The Netherlands wasn’t always built for bikes. So how did they turn car-filled streets into the safest place to cycle? And why can’t other countries do the same?
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For more details, I recommend @notjustbikes. He compares the US/Canada with The Netherlands and Denmark, and what differences a car centric country can benefit from looking to The Netherlands and Denmark. I am one of the lucky ones, growing up in the late 70's in Tilburg, who could safely cycle from Tilburg South to Tilburg North (Netherlands), to go to school, without my mum being anxious until I safely came home. I was also one of the first in the beginning of the late 80's to use roller skates on the main roads where these chicanes and bumps were implemented. Not that Tilburg was perfect. Absolutely not. But already in 60's and 70's, the fastest way for cars to go through the town, was on the "Ringbaan" (a circle around town and one major artery paralleling the train line (Spoorlaan).
I never even got my driving permit. I could if I wanted to, but cycling was just so much easier and faster. Cyclists also can drive both ways in the small streets, but cars have to zigzag through one-way streets at 20 or 30km/h.
Also, people love being outdoors, going on tour through the countryside by bike. Distances of 5 to 10 km might seem far for foreigners, but that is just an average distance for Dutchies.
Another good reason, is the Public transport. We have some of the denced railway system, as well as bus lines in the world.
Thanks for this informative video.
As far as I know the legislation about liability for motorized drivers is a lot older than 1991, my grandfather used to to say; the paint of a tram and a bike is expensive. It'my understanding that it's originally not about bicycles and or pedestrians being fysical weak but about people not being mandatory insured. And tram companies weren't and are still not mandatory insured. And it's the mandatory insured that are liable unless they can prove that the "weak" party has been reckless, almost impossible to prove and involvement of children under the age of fourteen the rule makes liability even more on the motorized, insured party.
Utrecht is a province (which you showed in red) and also a city in the center of that province. The city is much smaller than the red area you showed. The same applies to Groningen; the province is called Groningen (which you showed in red), and there is a city called Groningen.
Now, it seems as if both are larger than Amsterdam, but in reality, Utrecht is a third of Amsterdam's, and Groningen is only a sixth of Amsterdam's (in terms of population, and the cities themselves are therefore also much smaller).
"They were built around it" is not really true. They were bulldozed for it! Big difference.
Segregated neighborhoods, like those in Groningen 50 years ago, are also implemented in major cities like Amsterdam and The Hague. Only local traffic now enters the neighborhood by car; no more through traffic. It's wonderful. At night, it's almost silent in the neighborhood, despite living in a big city. You can wake up and hear birds singing; it's so peaceful.
Motor bikes and high speed electric bikes still challenge the safety of Dutch city walk and bikeways.
02:39 nice try trying to sneak in this video of Delft. That's not old footage lol
It's not about bikes, it's about having alternatives to driving.
"Think of the children!" in actual, reasonable and defendable use, not just for piggybacking some shady corporate conspiracy to bend the minds, but for actual people's will, for the benefit of the people rather than the big oil or the big automotive.
The development surrounding e-bikes is getting out of hand. It’s no longer mainly seniors riding them — young people are also switching en masse. Due to the lack of regulations and enforcement, 12-year-olds are speeding along bike paths at 40 km/h. The result: danger, unrest, and a rapid decline in their physical fitness.
Nice old footage finaly a great video about our bicycle infra like Bicycle Dutch always have and okay our Canadian comedian NJB to ;p
11:30 "And even opening your door is all part of the (driving) test". I knew a guy who rode a exam, until the test was over. He parked the car and opened the door without looking. He should have failed the test, but the examinator gave him a firm speech and still let him pass. He was very lucky.
Given that the average commute speed by car in dense urban areas is around 15km/h or even less if there's an accident or interruption, building good bike lanes should be a an easy decision.. not to mention all the benefits that comes with banning cars from city center…
the DUTCH REACH sounds nice,but dont think that most of us use this!
its such a onnatural thing to do that most of us use the left hand
maybe we do use our mirrors better because we are all cyclist
The Netherlands is however the victim of its own success. The urbanism there is so good that it increased land value to the point where it isn't affordable anymore. Renting an apartment in big cities like Amsterdam is hardly possible. So there is definitely a price that comes with a success like this.
Dutch reach was not a thing here in the netherlands.
At 2.10 it is not correct. In 1970 there were 'only' about 2.5 million cars in the Netherlands. The 3 million number was reached in 1973.
1:27 Until 1941 there was a Bicycle tax (Rijwielbelasting, national tax on the use of bicycles in the Netherlands from 1 February 1897 to 1919 and from 1 August 1924 to 1 May 1941).
Good message, but the video is made in a hurry. That's a pity.
When I visit cities like the ones you mentioned (Paris, Bogotà, and so on), what really strikes me as a biased Dutch person: anyone that's not a motor vehicle, is dumped on the 'bike lane'. So as a cyclist, you're supposed to navigate between slowly walking couples happily in love, people with strollers, dog walkers, children randomly running around
Is toch niet te doen? 😂
Alleen Nederlanders kijken deze videos. Ik doe het zelf omdat ik toch een beetje trots ben op onze landje.
the first time i went to the netherlands i was amazed that you could cycle from the airport to amsterdam and it was actually convenient and safe if one truly wanted to. people were doing it, it was very eye opening.
it's important to note that american cities weren't built for the car, they were bulldozed. historic city neighborhoods were destroyed to build highways and parking lots right through them. bicycling was the best way to get around in america before the car and it is sad we have much such slow progress back.
Shared by JdeB 🇳🇱 on Mastodon ClimateJustice
This is not difficult. You 'only' need a change in mentality. Proritize people instead of cars. Making driving less convenient. For real. The commitment by government supported by its people. Study the problem and device a solution. Emplement them.
But most of all: be persistant against short sighted opposition.
Btw way 'woonerf' is pronounced as if two sepperate words being 'living and farmyard'. Not wonurf.
#TakeCareForLife #TakeCareForEarth
#StopBurningThings #StopEcoside
#ClimateBreakDown
The automobile (the car) – as a successor to the aristocratic coach – was already outplaced and outdated when it was invented. Man is the only animal having the "common sence" to bring 800 kg of steel into motion to transport 80 kg of protein. Living quite isolated in the countryside I only learnt to cycle when we moved to the centre of our village, I was already seven then. Never stopped cycling, indeed not as a sport. No, no,no it is as for most people here simply my most frequently used means of transport. We did not rebuild our cities around the bike. Fortunately not! We maintained our beautiful historical cities and redesigned our roads. Pedalling through the landscape and urban sightseeing from my well ventilated old Dutch black upright. Cheers!!
The importance of money in the political transition of the 1970s is underestimated. Until the 1970s, municipalities were small and had little money. Almost all municipalities lacked the funds and space to become car-friendly through large-scale projects. Space was an issue because the number of habitable houses could not be reduced for road construction due to a severe housing shortage after World War II. The only thing municipalities could do was to widen a bridge or a section of road here and there in preparation for the grand plan. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it became clear to politicians that these grand plans could never be completed within a reasonable time frame. They were in danger of losing face. They were saved by two things: a wave of young and alternative urban planners and civil engineers graduated from schools, who were able to demonstrate that there were cheaper and quickly implementable solutions, and action groups such as “Stop the Child Murder.” Saving children is always good for one's image, but in the background, money was more important.
Fist time here. Loved your video, you've got a new sub 👍
Don’t let them fool you. It’s the we f 2030 agenda. Locking stupid people in 5G controlled prison. End of freedom. Not allowed to go out in the future with cli mate shit
Also geographically is way more accessible in the Netherlands and makes it easier to ride a byke.
you forgot 2 key things:
1. Geography – the flat nature of the country is ideal for bikes.
2. Sherd Bikes – they ware the first to offer the possibility to rent a bike in one point and return it in another, even an entire different city, that made bike even more popular and accessible.
that is the difference between dutch people from back then and dutch people now. back in the day they complained but still got things done but now they just complain, do nothing, and blame immigrants😂
Great compilation!