Princess Mary of Denmark cycles Sydney’s Danish inspired streets in royal visit

By ERIN MODARO

Princess Mary of Denmark has been spotted taking a leisurely bike ride around Sydney’s Hyde Park in her first Royal visit to Australia in over a decade.  

Born in Tasmania, Princess Mary’s visit to home soil included a lap on one of Sydney’s cycleways inspired by Denmark’s success in active transport.  

Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she is “excited to host the Danish delegation” and is keen to show off “some of the infrastructure they have helped inspire”.  

Moore also praised the Danish seeing the now-completed light rail running along George Street; the concept of which was inspired by Danish Architect Jan Gehl.  

Gehl was awarded a key to the City of Sydney in 2017 for his contributions to making Sydney a haven for cyclists and pedestrians, after working with City council for over a decade.  

The Danish architect inspired solutions to transforming Sydney from a car-centric city to a walkable and liveable city, including the suggestion of a light rail.  

Cycleways on display

Now, Moore is showing the fruits of labour off to the Danish delegation during the Princess’ visit to Sydney.  

The continuation in relationships between Sydney officials and the Danish reflects the City’s commitment to adopting world practices in active transport, mirroring Copenhagen’s traffic calmed streets lined with simple but effective bike lanes.  

The myriad of new pop-up cycleways across the city that appeared during the Covid-19 pandemic, and are now here to stay are another testament to Sydney’s transformation. 

“Creating this infrastructure will help us reach our target of 9 out of 10 people working in the city using public transport, walking or cycling, and help us meet our ambitious emissions
reduction targets,” Moore said.  

Australia lags behind Denmark on renewable energy

Princess Mary will be leading a discussion with the Danish delegation on Australia’s transition to renewable energy.

While Sydney’s urban planning and transport strategies are moving towards greener values, Australia is lagging behind European countries such as Denmark on a move towards renewable energy.

In 2021, Australia ranked the 10th highest in the world for C02 emissions per capita, coming ahead of the United States at number 12 and Canada at number 14.

Denmark and other Scandinavian countries have made some of the fastest transitions towards renewables. According to data published in 2022 by the International Trade Administration, 67% of Denmark’s energy came from renewables.

In 2021, Australia produced just 29% of its energy from renewable sources.

Princess Mary will be leaving Australia tomorrow to return home to Denmark.