Copenhagen mayor urges action over erratic tourist e-bike riders

Copenhagen Mayor Sisse Marie Welling has called for fewer shared electric bicycles in the city and proposed that tourists receive a basic cycling safety introduction before being given a bike, DR reports.

Welling, who represents the Socialist People’s Party, said there are currently 13,000 shared electric bicycles in Copenhagen and that the situation is moving in the wrong direction.

“More people are being killed or injured in traffic accidents involving electric bicycles. We have to do something about it,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

She said tourists were welcome in Copenhagen but should not make traffic feel unsafe. Welling described the proposed introduction to key traffic rules as a kind of cycling licence for tourists, saying she understood the frustration caused by tourists riding shared electric bicycles unsteadily.

Welling also said tourists should wear bicycle helmets, although this would require a change in national law.

Copenhagen Municipality’s Employment, Integration and Business Administration is due to meet on Thursday to discuss the challenges posed by foreign tourists cycling in the city.