I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Copenhagen in recent years and the single biggest difference to the UK seems to be that the cyclist has the right of way over cars, partially due to the design of their cycle paths & partly due to their traffic laws.
For example, if a car is turning right at a junction (even if traffic lights are green) it is the car drivers responsibility to check that that there are no cyclists riding up the inside of their car before they make the turn, not the cyclists responsibility to get out of the way of the car.
Denmark seems to have recognised the inescapable fact that cyclists are the more vulnerable party and less capable of inflicting injury on others. Compare this to the UK where drivers are the dominant party & cyclists have to get out of their way, it’s easy to see why cycling is less popular & safe in the UK.
If the UK were serious about adopting the Danish model, it would almost certainly have to involve legislation that would put greater liability on drivers and provide cyclists the right of way in more scenarios, as ultimately litigation would make drivers keenly aware of their responsibility towards the more vulnerable cyclist.
I don’t particularly relish the prospect of legislation, but I’m not sure there are many other ways of instigating change in our car dominated society 😕