What a beautiful culture! Love all those cruiser style bicycles! I live in a small town in Connecticut U.S.A. I try to ride every day and use my bike for transportation to and from the grocery store. What a difference the U.S and the Netherlands. In my rides it's rare to come across another bike. We have narrow and busy roads, not bike friendly at all. Most people around here take their bikes by car to a walking path or trail to ride. I sure wish we would develop a bicycle culture here.
The bikes are city/commuter type bikes and are very common throughout the world. The cruiser style is different. I spend a lot of my time in Europe and can say through my travel experience that we in the US are so far behind.
What’s your watching is a high density area designed to fit as many people in one place as you can. So of course Not that many can probably afford or have space for a car
Netherlands have the best food availability. This is measured by the quality and diversity of the food and how close you live to it. So withing 5-10 minutes of slow cycling I can get to like 6 grocery stores, from local foods to cheap, vegan etc. And I live in a 50k people city. Netherlands is also the nr2 exporter of food and with the country being so small you can always get local/fresh fruit/meat/fish etc. And everyone learns to ride their bike from 4 years old until they die.
if you park one car thats the same space as parking 10 bikes. So it saves space, space for trees and flowers and grass. people feel happier with flowers near the roads. It brings fresh air too. important in busy cities.
One of the more important things about the bike infrastructure is also the (relatively) well organised public transportation. Combination bike and train/bus is used a lot.
Exactly. Commuters go wit ha bike to the bike station, than travel 15, 100 K by train and take the bike again in the place where they work or the bus or just walk.
And the modern tram network (streetcars in US language) absolutely everywhere.... People ride to a tram stop and catch the tram to work as often as not
When I watch this video, it seems like a joy to come to work riding your bike with a bunch of happy people side by side infront of you and behind you.This is something I want to experience.I must add the Dutch people are the happiest people in the world! Kudos to the city officials of Nederland.
Mario .Dizon As a dutch woman I can tell you cycling to work and from work does make you happy. But its even better. In the morning it wakes you up so you get to work (already having done some serious cardio half asleep) and you are pumped to get to work. The happy hormone from exorcise is still in your body. And after a stressful busy day you cycle home...the repetitive motion of cycling is relaxing..so you leave work at work. And usually if I was wondering how to do something all day...after 5 minutes of cycling I tend to get a "OMG thats it!" moment....your head just clears up when you cycle. And you get home having done even more cardio ...again happy exorcise hormones in your veins. I wasn't able to cycle for a couple of months years ago (got run over by a car). Only when you can't cycle you realise the effect of it on your mood and body. When you exorcise more than 1 hour purely by going to work...you burn a lot of fat....when you can't cycle you need to watch what you eat. And you are more sluggish at work cause sitting still in public transportation doesn't wake you up. And you get home stressed cause not only do you miss the cycling you also had to catch a bus.
That's why during summer time here in my city, I grab the chances of riding my bike to work and you're absolutely right it wakes up your inner clock when you bike to work and by the time you arrive you're all set and full of energy.
Mario .Dizon Exactly you get a lovely energy boost. And no matter what work you have to do..it can't be more intense than the ride was...so your day feels so much easier. I just love cycling. But its so important to have safe infrastructure or it wouldn't be half as relaxing if you keep worrying about other traffic. I tend to use a separated bike path...completely stress free...well accept for the part I got run over years ago (the bike path got interrupted by a parking lot for cars... it was early in the morning and apparently the driver wasn't 100% awake...he ignored the clear traffic signals that told him to watch out of cyclists and ran me over). Its a dangerous spot and than I pay attention but on the cycle path itself you can zone out and enjoy the scenery....feel the breeze and/or sunshine on your face. Nothing beats cycling during the summer...its pure freedom.
Well the people are not sop happy anymore due to enormous high taxes for the ridiculous green plan do to climat change. While the human factor is insignificant we have to pay energy taxes that much that taxes pressure on our wages is stil rising. The country is full, better, the most dence in the world and still importing migrants while normal people cannot afford houses to buy anymore. Shortage of about 400.00 houses at this moment and we maybe build 60.000 this year. Less and less space, ridiculous EU rulings, many migrants from ancient cultures as well as islam are changing our country.
@@bbqreunie984 When it comes to accepting immigrants we are not pulling our weight, we should be accepting more, not less. Preferably construction workers so they can build houses (Though the primary limitation there is bureaucracy). The green plan is dumb, but not for your reasons, but because they are focussed on the wrong things (too much biowaste incinerators and not enough solar and wind). Income taxes have gone down recently, some taxes go up, some go down. We are paying a bit more under the line but it is worth it. Also, we are all still quite happy. Just because you are upset about seeing brown people doesn't mean we all are as unhappy as you.
The number of people who own a car is still increasing in the Netherlands. Car ownership is comparable with, for example, Canada, about 6 out of 10 people. In America, it is 8 out of 10. (So) We do not cycle because we have to, but because we consciously choose to leave the car at home.
Wouldn't car sharing / leasing services make more sense, compared to an individual car then? If it just stays around it still accumulates cost, and if you just need it occasionally you could just rent one instead.
Cycling is also out of necessity. We are a country with an average population density of 416 per square kilometer. Immagine if we would give freeway to cars and build highways and parking places enough to accomodate all of them, like it is in the US or Canada, where there is plenty of empty space. We would have to knock down most of our towns and villages. The only solution is to get people out of the car and on the bike, and create an appropriate infra structure for biking to facilitate it. And of course being a flat country facilitates it too. And there is also an environmental bonus.
@@nlbergsma Basically, we got forced into a better infrastructural solution. As an immigrant I will say, the Dutch have the best infrastructure in the world, no denying.
7.44-8.27 about Utrecht C: Lack of parking space for cars is a worldwide problem. Lack of parking space for bicycles is only in the Netherlands and Denmark....
Marc van der wee I've been in denmark a couple of times. And I must say that it's very bike unfriendly. And that nobody really uses bikes, except for recreational use.
Marc van der wee I think this video actually is mindblowing. None of the images of Utrecht shown in this video are the same today. I'm dutch, living in Utrecht. A lot of the places in this video i visit on a daily base. There are a lot of inhabitants of this city who took the bicycle infra-structure for granted. Some of them complained about the huge amounts of bicycles parking and the decline of car infrastructure. The video was published 2 years ago and i was amazed about the positive reactions from abroad, back then. The city of Utrecht could have been proud of what they achieved. But it got even better and it's improving every day. I hardly recognize my hometown anymore from this footage. The people who made this video should come back in 2 years and shoot the same places again
Good morning erik5374! Yeah, I can imagine the images of Utrecht are totally changed in the last 2 years, particular around the central station! And when things change rapidly it is really difficult to recognize the old situation shortly after.... I have the same here in my homevillage.... ;-)
I live in Denmark, north of Copenhagen, and you can’t look at a road without seeing a bicycle. It IS really bike-friendly and there are bike-paths almost everywhere. I’m just glad there aren’t as many cyclists in Denmark as is Holland. It gives a more peaceful and relaxing feel when bicycling.
My employer even installed showers, so if you come to work all sweaty after a bike ride you can get yourself cleaned up. You can even drop off your clothes at the cleaners office and they wash and tumble dry it and bring it back clean and folded before you go back home. I have a spare set at work, so even when I ride full throttle so to speak it's a ten minute job to be clean and dry, and this also means rain isn't really your enemy on the ride. Needless to say I'm fit as can be, have excellent BMI, I can't even recall the last time I had a headache, let alone the flu.
That is great! But according to your name I guess you live and work in Italy. But here in the Netherlands the cycle speeds are low (Except sport cyclists riding to work), between 15 and 20 kph/9,5 and 12,5 mph. So people here don't arrive at work sweaty... And you are right, cycling keeps people more fit and healthy!
@@marcvanderwee I ride at about 30/40 kph so on my speedpedelec so i do get sweaty. It makes distances of 20km pretty doable. Traditional slow bikes are pretty good for moving inside of the city though, where you don't need the speed.
What gets me is where I live in NYC, there is enough space in the streets, in most cases, to put down bike lane markings but the people in charge are just too lazy or they'll say there's no budget to do it. Even where there are some bike lanes the only put down the biker figure and don't bother to paint the lane green with white edge lines. It's so annoying how cars are always being favored over bicycles. I know it's difficult to cycle in the winter but winter only lasts a few months and there are at least eight good months in NYC for cycling. I wish there will be many more Greenways in the future.
Car roads wear way faster than bike paths because of the weight which makes them exponentially more expensive. Cities will save money by enabling more citizens to use bicycles. And cycling in the winter is no problem if the city properly removes snow from bikelanes.
How comfortable do you need to feel on your bike to hold hands while cycling. It's that sense of feeling in utter control of your balance that gives us Dutch the confidence to ride without helmets...... we don't fall over
For "us" Dutch people cycling is like walking. So it is very strange for us to see people cycling wearing helmets, it's feels the same for us to have to wear a helmet when walking: "Why would you do that, are you slow in your head?".
Claire Ahmed it helps, but it isn’t the main reason Dutch people are less fat than Americans. In America, it is common (I believe) to go out for dinner or lunch, or eat in the canteen in school for lunch. In the Netherlands it’s common to bring your own food (bread with something on it) to school/work and to cook dinner at home. The only time Dutch people usually go out for dinner is when there is something to be celebrated. Making your own food makes it way easier to eat healthier foods because in my experience, choosing some nice unhealthy meal is way easier when you’re out on dinner.
@@renze7133 i use to go to work by car, it took me about 15 minutes. When my car broke down i thought what the hell, why do i need it? I went to work by bike, it took me 40 minutes and the first days were awfull, i could not breath after ten minutes. Within a week or ten days it took me only 30 minutes and i felt 10 years younger!
For bicycle to be practical, not just roads need to be changed. The most important part is the buildings also need to be more condensed. It's not convenient to cycle to the store when the store is 20 minutes away. Amsterdam is not just cycle friendly it is also pedestrian friendly.
A lot of the people in our rural villages will happily make a 20-40min roundway trip. When i was in highschool and we moved from the city to a village and i had the choice of changing from my usual 10min trip to a 1h10m trip or take public transportation for 20mins i chose to use my bike over 2h a day... rain and snow included.
In the Netherlands, metropolitan areas have a node/web structure: big, dense cities ringed by dense towns and villages, with farmalnd in between. Here in the US, it's not the same. There are big residential neighborhoods with only one entry/exit point, shopping areas with vast car parks which have only 2-3 entry/exit points, and six-lane, 70kph roads. It is a clusterfuck, a big ugly smear with no center or edge, and among the people there are idiots who throw stuff at cyclists for fun.
The average Dutch person can go by bicycle for groceries, get their stuff and be back within half an hour easy. When i lived in Groningen, i walked to the supermarket often and was back in that very same half hour. The USA does not have the amount of stores to accomodate for cyclists and pedestrians this way. The population density in most places is just not good enough or it's concentrated in such a manner that smaller shops can't compete. To be realistic, i don't think the USA is suitable in the next 50 or more years for cyclists and people not using their car.
Investing in a country-wide biking infrastructure not only solves a lot of traffic congestion problems but also environmental and (partially) health problems! But what you'll see in the netherlands is that the infrastructure is never 'done'. It keeps getting updated and upgraded to be safer and more efficient. That of course costs a lot of money, but the problems it solves I believe return at least a part of that investment.
Actually the returns outweigh the investments many times, but they do so indirectly. However they only start doing so when the overhaul of the system is nearing completion. Completion includes education and a change in mentality of all users of the traffic infrastructure. Were I in the federal US gvt, I would direct all resources to one or two cities and make them an example for the rest of the country to follow.
No need to try and tell a Dutchman about economics, there is a reason why going Dutch is a worldwide adopted term. Being able to cycle in to shopping areas it makes people much more eager to visit several shops in one go, which keeps shops and companies competitive and that's what drives proper capitalism.
A comprehnsive summary of all things the Netherlands does right. Well done! Would like to see a bit on the with of cycle paths and their regional planning systems for infrastructure.
That guy from Washington said they have 25 miles of cucke lanes and the guy from Rotterdam said they had 500 km (300+:miles). These towns have roughly the same size ~650,000 people). Obviously, you're not going to make cycling popular if there isn't enough infrastructure to make cycling appealing and safe.
Not only cities have great cycling infrastructure, it also is getting better and better in rural areas. I live in rural Limburg and when we wanted to go to a certain village 15 years ago, we would take the car. The connecting road was narrow and lined by trees, just too dangerous. When taking the bike we had to find our way along uncomfortale and muddy dirt roads. Now there is a gorgeous wide cycling path through the rolling fields (Limburg is less flat than the rest of The Netherlands) which I use about four times a week and each time it gives me the feeling of being on a holiday! I do not have a driving permit by the way, so I cycle quite a lot. Nowadays I also own a mountain bike and also use a lot of dirt roads, but sometimes you just want to be in your normal cloths on a "city" bike and then the special cycling infrastructure is wonderful.
Greatest people on the earth, they are highly motivated for the environment wellness, the self consciousness of them to use car only when needed has made these cities clean and almost pollution free. These great people are not poor but commited to contribute the sustainable development of their country.
sorry to break your bubble, but our main reasons to use our bikes are: it is cheaper than a car, you get to your destination way quicker (and closer) if you live in a busy city and parking in a city is way easier and for free (whereas parking your car will cost you 5 euros an hour). You are right though: we are not poor. And biking IS good for your health and the environment. Also: Dutch kids learn how to ride a bike at a very young age and get to move around on their own on their bikes. No need for parents to be their taxidrivers, kids are independent and autonomous which is great for self confidence.
The irony here is that both the US and Australia have the space to do so, in general these countries would have more room for it. But oddly one of the reasons it works so well in the Netherlands, is because we have so little space and everything is packed together... which makes cycling often a better alternative and so efficient.
@@brabbelbeest yes but the reason you wont see that much is because america is huge and everything is far away from each other. takes you hours to go by bike. hence they have more car roads
Definetely not. The bigger Dutch cities are nice, but I do not consider them really friendly. For example: Foreigners who don't understand our bikelanes get cursed at a lot, and not in a friendly way. We usually swear with diseases, one of our most used swearwords is cancer.
@@jackodees1765 That proves his point. When tourist come here and ride their bike they will be friendly to you. When you dont follow the rules they wont. People get angry at other people (in high speeds) because the other persons behaviour brings them in danger and thats why they react angry. Car drivers will be angry because they know they are in a real big disadvantage when they hit a bike, even if the bike hits them. If I would hire a tuktuk/rickshaw in a foreign country and drive on the wrong way and almost hit people, they will get VERY angry.
@@jackodees1765 fun fact! the dutch discovered viruses and bacteria; disease causing agents, they also invented ways to cure and prevent them, their use of illnesses comes from their power to control them!
As a Dutchman I have the impression - from observing traffic - that the growing popularity of e--bikes (electric) in the Netherlands might become a serious problem. Electric motors in e-bikes amplify the power you put on your pedals, which results in higher speeds, which in turn can create dangerous situations. "Bike highways" , like the one shown in this video, in Nijmegen are fine for high-speed cycling (~30 kph, 20 mph) with enough space for cyclists to overtake, but in town centers it can become dangerous if e-bike cyclists do not slow down and adapt to slow-speed traffic. Especially elderly cyclists who are suddenly able to cycle at speeds beyond their physical limits (from 10 to 30 kph) pose a danger to themselves and others. Their situational awareness and reaction times are usually lower than younger people. Speed limits for bikes are unheard of in NL, but I think we might need them sooner rather than later.
I think it would be better to give more room to ebikes by widening lanes, decreasing cars in centres (especially because ecyclists tend to bike in the middle of the road ugh) then using a speed limit... Dont think that can be implemented anyhow. Another better measure would be to force elderly on ebikes to wear helmets.
There is a ban on e-bikes that go harder than 25 km/h (officially), if it goes harder you need a yellow license plate, then you have to ride on the road with cars like other scooters (which nobody does lol). But also, those racing bikes go way faster than e-bikes, 35/40 km/h is not hard if you have a good race bike. I do think there should be a speed limit of 30 km/h.
the top speed of an ebike is not higher than a normal bike. the emotor is to support the biker if you dont pedal the motor doesnt support. If you put the motor on the highest level the battery is empty very fast, so ebikers ride the same speed as others, when the road is empty, a little faster.
I'm Dutch and i live in the east of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands we have this thing that regions try to impress other regions with their bikeways. It shocks me to tell people this but these bikeways are much worse then in the east cause in the province Gelderland are Bike highways. Like for real: bike highways. Just next to the normal highway lays a bikehighway.
At many Dutch trainstation you can rent a bike (or an e-bike) for 10 euro a whole day. You do have to pay a deposit. You get that amount back when you return the bike.
Great to see you here visiting our little country, experiencing our bike and traffic-infrastructure. If, and I know it is a big If, you can implement some of our bike-culture in everyday traffic, within cittycenters of Washington, Chicago, Miami among others, the concequences could be far more reaching than what is now comprehensable. Good luck in making that transition!!
this video was posted in 2015 and now it's 2021 and time for a follow up video to report on the progress in bicycle infrastructure in America . Never mind .
A friend of mine from abroad couldn't stop laughing the first time he was in The Netherlands, both for the amounts of bikes (at stations, roads etc), as well as the variety of them.
I want to add one thing, in cities and villages are 30 km (20 miles/hr) zones for cars. The police doesnt watch if the cars are not riding too fast, but they do that on 50km/hr roads. so it saves policemoney in 30km zones.
In the Netherlands you're born with a bike between your legs. You start biking with the age of 4 till the day you die.... And we even take our bikes with us on the back of our car across the borders to explore the other country's I was wondering what this tour change the situation in your city... Is there any progress???
Come on. They can't change everything. But they can use some parts they learn here what will work in America as well. It is too ridiculous for words to ask this question to an American.
@@michaelsteel8059 Is it rediculous to ask an American if there have bin some changes after this tour and 4,5 years later????? A land with all the opportunities, we will be great again????? Come on...... Learn some thing from it and do something about it if you want to change it. Otherwise these trip had no sense and cost the public only money!!!!
@@houtjeboom 716/5000 How do you want to see noticeable improvement in America in 5 years? A country that has much greater distances than the Netherlands. America has much larger and more extensive cities than we have here in the Netherlands. What they have seen here can perhaps be applied to relatively small-scale proportions. Plus the fact that you have to get local politics and people to the point where traffic rules also have to be adjusted, so that the motorist can look at the cyclist with very different eyes. Something like that just takes time. You indicate in your story yourself why it works in the Netherlands. A whole history precedes this. America is far behind us in that respect.
@@michaelsteel8059 The US of A has only a few truly large cities. Then there are a lot cities comparable to medium sized cities in Europe (comparable to Rotterdam, Utrecht). And then there lots and lots of towns and small villages dotted around the country. They should give up their idea of how they zone their cities. Because everyone has a car, commercial zones can *only* be reached by car and even then it's quite a ride because of traffic congestion etc. Also, because we have much less available space in Nederland, we are used to the idea of combined commercial/residential areas. Think about all those apartments that are on top of many stores. This also means that after closing hours, those areas are still active with people. In America, commercial zones are like ghost towns after closing hours. Rather big ghost towns.
Even as a Dutchman living in Belgium (and working in Brussels) I'm often jealous of the biking infrasturcture my Dutch family enjoys. I can't imagine how amazing this must look to USians (if my image of the US based on popular media is true).
I second that, having lived in the NL for few years and only used bikes for transportation I couldn't ride a bike after I moved afterwards to Brussels and had to rely on public transportation so much the biking infrastructure is inexsistant or unreliably dangerous, people in the NL are really spoiled when it comes to biking infrastructure and facilities.
I experienced biking in Belgium as a suicide attempt. It is that I have Dutch bike mentality, so looking ahead, defensive. But, boy o boy, what a mess, Belgium traffic.
I think she told you that she kind of has been there, and yes your roads and infrastructure are rubbish. Go with any means of transportation from the Netherlands to Belgium or back and you will know exactly when you crossed the border. But hey, how can you expect a country that has almost no vehicle taxes to have enough money to keep their roads updated...
Very I'm using my bike to work because it's so heavy traffic here, I'm choosing bike for transportation because it's free enmission and for exercise, Im From Philippines.
I live in London, England, and I know how to drive, but I love bikes (even if it's friggin' exhausting sometimes). As cyclists we have the same complaints as cars - too many red lights! If we can cut the private car usage and limit the number of cabs, and just leave business vehicles like vans and lorries and buses, we can cut a lot of the traffic and reconfigure the traffic light system. London has rather decent well-connected public transport, so it's really not necessary for most people to clog up the streets with private cars with lots of empty seats
I wish Canada will adapt the cycling system and infrastructure of Nederland.It's amazing to see how Nederland has evolved over the years in the whole country.
Canada has a few problems. In the Netherlands you can drive from one side of the country to the other in 4 hours, in Canada I think you haven't even left your province. Canada is 200 times as big, and has twice the population of the Netherlands. Also: The only obstacle in the Netherlands is the wind, and some bad weather. No mountains at all. Another thing is that the most cities here are quite old, all the major ones are over 500 years old, and not redesigned in a significant way since. The city centers are all narrow roads, not suited for cars at all. That helps a lot, it's easier to go to a citycenter by bike than by car, because parkingspace for a car is limited, while parkingspace for a bike is quite easy to find, and of course a bike takes a lot less space when it's parked.
@@jackodees1765 You really think Dutch cycle daily from one side of the country to the other? The size of a country is totally irrelevant. And as you could see in the video, cycling is most effective in city centers. I can't name many cities with mountains in it. And finally, no matter how easy you can go to a city center by car, eventually you end up in a traffic jam and parking problems. That's why the number of Dutch cities that ban cars in the center grows every year.
@@jhcfight The size isn't irrelevant. I'm Dutch, and lived in a rural area for most of my life. But even there there were quite good biciclelanes separated from the main roads. If there weren't any safe bikelanes next to a 100 km/h road I don't think my parents would allow me to go anywhere by bike. It's not just in cities, especially in rural areas it's important. Most kids go to school by bike, a lot of my classmates had to ride their bike for 30 km per day.
@@jackodees1765 that's what adapted public transport is for. In the Netherlands public transport accommodate bikes so if a distance is too long, you can go.
@@jackodees1765 Not many people bike from one side of the Netherlands to the other very often. More like.. no one ever. That is such a bogus argument. Infrastructure for bicycles is mainly a local issue, and at most for short distance commutes like up to 15-20 kilometers. Can't say I disagree much with the rest of your observations, though a steady headwind is a pain in the ass...
What im missing in this vid is : City design in the Netherlands are very different to that of the US. US cities tend to be very dense in the city centre, but as soon as you vere out a few km's , homes are freestanding, have a large groundfloor surface area and nomore than a second floor.( And probably quite a sizeble garden to boot ? ) In the Netherlands its much more crowded, homes are a lot smaller, all in all its more packed together. Which means that with a comparable amount of people living in a city in the Netherlands to one in the US, it automatically means the US city will be much more spread out and be much larger in terms of square miles/km. Which in turn will affect the distance need to be travelled to get to anywhere and that will affect time needed to travel. It could work for the big city centres, but its gonna be hellish to get it to work in say Las Vegas ? Having said this, nice vid , hope you can implement some in your cities . Oh and cool thing ? Rotterdam has started a trial on rain sensetive traffic lights, if the traffic light preseves that it is raining, it will give way to cyclists ! aint that just awsome ? ( I live in Rotterdam and use my bike everyday , so Im really championing this trial ! :)
You are aware that buildings per square km is a choice, right? Somebody decided that this was optimal. Once opinions change, the buildings per km2 can change too.
I really love my daily commute on bike to work. For me it's just fifteen leasurly minutes. But I have many colleagues that love some 15 km or more away that commute by bike as well. They do it as their daily sport routine, so combine their commute with their sports, saving time. Most offices provide showers for these employees. Plus we have tax benefits for bike commuting.
Fun to read all the comments. I live 10 km from groningen and it's so much easier to go on my bike to the city than with a car so I give up my car. Just a normal bike, not a e-bike. It's also a good way to reduce your stress...
Every time I watch a video on biking in the Netherlands I can't help but notice how beautiful most of the people are.. there are some damn sexy people in that country!
My first guess would have been Belgian, because it's not very common in the Netherlands to write "van der Kooy" without spaces. That's more a Belgian thing.
@@Tiger313NL In the US they often made it one name. Like Vandenberg instead of Van den Berg. Or DeVries instead of De Vries. So it could have been Van der Kooy instead of Vanderkooy.
We don't have a lot of snow, mostly rain. And when it is snowing or freezing (oftennthe rain freezes on the road surface) many don't care and just continue biking. Just wear warm clothes 😁 It is also possible because the bike lanes are cleared of snow and ice, just like ordinary roads.
Dutch expression: "If the weather stops you, anything will"; they have rain suits and plastic boots and just get on their bike anyway. Cold is hardly ever an issue, rain and wind combined is more tricky. Snowstorms are rare but add adventure and great stories to the hot chocolate near the fireplace.
@@hunchbackaudio that's -20f and in Chicago, we can get hit with a foot (30cm) or more of snow in one snow storm. Not all of the US is like this, in the south it stays warm and can at times get too hot to cycle. The upper midwest is just as cold and miserable as Sweden. The thing is Americans don't get the bike commuting thing. Here you ride a bike for recreation or because you lost your driver's license. If you saw the news about Princess Diana having to sell her bike, it's sort of like that...inappropriate for the self professed big shots. The people in the Netherlands are very fortunate to have such an infrastructure and the mindset to use it.
@@ab935 -20f (I had to look that up) is not very common in NL but it's possible and we still ride our bicycles because that how we go to school or whatever. So you're right it's a mindset and people will always find an excuse to keep their lazy ass in a car. I wouldn't be any different as a school kid, but I had no choice. And indeed it all starts with the infrastructure. All this biking videos are talking a bout Amsterdam and the revolt to cars in the seventies, but I am born in the 60's and with 3 months old I was put in the front of my mothers bike. The dutch cycling habits go back way before WW2, it's in our genes. Not something other cultures will pick up overnight.
I never realized that our country is so well equipped for cyclists. Never realized that cycling to school is so special. That small children cycle to school themselves. Shopping with your bike. Going out on your bike. Going into the city on your bike. It's normal, you don't even think about it, and not forced behavior.
I lived in the country in the 70ies. No busses there so as a teenager I could only go to school by biking 20km's a day. I think it still happens, but more by e-bike. Now I've been living in Groningen since 25 years.
It is remarkable how many cities are looking at bikes to solve their infrastructure problems: London, Paris, New York. The simple reason is that bicycling infrastructure is cheaper and takes less space per passenger. It's also great for puvlic health and well-being.
I think the main thing they should take away is the different traffic nets. On my daily commute in Amsterdam I hardly encounter cars, because the route I take prioritizes bikes and pedestrians. Similarly there are other routes that prioritize car traffic. I'm sure there are less busy streets they could redesign for bikes and destination traffic.
I would like to know how they deal with the winter conditions. Here in BC we get a lot of snow in some areas. I would love to see better bicycle trails here.
For US and all other countries.. just start with coloring the designated cycling paths in red or orange, this wil make a big difference because it splits the driving lane in two separate lanes which makes it easier for everyone to know what is for cyclists and what for cars
We have a lot roundabouts but not the most safest like we had in earlier days the so called " berenkuil " it is a roundabout on another level as the roundabout of the cars.
4:00 not only are bikes cheaper than cars, they make money for the society. Each km by car, society pays 15 cents, each km by bike makes 16 cents. That’s because of gas, roading and parking costs of cars and the health, and hence productivity, benefits from bikes
Ha! At 1:11 thats my campus. I cycle there every day almost. Coincidentally you filmed the one part where its not that well thought out and cyclists often curse each other out cuz they almost collide.
Data point: Groningen pop. 200K. Interesting and encouraging to see some of the big-city people - not just rabid bike-huggers (;-) - who took the time and effort to go explore possibilities of better bike infrastructure.
I think that an important thing to note for US infrastructure is that people don't wear helmets. And the reason for that is that safety is built into the roads, with separate bicycle lanes and bicycles going through traffic lights separately from cars.
@@wildcardmark thats hilarious. Yes, its against the law. And everyday its how 80% of the drunk people get home. Its not that bad. Ive never once fall... thats not true i have fallen, but ive never once caused an accident haha.
Mistaken Rants personally I don’t drink, but I got a lot of co workers who do, and most go by bike, and you don’t want to know how many of them had accidents ore caused them , alcohol is a drug and the acsaptance is a blight on humanity more deaths are caused by alcohol then any other man made junk abuse should be punished harsher
@@wildcardmark Alcohol is bad and accidents happen but honestly you cant compare drunk driving with drunk cycling. They are completely different ballparks and USUALLY worst case scenario is you hurting yourself. About 200 bicycle deaths every year on a population of 17 000 000 people with the majority of those likely not being related to alcohol at all.
The possiblity is bicycles with a lot of gearing, or an electric bicycle. With the latter you still have to peddle, but there is support of an electric motor.. It is possible to regulate the assitance, the more hilly (or windy) the more support you can get.
If you build nice cycle paths, more and more cyclists will use them. Use local knowledge: th-cam.com/channels/nVGl6cBFlKY3wSl9AD161A.html Build superb infrastructure near the water and on top of the hills: those are "flat". Create some cycle friendly commuter roads in between them. And build decent parking facilities at public transport hubs. Groetjes from Limburg.
Yes, the bike highway in the video from Arnhem to Nijmegen has been lengthened to connect even more towns. So biking there has become a more viable alternative to using the train or car.
I don't know why Indian people not lick that... In new Delhi there is no rods for cycling and cycling people, lot of pollution and traffic... May the Lord have mercy on new Delhi people..... Regards Richard James New Delhi India......
Just look at how slow and carefully they ride. At 2:16 the bikes are very close together, yet there is no collision, and everyone is calm -- even when that crazy skateboarder is zooming along in the bike lane. No one is wearing a helmet. In contrast in North America, the bike lane is often full of people racing along on their race bikes with helmets and lycra. Even in urban settings (like Montreal), people ride too fast in the bike lane because they don't want to get caught waiting for a traffic light. We have much to learn from the Netherlands, not just from the urban cycling planners, but from the ordinary riders.
We have bicycle paths all around the country. Those who cycle for sports will opt to do so outside of city centers. You can generally spot them in their lycra gear and helmets but going at a normal speed within city limits, they'll speed off when there are fewer normal cyclists around.
It’s partially also because of how casual cycling is. In many places it’s turned into a sport, so it’s difficult to get a non-sporty bike and you also sometimes need that speed and manouvrability to compete with cars. Here a lot of bikes only have a single gear, so going fast is tiring. It’s also a very casual thing. You get on the bike to cycle to school, to work, to the shop, all very often close by. People who have to cycle a greater distance sometimes do choose to go for lycra on a fast bike. Most people don’t want to be sweaty when they arrive at their destination. :D
Doesn’t Scotland have the budget to that already? just about all infrastructure shown in this video was funded by city budgets. I cannot imagine that you’d want London to decide over a bicycle road in Aberdeen (nor would London I assume).
David Macdonald With (part of) the English behaving like they do, I’d want independence too. But I don’t understand what this has to do with bicycle infrastructure. I though that the Scottish Parliament already can decide on purely Scottish matters and bicycle roads are very much local subjects, aren’t they?
Biking is so common now here in the Netherlands. There are barely any issues between cyclists and car drivers because EVERYONE bikes here. Everybody knows what it's like to bike. In most other countries there is a clear separation between cyclists and car drivers and there always seems some tension between them.
Only in urban areas. Once you get out in the boonies, there's no way you can keep up with a car. And that's the difference between Europe and North America: space. We have 17 million people living in an area 2/3rd the state of Maine, which only has 1.4 million citizens. So distances there are much longer. Add to this that the Netherlands is mostly very flat, you can see that there are reasons why people in North America prefer cars over bikes.
The bicycles are good, they can also add another wheel to make it triwheeled for better balance and weight management as well as mobility. ∆ SMEs.......excellent in many certainties of a lifetime.
What a beautiful culture! Love all those cruiser style bicycles!
I live in a small town in Connecticut U.S.A. I try to ride every day and use my bike for transportation to and from the grocery store. What a difference the U.S and the Netherlands. In my rides it's rare to come across another bike. We have narrow and busy roads, not bike friendly at all. Most people around here take their bikes by car to a walking path or trail to ride. I sure wish we would develop a bicycle culture here.
By using your bike as if it was already usual, you make the first step to develop a bicycle culture, other people will follow, I'm sure.
The bikes are city/commuter type bikes and are very common throughout the world. The cruiser style is different. I spend a lot of my time in Europe and can say through my travel experience that we in the US are so far behind.
What’s your watching is a high density area designed to fit as many people in one place as you can. So of course Not that many can probably afford or have space for a car
Netherlands have the best food availability. This is measured by the quality and diversity of the food and how close you live to it. So withing 5-10 minutes of slow cycling I can get to like 6 grocery stores, from local foods to cheap, vegan etc. And I live in a 50k people city. Netherlands is also the nr2 exporter of food and with the country being so small you can always get local/fresh fruit/meat/fish etc. And everyone learns to ride their bike from 4 years old until they die.
if you park one car thats the same space as parking 10 bikes. So it saves space, space for trees and flowers and grass. people feel happier with flowers near the roads. It brings fresh air too. important in busy cities.
One of the more important things about the bike infrastructure is also the (relatively) well organised public transportation. Combination bike and train/bus is used a lot.
Exactly. Commuters go wit ha bike to the bike station, than travel 15, 100 K by train and take the bike again in the place where they work or the bus or just walk.
And the modern tram network (streetcars in US language) absolutely everywhere....
People ride to a tram stop and catch the tram to work as often as not
Seeing this 6 years later. All these people featured here should be interviewed now and asked what they have done to promote cycling.
Maybe one more year, that would be 10 year. Might be funny to see if concepts are already implemented.
When I watch this video, it seems like a joy to come to work riding your bike with a bunch of happy people side by side infront of you and behind you.This is something I want to experience.I must add the Dutch people are the happiest people in the world! Kudos to the city officials of Nederland.
Mario .Dizon As a dutch woman I can tell you cycling to work and from work does make you happy. But its even better. In the morning it wakes you up so you get to work (already having done some serious cardio half asleep) and you are pumped to get to work. The happy hormone from exorcise is still in your body. And after a stressful busy day you cycle home...the repetitive motion of cycling is relaxing..so you leave work at work. And usually if I was wondering how to do something all day...after 5 minutes of cycling I tend to get a "OMG thats it!" moment....your head just clears up when you cycle. And you get home having done even more cardio ...again happy exorcise hormones in your veins. I wasn't able to cycle for a couple of months years ago (got run over by a car). Only when you can't cycle you realise the effect of it on your mood and body. When you exorcise more than 1 hour purely by going to work...you burn a lot of fat....when you can't cycle you need to watch what you eat. And you are more sluggish at work cause sitting still in public transportation doesn't wake you up. And you get home stressed cause not only do you miss the cycling you also had to catch a bus.
That's why during summer time here in my city, I grab the chances of riding my bike to work and you're absolutely right it wakes up your inner clock when you bike to work and by the time you arrive you're all set and full of energy.
Mario .Dizon Exactly you get a lovely energy boost. And no matter what work you have to do..it can't be more intense than the ride was...so your day feels so much easier. I just love cycling. But its so important to have safe infrastructure or it wouldn't be half as relaxing if you keep worrying about other traffic. I tend to use a separated bike path...completely stress free...well accept for the part I got run over years ago (the bike path got interrupted by a parking lot for cars... it was early in the morning and apparently the driver wasn't 100% awake...he ignored the clear traffic signals that told him to watch out of cyclists and ran me over). Its a dangerous spot and than I pay attention but on the cycle path itself you can zone out and enjoy the scenery....feel the breeze and/or sunshine on your face. Nothing beats cycling during the summer...its pure freedom.
Well the people are not sop happy anymore due to enormous high taxes for the ridiculous green plan do to climat change. While the human factor is insignificant we have to pay energy taxes that much that taxes pressure on our wages is stil rising. The country is full, better, the most dence in the world and still importing migrants while normal people cannot afford houses to buy anymore. Shortage of about 400.00 houses at this moment and we maybe build 60.000 this year.
Less and less space, ridiculous EU rulings, many migrants from ancient cultures as well as islam are changing our country.
@@bbqreunie984 When it comes to accepting immigrants we are not pulling our weight, we should be accepting more, not less. Preferably construction workers so they can build houses (Though the primary limitation there is bureaucracy).
The green plan is dumb, but not for your reasons, but because they are focussed on the wrong things (too much biowaste incinerators and not enough solar and wind).
Income taxes have gone down recently, some taxes go up, some go down. We are paying a bit more under the line but it is worth it.
Also, we are all still quite happy. Just because you are upset about seeing brown people doesn't mean we all are as unhappy as you.
The number of people who own a car is still increasing in the Netherlands. Car ownership is comparable with, for example, Canada, about 6 out of 10 people. In America, it is 8 out of 10.
(So) We do not cycle because we have to, but because we consciously choose to leave the car at home.
Wouldn't car sharing / leasing services make more sense, compared to an individual car then? If it just stays around it still accumulates cost, and if you just need it occasionally you could just rent one instead.
Dark Thoughts renting a car for a day is very expansieve here. Two to four days of rent would pay for my small car monthly costs.
@@Dark__Thoughts I'm 23 and don't have a car, don't need it either. But I can use my mom's car when I do need
Cycling is also out of necessity. We are a country with an average population density of 416 per square kilometer. Immagine if we would give freeway to cars and build highways and parking places enough to accomodate all of them, like it is in the US or Canada, where there is plenty of empty space. We would have to knock down most of our towns and villages. The only solution is to get people out of the car and on the bike, and create an appropriate infra structure for biking to facilitate it. And of course being a flat country facilitates it too. And there is also an environmental bonus.
@@nlbergsma Basically, we got forced into a better infrastructural solution. As an immigrant I will say, the Dutch have the best infrastructure in the world, no denying.
could be an interesting video. But the music drives me insane.
It wouldn't be so bad if it looped properly. How did they not notice that it skips on every loop!
Yes it is pretty disgusting, isn't it? Frantic drug-crazed 'house' beats screaming out over little old ladies riding bikes.
KosmiekAltertainment drives me nuts also!
je wordt al een dagje ouder mama!
You're probably not an advocate for cycling if that's what you focused on
7.44-8.27 about Utrecht C: Lack of parking space for cars is a worldwide problem. Lack of parking space for bicycles is only in the Netherlands and Denmark....
Marc van der wee I've been in denmark a couple of times. And I must say that it's very bike unfriendly. And that nobody really uses bikes, except for recreational use.
I second that.
Almost every Dane has a recreational bike, but almost none of them ride their bike to work.
Marc van der wee I think this video actually is mindblowing. None of the images of Utrecht shown in this video are the same today.
I'm dutch, living in Utrecht. A lot of the places in this video i visit on a daily base.
There are a lot of inhabitants of this city who took the bicycle infra-structure for granted. Some of them complained about the huge amounts of bicycles parking and the decline of car infrastructure.
The video was published 2 years ago and i was amazed about the positive reactions from abroad, back then. The city of Utrecht could have been proud of what they achieved.
But it got even better and it's improving every day.
I hardly recognize my hometown anymore from this footage.
The people who made this video should come back in 2 years and shoot the same places again
Good morning erik5374! Yeah, I can imagine the images of Utrecht are totally changed in the last 2 years, particular around the central station! And when things change rapidly it is really difficult to recognize the old situation shortly after.... I have the same here in my homevillage.... ;-)
I live in Denmark, north of Copenhagen, and you can’t look at a road without seeing a bicycle. It IS really bike-friendly and there are bike-paths almost everywhere. I’m just glad there aren’t as many cyclists in Denmark as is Holland. It gives a more peaceful and relaxing feel when bicycling.
the remark at the end is missing the point. to the dutch people it's not about being happy or healthy. it's about getting from A to B... that's it
You forgot cheap. For the Dutch one of the main drivers
yes you are right. however its a nice added bonus that it healthy, and healthy in general makes you more happy. The circle of life :)
My employer even installed showers, so if you come to work all sweaty after a bike ride you can get yourself cleaned up. You can even drop off your clothes at the cleaners office and they wash and tumble dry it and bring it back clean and folded before you go back home. I have a spare set at work, so even when I ride full throttle so to speak it's a ten minute job to be clean and dry, and this also means rain isn't really your enemy on the ride. Needless to say I'm fit as can be, have excellent BMI, I can't even recall the last time I had a headache, let alone the flu.
That is great! But according to your name I guess you live and work in Italy. But here in the Netherlands the cycle speeds are low (Except sport cyclists riding to work), between 15 and 20 kph/9,5 and 12,5 mph. So people here don't arrive at work sweaty... And you are right, cycling keeps people more fit and healthy!
@@marcvanderwee I ride at about 30/40 kph so on my speedpedelec so i do get sweaty. It makes distances of 20km pretty doable. Traditional slow bikes are pretty good for moving inside of the city though, where you don't need the speed.
What gets me is where I live in NYC, there is enough space in the streets, in most cases, to put down bike lane markings but the people in charge are just too lazy or they'll say there's no budget to do it. Even where there are some bike lanes the only put down the biker figure and don't bother to paint the lane green with white edge lines. It's so annoying how cars are always being favored over bicycles. I know it's difficult to cycle in the winter but winter only lasts a few months and there are at least eight good months in NYC for cycling. I wish there will be many more Greenways in the future.
cars are favored , because of money. the car manfacturers want to sell more cars
Winter cycling doesn't suck as much as people think it does.
Car roads wear way faster than bike paths because of the weight which makes them exponentially more expensive. Cities will save money by enabling more citizens to use bicycles. And cycling in the winter is no problem if the city properly removes snow from bikelanes.
Why don’t you colonizers go back to europe😊
@@deankor same like Indonesia no car/motobike no money
How comfortable do you need to feel on your bike to hold hands while cycling. It's that sense of feeling in utter control of your balance that gives us Dutch the confidence to ride without helmets...... we don't fall over
dutch dont use their hands lol
For "us" Dutch people cycling is like walking. So it is very strange for us to see people cycling wearing helmets, it's feels the same for us to have to wear a helmet when walking: "Why would you do that, are you slow in your head?".
No, it the consciousness of motorists to the fact that bikes exist on the road. They travel slowly. They have to yield to cyclists.
I love the Netherlands and its people. This video is a good example of why I find life here so nice:)
The health benefits of biking is pretty evident here- majority of the people/bikers Dutch look fit!
Claire Ahmed it helps, but it isn’t the main reason Dutch people are less fat than Americans. In America, it is common (I believe) to go out for dinner or lunch, or eat in the canteen in school for lunch. In the Netherlands it’s common to bring your own food (bread with something on it) to school/work and to cook dinner at home. The only time Dutch people usually go out for dinner is when there is something to be celebrated.
Making your own food makes it way easier to eat healthier foods because in my experience, choosing some nice unhealthy meal is way easier when you’re out on dinner.
No need for a leg day @ the gym
John did you even read what I said?
you have`nt seen my belly these days....but i still cycle!
@@renze7133 i use to go to work by car, it took me about 15 minutes. When my car broke down i thought what the hell, why do i need it? I went to work by bike, it took me 40 minutes and the first days were awfull, i could not breath after ten minutes. Within a week or ten days it took me only 30 minutes and i felt 10 years younger!
For bicycle to be practical, not just roads need to be changed. The most important part is the buildings also need to be more condensed. It's not convenient to cycle to the store when the store is 20 minutes away. Amsterdam is not just cycle friendly it is also pedestrian friendly.
A lot of the people in our rural villages will happily make a 20-40min roundway trip.
When i was in highschool and we moved from the city to a village and i had the choice of changing from my usual 10min trip to a 1h10m trip or take public transportation for 20mins i chose to use my bike over 2h a day... rain and snow included.
In the Netherlands, metropolitan areas have a node/web structure: big, dense cities ringed by dense towns and villages, with farmalnd in between. Here in the US, it's not the same. There are big residential neighborhoods with only one entry/exit point, shopping areas with vast car parks which have only 2-3 entry/exit points, and six-lane, 70kph roads. It is a clusterfuck, a big ugly smear with no center or edge, and among the people there are idiots who throw stuff at cyclists for fun.
If the USA wants to embrace the bicycle like the dutch did, they need to get rid of sprawl.
The average Dutch person can go by bicycle for groceries, get their stuff and be back within half an hour easy. When i lived in Groningen, i walked to the supermarket often and was back in that very same half hour. The USA does not have the amount of stores to accomodate for cyclists and pedestrians this way. The population density in most places is just not good enough or it's concentrated in such a manner that smaller shops can't compete. To be realistic, i don't think the USA is suitable in the next 50 or more years for cyclists and people not using their car.
Where are you from? 20mins isnt long, perfect for a bike
Investing in a country-wide biking infrastructure not only solves a lot of traffic congestion problems but also environmental and (partially) health problems! But what you'll see in the netherlands is that the infrastructure is never 'done'. It keeps getting updated and upgraded to be safer and more efficient. That of course costs a lot of money, but the problems it solves I believe return at least a part of that investment.
Really, even those two arguments alone makes the investment profitable.
Actually the returns outweigh the investments many times, but they do so indirectly. However they only start doing so when the overhaul of the system is nearing completion. Completion includes education and a change in mentality of all users of the traffic infrastructure. Were I in the federal US gvt, I would direct all resources to one or two cities and make them an example for the rest of the country to follow.
No need to try and tell a Dutchman about economics, there is a reason why going Dutch is a worldwide adopted term. Being able to cycle in to shopping areas it makes people much more eager to visit several shops in one go, which keeps shops and companies competitive and that's what drives proper capitalism.
A comprehnsive summary of all things the Netherlands does right. Well done!
Would like to see a bit on the with of cycle paths and their regional planning systems for infrastructure.
I am Dutch, it s true, we have the best bikelanes in the world.
If you loves biking, you have to come to our country, you won t regretted.
I go to your Country 2 times a year just to go cycling, Beautiful Country and Lovely People
@@tomasoionnaigh4855 And stroopwafels!
That guy from Washington said they have 25 miles of cucke lanes and the guy from Rotterdam said they had 500 km (300+:miles).
These towns have roughly the same size ~650,000 people).
Obviously, you're not going to make cycling popular if there isn't enough infrastructure to make cycling appealing and safe.
Not only cities have great cycling infrastructure, it also is getting better and better in rural areas. I live in rural Limburg and when we wanted to go to a certain village 15 years ago, we would take the car. The connecting road was narrow and lined by trees, just too dangerous. When taking the bike we had to find our way along uncomfortale and muddy dirt roads. Now there is a gorgeous wide cycling path through the rolling fields (Limburg is less flat than the rest of The Netherlands) which I use about four times a week and each time it gives me the feeling of being on a holiday! I do not have a driving permit by the way, so I cycle quite a lot. Nowadays I also own a mountain bike and also use a lot of dirt roads, but sometimes you just want to be in your normal cloths on a "city" bike and then the special cycling infrastructure is wonderful.
Greatest people on the earth, they are highly motivated for the environment wellness, the self consciousness of them to use car only when needed has made these cities clean and almost pollution free. These great people are not poor but commited to contribute the sustainable development of their country.
sorry to break your bubble, but our main reasons to use our bikes are: it is cheaper than a car, you get to your destination way quicker (and closer) if you live in a busy city and parking in a city is way easier and for free (whereas parking your car will cost you 5 euros an hour). You are right though: we are not poor.
And biking IS good for your health and the environment. Also: Dutch kids learn how to ride a bike at a very young age and get to move around on their own on their bikes. No need for parents to be their taxidrivers, kids are independent and autonomous which is great for self confidence.
We need this in the UK.
US major cities needs to this ASAP!
so do Australian
The irony here is that both the US and Australia have the space to do so, in general these countries would have more room for it. But oddly one of the reasons it works so well in the Netherlands, is because we have so little space and everything is packed together... which makes cycling often a better alternative and so efficient.
@@brabbelbeest yes but the reason you wont see that much is because america is huge and everything is far away from each other. takes you hours to go by bike. hence they have more car roads
If Los Angeles was bike friendly like Netherland I think the people here would be more friendlier....
Definetely not. The bigger Dutch cities are nice, but I do not consider them really friendly. For example: Foreigners who don't understand our bikelanes get cursed at a lot, and not in a friendly way. We usually swear with diseases, one of our most used swearwords is cancer.
@@jackodees1765 That proves his point. When tourist come here and ride their bike they will be friendly to you. When you dont follow the rules they wont. People get angry at other people (in high speeds) because the other persons behaviour brings them in danger and thats why they react angry. Car drivers will be angry because they know they are in a real big disadvantage when they hit a bike, even if the bike hits them. If I would hire a tuktuk/rickshaw in a foreign country and drive on the wrong way and almost hit people, they will get VERY angry.
the dutch are known as rude (direct)
@@jackodees1765 THEN STOP WALKING ON THE FUCKING ROAD
@@jackodees1765 fun fact! the dutch discovered viruses and bacteria; disease causing agents, they also invented ways to cure and prevent them, their use of illnesses comes from their power to control them!
As a Dutchman I have the impression - from observing traffic - that the growing popularity of e--bikes (electric) in the Netherlands might become a serious problem. Electric motors in e-bikes amplify the power you put on your pedals, which results in higher speeds, which in turn can create dangerous situations. "Bike highways" , like the one shown in this video, in Nijmegen are fine for high-speed cycling (~30 kph, 20 mph) with enough space for cyclists to overtake, but in town centers it can become dangerous if e-bike cyclists do not slow down and adapt to slow-speed traffic. Especially elderly cyclists who are suddenly able to cycle at speeds beyond their physical limits (from 10 to 30 kph) pose a danger to themselves and others. Their situational awareness and reaction times are usually lower than younger people. Speed limits for bikes are unheard of in NL, but I think we might need them sooner rather than later.
I think it would be better to give more room to ebikes by widening lanes, decreasing cars in centres (especially because ecyclists tend to bike in the middle of the road ugh) then using a speed limit... Dont think that can be implemented anyhow. Another better measure would be to force elderly on ebikes to wear helmets.
There is a ban on e-bikes that go harder than 25 km/h (officially), if it goes harder you need a yellow license plate, then you have to ride on the road with cars like other scooters (which nobody does lol). But also, those racing bikes go way faster than e-bikes, 35/40 km/h is not hard if you have a good race bike. I do think there should be a speed limit of 30 km/h.
the top speed of an ebike is not higher than a normal bike. the emotor is to support the biker if you dont pedal the motor doesnt support. If you put the motor on the highest level the battery is empty very fast, so ebikers ride the same speed as others, when the road is empty, a little faster.
e bikes should be for roads only
My question is you Dutch love cycling, so why such terrible bikes?
I'm Dutch and i live in the east of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands we have this thing that regions try to impress other regions with their bikeways. It shocks me to tell people this but these bikeways are much worse then in the east cause in the province Gelderland are Bike highways. Like for real: bike highways. Just next to the normal highway lays a bikehighway.
The air gets even worse, when you're driving a car, inhaling the fumes of the car you're following.
At many Dutch trainstation you can rent a bike (or an e-bike) for 10 euro a whole day. You do have to pay a deposit. You get that amount back when you return the bike.
NS-bike is about 4 euros for 24 hrs.
OV fiets is 3.85 euro per day.
The U.S. needs this.
NL setting an example!!!! Hup Holland! I love biking in NL! I'd love to live there a couple of years.
Great to see you here visiting our little country, experiencing our bike and traffic-infrastructure. If, and I know it is a big If, you can implement some of our bike-culture in everyday traffic, within cittycenters of Washington, Chicago, Miami among others, the concequences could be far more reaching than what is now comprehensable. Good luck in making that transition!!
damn..!! i wish i living in that country...
this video was posted in 2015 and now it's 2021 and time for a follow up video to report on the progress in bicycle infrastructure in America . Never mind .
I loved the video and every single person in it!
A friend of mine from abroad couldn't stop laughing the first time he was in The Netherlands, both for the amounts of bikes (at stations, roads etc), as well as the variety of them.
I want to add one thing, in cities and villages are 30 km (20 miles/hr) zones for cars. The police doesnt watch if the cars are not riding too fast, but they do that on 50km/hr roads. so it saves policemoney in 30km zones.
In the Netherlands you're born with a bike between your legs. You start biking with the age of 4 till the day you die.... And we even take our bikes with us on the back of our car across the borders to explore the other country's
I was wondering what this tour change the situation in your city... Is there any progress???
Come on. They can't change everything. But they can use some parts they learn here what will work in America as well.
It is too ridiculous for words to ask this question to an American.
@@michaelsteel8059 Is it rediculous to ask an American if there have bin some changes after this tour and 4,5 years later????? A land with all the opportunities, we will be great again?????
Come on...... Learn some thing from it and do something about it if you want to change it. Otherwise these trip had no sense and cost the public only money!!!!
@@houtjeboom
716/5000
How do you want to see noticeable improvement in America in 5 years? A country that has much greater distances than the Netherlands. America has much larger and more extensive cities than we have here in the Netherlands. What they have seen here can perhaps be applied to relatively small-scale proportions. Plus the fact that you have to get local politics and people to the point where traffic rules also have to be adjusted, so that the motorist can look at the cyclist with very different eyes. Something like that just takes time. You indicate in your story yourself why it works in the Netherlands. A whole history precedes this. America is far behind us in that respect.
It's true, most Dutch people can't remember when they first started to ride a bike 🚴.
@@michaelsteel8059 The US of A has only a few truly large cities. Then there are a lot cities comparable to medium sized cities in Europe (comparable to Rotterdam, Utrecht). And then there lots and lots of towns and small villages dotted around the country.
They should give up their idea of how they zone their cities. Because everyone has a car, commercial zones can *only* be reached by car and even then it's quite a ride because of traffic congestion etc.
Also, because we have much less available space in Nederland, we are used to the idea of combined commercial/residential areas. Think about all those apartments that are on top of many stores.
This also means that after closing hours, those areas are still active with people.
In America, commercial zones are like ghost towns after closing hours. Rather big ghost towns.
Even as a Dutchman living in Belgium (and working in Brussels) I'm often jealous of the biking infrasturcture my Dutch family enjoys.
I can't imagine how amazing this must look to USians (if my image of the US based on popular media is true).
I second that, having lived in the NL for few years and only used bikes for transportation I couldn't ride a bike after I moved afterwards to Brussels and had to rely on public transportation so much the biking infrastructure is inexsistant or unreliably dangerous, people in the NL are really spoiled when it comes to biking infrastructure and facilities.
I experienced biking in Belgium as a suicide attempt. It is that I have Dutch bike mentality, so looking ahead, defensive. But, boy o boy, what a mess, Belgium traffic.
Always has been. Also the roads are so bad. I remember as a kid we could FEEL when we had crossed the border. We didn't have to see it, we felt it.
I remember crossing the border from a NL highway to a BE one, switching from high quality asphalt to what seemed like concrete slabs...
I think she told you that she kind of has been there, and yes your roads and infrastructure are rubbish. Go with any means of transportation from the Netherlands to Belgium or back and you will know exactly when you crossed the border.
But hey, how can you expect a country that has almost no vehicle taxes to have enough money to keep their roads updated...
7:03 bicycle signal w/countdown to hopefully discourage running red light. 8:56 bike education for kids.
I live in the netherlands, and to be honest, I have never seen a countdown like that. ever
Very I'm using my bike to work because it's so heavy traffic here,
I'm choosing bike for transportation because it's free enmission and for exercise,
Im From Philippines.
I live in London, England, and I know how to drive, but I love bikes (even if it's friggin' exhausting sometimes). As cyclists we have the same complaints as cars - too many red lights! If we can cut the private car usage and limit the number of cabs, and just leave business vehicles like vans and lorries and buses, we can cut a lot of the traffic and reconfigure the traffic light system. London has rather decent well-connected public transport, so it's really not necessary for most people to clog up the streets with private cars with lots of empty seats
I wish Canada will adapt the cycling system and infrastructure of Nederland.It's amazing to see how Nederland has evolved over the years in the whole country.
Canada has a few problems. In the Netherlands you can drive from one side of the country to the other in 4 hours, in Canada I think you haven't even left your province. Canada is 200 times as big, and has twice the population of the Netherlands. Also: The only obstacle in the Netherlands is the wind, and some bad weather. No mountains at all. Another thing is that the most cities here are quite old, all the major ones are over 500 years old, and not redesigned in a significant way since. The city centers are all narrow roads, not suited for cars at all. That helps a lot, it's easier to go to a citycenter by bike than by car, because parkingspace for a car is limited, while parkingspace for a bike is quite easy to find, and of course a bike takes a lot less space when it's parked.
@@jackodees1765 You really think Dutch cycle daily from one side of the country to the other? The size of a country is totally irrelevant. And as you could see in the video, cycling is most effective in city centers. I can't name many cities with mountains in it. And finally, no matter how easy you can go to a city center by car, eventually you end up in a traffic jam and parking problems. That's why the number of Dutch cities that ban cars in the center grows every year.
@@jhcfight The size isn't irrelevant. I'm Dutch, and lived in a rural area for most of my life. But even there there were quite good biciclelanes separated from the main roads. If there weren't any safe bikelanes next to a 100 km/h road I don't think my parents would allow me to go anywhere by bike. It's not just in cities, especially in rural areas it's important. Most kids go to school by bike, a lot of my classmates had to ride their bike for 30 km per day.
@@jackodees1765 that's what adapted public transport is for. In the Netherlands public transport accommodate bikes so if a distance is too long, you can go.
@@jackodees1765 Not many people bike from one side of the Netherlands to the other very often. More like.. no one ever. That is such a bogus argument. Infrastructure for bicycles is mainly a local issue, and at most for short distance commutes like up to 15-20 kilometers. Can't say I disagree much with the rest of your observations, though a steady headwind is a pain in the ass...
What im missing in this vid is :
City design in the Netherlands are very different to that of the US.
US cities tend to be very dense in the city centre, but as soon as you vere out a few km's , homes are freestanding, have a large groundfloor surface area and nomore than a second floor.( And probably quite a sizeble garden to boot ? )
In the Netherlands its much more crowded, homes are a lot smaller, all in all its more packed together.
Which means that with a comparable amount of people living in a city in the Netherlands to one in the US, it automatically means the US city will be much more spread out and be much larger in terms of square miles/km.
Which in turn will affect the distance need to be travelled to get to anywhere and that will affect time needed to travel.
It could work for the big city centres, but its gonna be hellish to get it to work in say Las Vegas ?
Having said this, nice vid , hope you can implement some in your cities .
Oh and cool thing ? Rotterdam has started a trial on rain sensetive traffic lights, if the traffic light preseves that it is raining, it will give way to cyclists ! aint that just awsome ?
( I live in Rotterdam and use my bike everyday , so Im really championing this trial ! :)
You are aware that buildings per square km is a choice, right? Somebody decided that this was optimal. Once opinions change, the buildings per km2 can change too.
In Groningen the rain sensitive traffic lights that give cyclists more frequent green signals have been implemented for a couple of years.
As soon as you allow shops in the suburbs in America things will change.
I really love my daily commute on bike to work. For me it's just fifteen leasurly minutes. But I have many colleagues that love some 15 km or more away that commute by bike as well. They do it as their daily sport routine, so combine their commute with their sports, saving time. Most offices provide showers for these employees. Plus we have tax benefits for bike commuting.
All nations around the glove should copy the bike culture of Dutch so we can have nice streets and fresher air.
Ebet Pinakbet lol, the glove
my country is close, and also close to the Netherlands
Lisbon (Portugal) is catching up nicely lately.
Fun to read all the comments. I live 10 km from groningen and it's so much easier to go on my bike to the city than with a car so I give up my car. Just a normal bike, not a e-bike. It's also a good way to reduce your stress...
5:00 double speedbump!
Awesome.
Every time I watch a video on biking in the Netherlands I can't help but notice how beautiful most of the people are.. there are some damn sexy people in that country!
Thanks, I think...
I urge to disagree lol
Jeff Mcilroy eh Thanks
You should see my face, that would make you think otherwise :)
I agree as a Dutchman. My boss crashed his car into the trunk of another car, because he was looking at a beautiful woman.
Hell with them. I removed moving deck from my garden tractor and use it for personal transportation. Works great!
Congratulations Netherlands! I support this by heart
I love you Netherlands /
yesss!!! trying to move ASAP
We love you too, Alexandru :)
I move here from the UK 14 years ago. I've never looked back.
I commute by bicycle for the last 2 years. It saved me a lot of money.
"Neo, have you seen her? The woman in red?"
"Yes Mouse, at 7:52"
When your name is Zack Vanderkooy, you MUST be Dutch, lol
Fantastic first name in Dutch as well 😂
My first guess would have been Belgian, because it's not very common in the Netherlands to write "van der Kooy" without spaces. That's more a Belgian thing.
@@Tiger313NL In the US they often made it one name. Like Vandenberg instead of Van den Berg. Or DeVries instead of De Vries. So it could have been Van der Kooy instead of Vanderkooy.
@@Tiger313NL I know a man called 't Hart whom's family in the USA has changed the name into Thart. And the name Dewitt derives from de Witt.
Wow... !!! My best friend, It's always great. I wish you every day of your development. Have a happy day!
Zwolle, Assen, Apeldoorn, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and many more beautiful places in the Netherlands.
Seems like they rode part of my daily commute in Rotterdam!
What will be like during WINTER SNOW and so forth since biking will be almost non-passive on the roads' answer plz?
google 'winter dutch bike' you will see
We don't have a lot of snow, mostly rain. And when it is snowing or freezing (oftennthe rain freezes on the road surface) many don't care and just continue biking. Just wear warm clothes 😁 It is also possible because the bike lanes are cleared of snow and ice, just like ordinary roads.
Dutch expression: "If the weather stops you, anything will"; they have rain suits and plastic boots and just get on their bike anyway. Cold is hardly ever an issue, rain and wind combined is more tricky. Snowstorms are rare but add adventure and great stories to the hot chocolate near the fireplace.
th-cam.com/video/4gpMHnTT0Wg/w-d-xo.html
e-bikes certainly will open a new dimension in bike travling.
Most bikes sold in NL last year were e bikes.
AWESOME ! We need this in the U.S. Get those filthy cars off the roads !
until there's a hail storm or it's 20 below...reality in Chicago.
@@ab935 you’re not really familiar with Dutch weather I guess.
@@hunchbackaudio that's -20f and in Chicago, we can get hit with a foot (30cm) or more of snow in one snow storm. Not all of the US is like this, in the south it stays warm and can at times get too hot to cycle. The upper midwest is just as cold and miserable as Sweden. The thing is Americans don't get the bike commuting thing. Here you ride a bike for recreation or because you lost your driver's license.
If you saw the news about Princess Diana having to sell her bike, it's sort of like that...inappropriate for the self professed big shots.
The people in the Netherlands are very fortunate to have such an infrastructure and the mindset to use it.
@@ab935 -20f (I had to look that up) is not very common in NL but it's possible and we still ride our bicycles because that how we go to school or whatever. So you're right it's a mindset and people will always find an excuse to keep their lazy ass in a car. I wouldn't be any different as a school kid, but I had no choice. And indeed it all starts with the infrastructure. All this biking videos are talking a bout Amsterdam and the revolt to cars in the seventies, but I am born in the 60's and with 3 months old I was put in the front of my mothers bike. The dutch cycling habits go back way before WW2, it's in our genes. Not something other cultures will pick up overnight.
I never realized that our country is so well equipped for cyclists. Never realized that cycling to school is so special. That small children cycle to school themselves. Shopping with your bike. Going out on your bike. Going into the city on your bike. It's normal, you don't even think about it, and not forced behavior.
It's nice to see people from the US actually going somewhere else for advice.
I lived in the country in the 70ies. No busses there so as a teenager I could only go to school by biking 20km's a day. I think it still happens, but more by e-bike. Now I've been living in Groningen since 25 years.
It is remarkable how many cities are looking at bikes to solve their infrastructure problems: London, Paris, New York.
The simple reason is that bicycling infrastructure is cheaper and takes less space per passenger. It's also great for puvlic health and well-being.
America: Go for it!
And they've all got comfortable handlebars, lucky things.
We want to be the best in everything! 😀
I think the main thing they should take away is the different traffic nets. On my daily commute in Amsterdam I hardly encounter cars, because the route I take prioritizes bikes and pedestrians. Similarly there are other routes that prioritize car traffic. I'm sure there are less busy streets they could redesign for bikes and destination traffic.
I would like to know how they deal with the winter conditions. Here in BC we get a lot of snow in some areas. I would love to see better bicycle trails here.
We just plow through the snow, it's a bit harder but it's doable, I hate it more when the roads freezes over.
th-cam.com/video/2rETLfzQrIw/w-d-xo.html
For US and all other countries.. just start with coloring the designated cycling paths in red or orange, this wil make a big difference because it splits the driving lane in two separate lanes which makes it easier for everyone to know what is for cyclists and what for cars
We have a lot roundabouts but not the most safest like we had in earlier days the so called " berenkuil " it is a roundabout on another level as the roundabout of the cars.
Excellent idea even india also start using this
4:00 not only are bikes cheaper than cars, they make money for the society. Each km by car, society pays 15 cents, each km by bike makes 16 cents. That’s because of gas, roading and parking costs of cars and the health, and hence productivity, benefits from bikes
Ha! At 1:11 thats my campus. I cycle there every day almost. Coincidentally you filmed the one part where its not that well thought out and cyclists often curse each other out cuz they almost collide.
What a country man....
I would step it up a notch and roller blade everywhere
Data point: Groningen pop. 200K. Interesting and encouraging to see some of the big-city people - not just rabid bike-huggers (;-) - who took the time and effort to go explore possibilities of better bike infrastructure.
So cool
Very nice. Interesting to see that what we (Dutch cyclists) take for granted is not the standard every where.
I think that an important thing to note for US infrastructure is that people don't wear helmets. And the reason for that is that safety is built into the roads, with separate bicycle lanes and bicycles going through traffic lights separately from cars.
My favorit transportation if drunk 😁
Wim Schoenmakers you do know riding a bike drunk is the same as riding a car , it’s against the law
Hahahaha. Me too :-)
@@wildcardmark thats hilarious. Yes, its against the law. And everyday its how 80% of the drunk people get home. Its not that bad. Ive never once fall... thats not true i have fallen, but ive never once caused an accident haha.
Mistaken Rants personally I don’t drink, but I got a lot of co workers who do, and most go by bike, and you don’t want to know how many of them had accidents ore caused them , alcohol is a drug and the acsaptance is a blight on humanity more deaths are caused by alcohol then any other man made junk abuse should be punished harsher
@@wildcardmark Alcohol is bad and accidents happen but honestly you cant compare drunk driving with drunk cycling. They are completely different ballparks and USUALLY worst case scenario is you hurting yourself.
About 200 bicycle deaths every year on a population of 17 000 000 people with the majority of those likely not being related to alcohol at all.
Indah bersih bebas polusi mantul ,... Banget👍👍👍💘
Went to Amsterdam and wasn't too impressed by the bicycle infrastructure in the towns center. Went to Copenhagen, and I was blown away!
should've gone to other parts of the Netherlands, much better infrastructure outside Amsterdam.
Houten in Utrecht.
Great for them. Wonder how that would work in Lisbon where it's very hilly.
The possiblity is bicycles with a lot of gearing, or an electric bicycle. With the latter you still have to peddle, but there is support of an electric motor.. It is possible to regulate the assitance, the more hilly (or windy) the more support you can get.
@@marcvanderwee That sounds like a plan.
If you build nice cycle paths, more and more cyclists will use them. Use local knowledge: th-cam.com/channels/nVGl6cBFlKY3wSl9AD161A.html Build superb infrastructure near the water and on top of the hills: those are "flat". Create some cycle friendly commuter roads in between them. And build decent parking facilities at public transport hubs. Groetjes from Limburg.
Van der Kooy is a Dutch family name.
دولة جديرة بالإحترام ، وتمني العيش بها .
@bruno maier 13:12 - so true
This was made in 2015 - has anything changed in the cities whose representatives appear in the video with regards to biking infrastructure there?
Little changes to make it more safe. Then Netherlands is always updating it's infrastructure.
Yes, the bike highway in the video from Arnhem to Nijmegen has been lengthened to connect even more towns. So biking there has become a more viable alternative to using the train or car.
I don't know why Indian people not lick that... In new Delhi there is no rods for cycling and cycling people, lot of pollution and traffic...
May the Lord have mercy on new Delhi people.....
Regards
Richard James
New Delhi India......
Just look at how slow and carefully they ride. At 2:16 the bikes are very close together, yet there is no collision, and everyone is calm -- even when that crazy skateboarder is zooming along in the bike lane. No one is wearing a helmet. In contrast in North America, the bike lane is often full of people racing along on their race bikes with helmets and lycra. Even in urban settings (like Montreal), people ride too fast in the bike lane because they don't want to get caught waiting for a traffic light. We have much to learn from the Netherlands, not just from the urban cycling planners, but from the ordinary riders.
We have bicycle paths all around the country. Those who cycle for sports will opt to do so outside of city centers. You can generally spot them in their lycra gear and helmets but going at a normal speed within city limits, they'll speed off when there are fewer normal cyclists around.
It’s partially also because of how casual cycling is. In many places it’s turned into a sport, so it’s difficult to get a non-sporty bike and you also sometimes need that speed and manouvrability to compete with cars. Here a lot of bikes only have a single gear, so going fast is tiring. It’s also a very casual thing. You get on the bike to cycle to school, to work, to the shop, all very often close by. People who have to cycle a greater distance sometimes do choose to go for lycra on a fast bike. Most people don’t want to be sweaty when they arrive at their destination. :D
Bangalore in India needs bike commuting fast
Wow fietspaden😯
Philippines, please be like this😍😍👍👍
The Dutch rock there cycling system is absolutely amazing, Scotland when its free should implement this infrastructure.
Doesn’t Scotland have the budget to that already? just about all infrastructure shown in this video was funded by city budgets. I cannot imagine that you’d want London to decide over a bicycle road in Aberdeen (nor would London I assume).
@@Conservator. i want independence, the Scottish government has put 20 million aside for improvement to the cycling infrastructure now .
David Macdonald
With (part of) the English behaving like they do, I’d want independence too.
But I don’t understand what this has to do with bicycle infrastructure. I though that the Scottish Parliament already can decide on purely Scottish matters and bicycle roads are very much local subjects, aren’t they?
I wish usa would design some bicycle lanes, car traffic is just crazy sometimes
Maybe the u.k can get a substantial discount from the e.u to install cycle tracks, after all we paid for all the new roads in Spain. 😏 don’t think so
Biking is so common now here in the Netherlands. There are barely any issues between cyclists and car drivers because EVERYONE bikes here. Everybody knows what it's like to bike. In most other countries there is a clear separation between cyclists and car drivers and there always seems some tension between them.
In the Netherlands it's faster from A to B on a bike then by car
I made a 25km bike trip near the Lisbon coastline a year ago and was as fast as a Jaguar (car)... same same everywhere.
Only in urban areas. Once you get out in the boonies, there's no way you can keep up with a car. And that's the difference between Europe and North America: space. We have 17 million people living in an area 2/3rd the state of Maine, which only has 1.4 million citizens. So distances there are much longer. Add to this that the Netherlands is mostly very flat, you can see that there are reasons why people in North America prefer cars over bikes.
This reminds me of 30 years ago, the Chinese people, but also mainly rely on bicycles as the main transportation
The bicycles are good, they can also add another wheel to make it triwheeled for better balance and weight management as well as mobility. ∆ SMEs.......excellent in many certainties of a lifetime.
Common sense in Asia is a curse O.O But in most European countries is a gift :)