|spell=in}} curb. Mikkelsen was the head of the traffic department and later [[List of mayors of Copenhagen|lord mayor]]. The curb was placed on the bike lane on Amagerbrogade at the corner of Hollænderdybet. The gift was a symbol of the bicycle federations desire to have segregated bicycle facilities build on direct corridors, which happened to be along major streets,<ref>{{cite web|last=Colville-Andersen|first=Mikael|date=5 June 2008|url=http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/06/copenhagen-lanes-celebrate-25-years.html|title=Copenhagen Lanes Celebrate 25 Years|publisher=Copenhagenize|access-date=31 October 2009}}</ref> in order to make bicycle journeys competitive in time and effort. Politicians, although not very eager, gradually took up building cycle tracks on main roads<ref>{{cite web|last=Jensen|first=Niels|title=Copenhagen: Encouraging the use of bicycles|url=http://www.eaue.de/winuwd/175.htm|publisher=The European Academy of the Urban Environment|access-date=29 September 2012|date=1 December 1998|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007043618/http://www.eaue.de/winuwd/175.htm|archive-date=7 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and also began to develop its first coordinated strategies for increasing cycling in the municipality.<ref name=speciale />
 
Since 1995, when the city started its monitoring system, cycling has constantly risen, reaching 41% by 2004<ref name="Bicycle Account 2004">{{cite web|url=http://www.walkandbikeforlife.org/Articles/Copenhagen%20City%20Of%20Cyclists.pdf|title=Bicycle Account 2004|publisher=City of Copenhagen|access-date=30 October 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721172836/http://www.walkandbikeforlife.org/Articles/Copenhagen%20City%20Of%20Cyclists.pdf|archive-date=21 July 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and 50% by 2010 for residents living within the city of Copenhagen.<ref name="Bicycle Account 2010">{{cite web|title=Bicycle Account 2010|url=http://www.kk.dk/sitecore/content/Subsites/CityOfCopenhagen/SubsiteFrontpage/LivingInCopenhagen/CityAndTraffic/~/media/439FAEB2B21F40D3A0C4B174941E72D3.ashx|publisher=City of Copenhagen|access-date=15 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929230131/http://www.kk.dk/sitecore/content/Subsites/CityOfCopenhagen/SubsiteFrontpage/LivingInCopenhagen/CityAndTraffic/~/media/439FAEB2B21F40D3A0C4B174941E72D3.ashx|archive-date=29 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In the 18 municipalities that make up the Copenhagen metropolitan region (Hovedstadsområdet) an area of approximately {{convert|350|km2}} and a population of 1,2 million, 21% of all trips were done on bicycle by 2011.<ref name=Traengselskommisionen>{{cite book|title=Trængselskommisionens rapport|year=2013|publisher=Ministry of Transportation|isbn=978-87-91511-41-7|page=35|url=http://www.trm.dk/da/temaer/tr%C3%A6ngselskommissionen/idekatalog/|access-date=7 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002211343/http://www.trm.dk/da/temaer/tr%C3%A6ngselskommissionen/idekatalog/|archive-date=2 October 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> During the same period, from the 1980s until today, the network of cycle tracks and paths within the city of Copenhagen has almost doubled in length<ref>{{cite news|last=Iversen.|first=Jens Refsgaard|title=Cykelhøvdingen har vundet kampen om gaden|url=http://www.navisen.dk/node/737|access-date=15 July 2012|newspaper=Avisen.dk|date=28 March 2012|language=da}}</ref> reaching {{convert|397|km}} in 2010<ref name="Bicycle Account 2010" />
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