@@autohmae Yes. Such a good point - I suppose that's exactly what Jason and I (and others) are doing, trying to help "shine a light" on what is possible. And to be clear it is working - I am frequently profiling the many positive stories of cities here in North America that are taking what they are learning and transforming their built environment - the challenge of course is that much, much more must be done and done with a sense of urgency. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns the changes are better than what we have, but in many cases, we're still doing it under the gaze of car supremacy so as a result, keep spending lots of good money for subpar results.
27:50 Bricks also let through a degree of rainwater. This is important in Dutch cities like Amsterdam to keep the ground not too compact. Water reaches the sweet water table and prevents the 17th century houses to sink. Asfalt distributes water to your cellar if the drainage can't handle it. Distribution of water in The Netherlands is something you can fill a whole new channel (pun intended). Maybe it is this making priority of water management that makes us Dutch people to understand transport and planning in general so good.
@G Klerk, Yes. Excellent point. Increasingly when an impervious surface must be used or is desired, we are seeing more facilities being designed to effectively divert the rainwater into "green" areas known are "rain gardens" to aid in proper runoff management and aid in water filtration. My video here: th-cam.com/video/xrgARK6zVp8/w-d-xo.html on the Indy Cultural Trail highlights this approach. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation here in the community. Cheers! John
Another function of paving stones (bricks) is that they have a certain amount of 'give'. The subsoil isn't always stable, and the beautiful trees along the streets have roots, and pavingbricks can handle these problems better. By the time the street gets too uneven you take up just the part of the street affected, correct the problem and repave.
I've wondered about this and couldn't find the answer, maybe you know it: where does the street drain water go in Amsterdam? Into the sewer to be treated, straight into the canals, or something else?
I'm from Europe, and since I was a kid, I was used to walk or cycle everywhere. I could reach any part of my city within a reasonable time and was always safe. We also learned traffic rules in elementary school. I never thought of the concept of my parents driving me places. When I was 14, we moved to Toronto, Canada. Being the walker that I was, I tried walking places. Luckily, my school wasn't far away, so I did walk, but unconsciously it always felt off. I walked through the suburbs, but there never was a sidewalk. So I always had to watch my back. I came up with the strategy to always walk into oncoming traffic, so that I can see the cars coming at me instead of the ones coming from behind. I remember I wanted to go to Walmart to get a video game. The store wasn't an uncoverable distance, so I decided to walk there instead of taking a filthy bus. Oh man, what a mental torture it became. Although there being a sidewalk, walking by these HUUUUGE parking lots in front of malls and plazas eventually started to mentally drain me. It felt like I'm moonwalking in the same place. Eventually I got there and took the bus back. It was horrible. Later we moved to a smaller town in Canada, where it was completely shit. While my school was still within walking distance, I felt the isolation without a car. I couldn't go anywhere even if my life depended on it - not to friends places as they were mostly out of town, completely unreachable and public transportation was non existent. So I became a stay at home video gamer because, what else was I supposed to do? And it wasn't in my European nature to ask my parents to take me places. My parents who always drive (even in Europe), never understood the mobility issues that I was suddenly facing in North America. I remember when I started going to school in the smaller town, a few days after I started, they called me into the office after school. So I went there, and then the lady told me she got me a seat on the school bus. My school was like 30 - 40 minute walking distance from my place, so I was weirded out and told her, I don't need a bus. Surprised as she was by that answer, she said ok and cancelled my seat again. The kids taking the school bus would always be waiting next to my house, while I start walking to the SAME school. Result: while they are standing around in the cold, I warmed myself up by walking and we both arrived at the same time in school. Besides, I was once or twice on these school buses on a school trip. My god, these buses are the most uncomfortable pieces of crab I have ever ridden on. How can you sit in them? They are transporting high school kids in seats for toddlers. While the US and Canada are beautiful countries and I encourage anyone to visit these places, my god am I happy to be back in walkable Europe, and I never want to leave again. I literally gotta thank Jason, because he managed to put the unconscious mobility issues one faces in north America into actual words. Whenever he shows his fake London footage, I feel the pain of not getting anywhere again. A moment of silence for all kids and people without a license in north America, who are imprisoned within their own community. You guys deserve better. And this is coming from someone who also loves driving - just not in cities and communities.
@Л.С. Мото, Thanks so much for watching and sharing your experience. I'm so happy you are once again in a more walkable and livable place. Many North American cities are getting better, that's what I'm trying to help promote with the Active Towns initiative and this Channel, but it is a very slow process. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I can only judge on Toronto, but it seems like at least something is happening, but there is still a long way to go. I wish you and others who work towards better infrastructure in America all the best.
Walking on the side of oncoming traffic 👌 Good of you to find that out. In the Netherlands there are of course roads without sidewalks, and we learned in elementary school that we must walk facing the oncoming traffic. However, many Dutch people forgot that, sometimes even ridiculing me when I mentioned it. That's where I lose all humility and tell them "that's the only practical thing we've ever learned in school and you don't even remember that. Shame on you." Ah, the therapeutic release of pedantry 😇
Reading this makes me sad for how I grew up, because it was total isolation. With no family within hours of driving, and biking to a friend's house would take close to an hour and be life threatening, and walking basically impossible. Wonder how different and better life could have been in better places like Europe.
@@littlebrother82 in the Netherlands we like to complain a lot. About the weather, other people, the government, infrastructure, et cetera. Of course it ain't perfect over here, but I learned over the years (I'm 40 now) that we got it pretty darn well together over here. I am mostly very grateful to live here, also with the culture that we have. Usually yes means yes, no means no and maybe means maybe, which is very nice.
As somebody who's seen most of Jason's video's, and always thought "yeah, yeah, you have a city-centric view, it's different here in the countryside", something hit home when he started talking about discouraging driving by paid and scarce parking. Whenever we go to Amsterdam (which is not a lot, thankfully), we always go by train. It's not cheaper (if you leave out parking), it's not faster, it's definitely not more comfortable. But it is however a LOT easier as soon as you reach Amsterdam. You get out in the center of the city, there's no search for a parking spot, there's no parking cost, there's no risk of your car getting broken into, etc.. So even for somebody who lives over 100km away from Amsterdam, the parking strategy in Amsterdam **still** affects the road usage between Amsterdam and where I live. Basically: paid, scarce parking will affect traffic in a radius of over 100km, probably even up to a couple of hundred kms.
And that's so critical to having highways utilized for what they're meant. If random citizens aren't casually making trips into the city via car, those lanes on the highway are free for last-mile delivery and intercity transportation. Meanwhile, we're here in the US with minimal freight train infrastructure, highways that are regular parts of sub-5 mile commutes, trips to the specialty store, and ordinary daily suburban commuting. It's absolute garbage and it's no wonder we have all the traffic we have
This also comes from a more community mindset that Dutch and the Nordic countries have. They don't really care about the convenience or speed of the individual, they care about the throughput of the whole. So they put in a roundabout as it won't really decrease the amount of traffic that flows through an area. The fact that it makes a lot of people slow down even when there is no need to is not really a concern. They even consider it a good thing because it makes traffic jams less likely as there are so many bottlenecks in the system. It is very difficult for a road to fill up too much as cars just can not enter it that fast. Unfortunately highways still do suffer from this issue and the idea to apply the same mentality has been stuck in limbo for years.
@@ErdTirdMans"...we're here in the US with minimal freight train infrastructure..." By any possible objective measure we have amazing freight infrastructure in America--far better and more used than in much of Europe. I take no position on the rest of your comment, but this part is just laughably wrong.
I'll have a Nebula subscription well before I ever get a Netflix subscription, but I still have so much left to watch on TH-cam. Jason's videos were my introduction to the urbanist/transportation community 3 months ago, and it's been incredible to have my concerns validated and to learn that other places are doing so much to improve infrastructure.
I live in the Netherlands, and i just got myself a new leased e-bike, through a new bike-plan of my work. After driving with a car to work for over 15 years. And today i used it for the first time to get to work. Normally it's a good 15 min drive to work with a car, during rush hours it can get up to 30~45 mins in a traffic jam on the freeway. This morning with my new Gazelle e-bike i reached my work in 34 mins. It supports you till ~25km/h. My average speed during the whole trip was 23.4 km/h!! I only had to stop for a traffic light once! Thats it! It's amazing really. Now i can get a bit of an exercize when i commute to work, i save on fuel wich is €2.10 per Liter at the moment. And we could even get rid of one of our cars now. I should have done this earlier😅 Also i can choose from 3 completely diffrent bike routes and the distance stays within 200 meters of each other with just a minute diffrence in arrival time.😂 one is just as straight of a route possible, one goes over some new bike paths, the last one takes a whole diffrent direction near some dunes and through alot of nature.
Yay! That's great. Welcome to the family... we also have a Gazelle e-bike in our household. 🙌 We downsized to one car a decade ago, which we try not to drive, but it is there if we really need it. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns i just got myself the new version of the Gazelle Ultimate C380 HMB. It has a 75nm Bosch performance line motor C380 Enviolo hub with gates belt drive. Also has bigger suspension travel on the front fork than the other ultimates and double piston brakes. It rides really nice. Much better than the older bikes i was used to in the past.😂 We only have a car now for the long trips, when we need to haul big stuff or when the weather is really, really bad. Strong head wind isn't even an issue anymore, i love it! Others with non electric bikes seem to stand still with strong winds hehe. I hope to get alot of use out of it!
In the Netherlands we have narrow shortcuts for pedestrians and bicycles between 'cul de sac' areas. That makes it easy to get to your destination more quickly and efficiently. But those would not fit into the US safety ideas, because they can be used as an escape route where cars cannot follow you. That's the case as well over here, but of the ten thousand who use them, maybe it's one with bad intentions, and the police know where they are and anticipate on them. In my neighborhood a moat closes of two sides, but where the sides meet a small bridge for pedestrians and bicycles is made which makes a lot of difference. Schoolkids and students use it to diagonally cross the neighborhood to safely go to school and college. And inhabitants shorten their walk or bicycle trip with a quarter of a mile. That's not much, but there is a shortcut further on. It leads pedestrians and cyclists through quiet streets that can cope with it, but cannot cope with increased car traffic.
@Dutch Man, Here's a fun fact. Years before I shifted my career focus to the built environment I lived in a typical Southern California suburban community, but most of the dead-end residential streets and cul-de-sacs were punctured by a bike/ped path that led to a network of multi-use pathways and trails that connected all the other neighborhoods, parks, and schools. At the time (early 1990's) I didn't really appreciate how rare this was, but as a runner I loved it! Always saw kids walking and riding to get to school and to go play. The roads, well they were as one would expect, not very fun to be on as one riding a bike or walking/running. All this to say, the vast majority of suburbia is a hell-scape, but some of them are quite nice in their own way and can be inherently walkable and bikeable at the neighborhood scale with some creative connectivity. Cheers! John
I too tend to get passionate when confronted with stupid designs that hurt everybody, especially when people have gotten used to a bad situation and can’t even imagine any alternatives anymore.
@@ottoreinstra9323 Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation. We are all quite grateful that Jason converted his passion into producing helpful and productive content that not only shines a light on the issue but provides the alternative option/solution. Cheers! John
The two of you are so 👌🏽 together. You enforce one another. Nice to see the cooperation between passionate people. Very interesting. I learn alot from your videos, as a Dutchman, of the Dutch infrastructure!!!👍🏽
I ride my bike almost exclusively in southern California unless I need to visit my sisters who live a hundred miles away. And there is no cost effective, time effective way to get to them on public transport. My conversations with people about riding my bike always comes down to this. Great for you, dangerous, yes more people should ride, my situation is special and can not participate.
@telocity, Yep... been there, done that. Hehe. In all seriousness, I know that when people see other people that they can identify with as being like them routinely out riding for everyday errands and purposes and are doing so in normal clothes, on upright comfortable bikes, and seem to be comfortably enjoying themselves the seed gets planted that perhaps they too might just consider doing this some day. Ultimately this works incredibly well especially when there's no pressure on them and a lot of support once their ready to move to the next phase. Thanks so much for watching and adding to the conversation. Cheers! John
About the quiet streets, it's worth pointing out that in suburbia the quiet streets don't connect directly. My town is trying to use this strategy but the result is that to get anywhere you have to constantly turn on these 'quiet paths'. The result is that you're constantly lost bc getting to your destination is super circuitous. So we cyclist end up on the arterials anyways, where there's no infrastructure at all.
@Louis Petitjean, Excellent point! Cities that are doing a good job with this challenge use effective wayfinding signs to guide people walking and biking through the shortcuts - decoding the maze. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
I think the best translation for ontvlechten in infrastructure is the literal translation of 'unbraiding' afterwards you're not left with a single neat wire like with disentangling, but with distinct and separate wires
I enjoy watching this video. It is funny to hear a you guys talking about cycle infrastructure while this so normal for Dutch people. Most Dutch people don’t realize how rare this is. I don’t cycle every day. I rather like to walk because of my job. I sit behind a computer all day. However, like almost all Dutch people I cycle from time to time. Not only because it is faster or more convenient. It is also very pleasant to cycle after day of working in an office. Driving a car in rush hour after a day of working can be very stressful. While cycling (or walking or public transport) is a lot more relaxing. For many people it is a way of disconecting from the stress of their work life.
Agreed! Thanks so much tuning in. Be sure to catch my ride video with him in Amsterdam if you haven’t already. th-cam.com/video/-V2U6OzMIUU/w-d-xo.html Cheers! John
The difference between disentangling and ontvlechten is that the one comes from relative chaos, the entanglement, to structure. A 'vlecht' on the other hand is Dutch for 'braid', which is a non chaotic, organized structure, towards what is also structure, but then not braided together. Perhaps it should be called 'disbraided' which is probably a word that doesn't exist.
not really, with a braid you often have 3 groups which constantly cross each other which is the "tangle" part. Yes those groups don't literally cross eachother (Wouldn't want to merge two hairstrands together) but it it what it symbolizes. Ontvlechten in infrastructure terminology is the act of making sure that two different modes of transport don't cross unnecessarily, this is often done by moving the modes away from each other, but can in some cases also be just cycling paths, trams and car lanes on a road (not a street) directly next to each other. Disentanglement is a correct word for this exact same act of splitting traffic.
Something critical to cycling and walking is that so much of the success comes from community participation. The Dutch bike lane revolution was kick started by people in the neighbourhood who asked for specific designs in specific locations and asked for within specific time frames. Lay people took this on and still do. There is no revolt with people saying, down with experts, engineers, planners, but regular people asked for and got most of the fundamental changes. Ironically, most of the movement to install bike lanes included studies and surveys, which were largely absent for car culture design where the engineers and planners decided on their own what was best, then just made it with minimal consultation from the communities who were expected to use this infra.
Thanks so much for this video, John! I've discovered your channel and Not Just Bikes in the last few weeks and have been eagerly going through your content. However, like one other commenter above, I have trouble seeing things get better, here in the US. One thing I notice Amsterdam (and in general, the Netherlands) has is excellent complementary infrastructure - efficient public transit, plentiful use of traffic calming, mixed use zoning - that makes each redesign feel like an incremental rather than a radical change. Every city I've lived in here in the US has this entrenched car culture that makes it challenging at best to even redesign a single road, let alone a neighborhood. The other challenge I see is overcoming the existing car centric mindset. With few existing viable alternatives to driving, I see plenty of opposition to redesigning an existing street. In addition, there's the issue of cost - people don't want to pay for something "they won't use". And they won't use something if it's not a great alternative to driving. You can see the problem here :) That said, in Chicago where I live there have been a number of baby steps. There are separated lanes in some places. The catch is the slow pace of improvements here. if it's taken them so many years to get to where Amsterdam was in the 90s... When will they get to where Amsterdam is today? I don't want to be in my 80s by the time that happens, haha.
@realenginerd, I hear you. All I can say is that cities in the states are changing, some faster than others. It took cities in The Netherlands 50 years of dedicated hard work to get where they are now and not all cities are as far along. Many in the South are decidedly car centric compared to the northern cities of Utrecht and Amsterdam. Those US cities that do create authentic people oriented places will ultimately dominate when comes to attracting people who have the wherewithal to move to a more desirable place. My personal story reflects this as I made intentional moves from Chicago to Boulder to Hawai’i and now in Austin. Yes, there’s still an entrenched car culture that hovers over all these places, but there are significant cracks as people start to get a taste of something better. All that to say, try not to get too discouraged, it is changing for the better, no, not fast enough, but these things have a way of snowballing after a long period of incremental improvements over time. Thanks so much for watching and for adding to the conversation. Cheers! John
Well the “build back better” policy is in the making, talk to your local politicians to use that opportunity to indeed start re-thinking the infrastructure. Show them these type of videos and there are lots of advisors around to start the discussion.
It took us 50 years to get this far. And it was an evolution, not a revolution. Just start in small steps. When i waws 18, in the eighties. the only thing i wanted was a drivers license and a car. Dutch youth don't care anymore . They rather have an iPhone then a car!
Great video. I work on timing traffic signals in the US and a lot of this technology and applications discussed here is already here...they just only exist for cars. But we've been bringing this approach to our biking network and it's been really nice!
@Jerry Schippa, Thanks so much for watching... yes, and as Jason mentioned and you know, this is totally doable... we just need to change our priorities. Cheers! John
@@buddy1155 Good point... the link is in the description for this video, but I'll leave it here as well. Cheers! John => Why the Dutch Wait Less at Traffic Lights: th-cam.com/video/knbVWXzL4-4/w-d-xo.html
My number one pet peeve about driving are traffic lights and stupid traffic light management. If it’s 3am, and there’s nobody on the road, there is absolutely NO REASON I should be sitting for 45 seconds at a red light. I just blow it, each time.
I like the thumbnail, it's pretty much around the corner from where I live in Delft 😁 Interesting podcast! It's still crazy to me how these "normal" infrastructure designs are so alien to North American cities, hopefully they will slowly learn how it should be done
@345timmie, That's cool! Yes, I snapped this pic while I was staying in an apartment in Delft for about a week in 2019. I am working to help "normalize" these people-oriented types of infrastructure design here in North America through this Channel. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
At 44:51 I think an important point is missed: Different modes, different priorities. People don't necessarily want *short* routes, they want *fast* routes. They want to be able to get to their destination as quickly as possible. When you're on a bicycle, that will often be the same thing, but in a car much less so. With a car the speed at which you can drive is much more important. And that, as I see it, is the more important reason that the bicycle gets the short route in the Netherlands. We try to make the best route BOTH for drivers and cyclists, but for cyclists that means short routes, but for drivers in the first place it means routes where you can drive (within the speed limit) fast - wide lanes filled with other drivers who also want to go the same direction fast, rather than sharing them with cyclists, people looking for a parking place, people slowing down because the place where they have to leave the road is up etcetera. As an extra plus, this not only gets a fast trip but also a low stress experience for both cyclists and drivers.
@Andre Engels, All excellent points. I will say that for me personally, having relatively time competitive routes to my typical destinations, I much prefer the cycling option because it provides much more joy and relaxation (not to mention much-needed physical activity - breaking away from video editing) in addition to serving my utilitarian transportation needs. And because of the immediate positive feedback to my choice, I have been able to establish this behavior as a habit - I no longer even have to think about it, the "decision" to ride is literally automatic, which to your point is made possible by different networks for different modes. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
@@autohmae Yes! Exactly. And I need to constantly remind myself to balance in more time getting "out there" capturing more b-roll by bike. Prior to the pandemic I was frequently "out on the road" as part of the Active Towns tour discovering and documenting the positive things happening in person versus just talking about it via online interviews. Hopefully I can raise the funds to get a little of that travel pattern back once again. Cheers!
I love how I'm casually scrolling through my recommended and spotted this video which just happens to have my daily commute in the thumbnail P.S. It's the Zuidkolk in Delft
@SchoolWok24, Yes! That's so cool. I was looking for high quality well-framed shot for the Thumbnail and remembered had a series snapshots from 2019 that I took with my iPhone - we were staying in Delft for the week and it was delightful. Cheers! John
Okay, for the one other person who was wondering what Dutch city he mentioned at 32:45, it's apparently the city of 's-Hertogenbosch. Naturally, it's also known as Den Bosch because no one wants to say/spell that.
Hehe,🤣 yeah, and here are my videos from 's-Hertogenbosch with none other than Mark Wagenbuur aka @BicycleDutch. Part One: th-cam.com/video/wnj7HGRwEsk/w-d-xo.html and Part Two: th-cam.com/video/CBt6C60tYsY/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching! I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
I moved to minneapolis a little over a year ago. Its not at great as in Europe but its imprivng and still MILES better than other cities Ive visited. I bike to work now. Im genuinely happier getting to do so. And I use the greenway for a large portion of it. Its so calm. Really the worst part is gettint the bike out of my building. Its old. So hallways are narrow. And I have to store my bike in my apartment to store it. But once Im out its great. I do chain it up with multiple locks tho becauae bike theft is a huge issue.
Yes! Minneapolis is one of our better North American cities, and I'll be profiling it again very soon in an interview with a local advocate working for safer streets. And yes, they have a long way to go before they are at Dutch levels of infrastructure. Thank you so much for tuning into this classic interview with Jason from 2021. Cheers! John
At about 26:39 (and yes Jason I do follow your channel a bit), the car centric problem in the US and Canada, is also (and I think the major contributing factor) town/city planning. If shops would be in areas where people live, not just in designated shopping zones than walking and biking would be easier to integrate. But if you have to go 5 or 6 miles to get to the closest grocery shop, because zoning does not allow for any shop closer to home ......
@FacelessJanus, Precisely! Most of our discussions here on the Active Towns Podcast end up coming back to land-use decisions. Thanks for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
This. I live in The Netherlands (Almere) and walk only 5 minutes to a train station, bus station, (decent sized) grocery store and a few smaller stores and do that almost daily. I went to visit family in Las Vegas and all of a sudden we needed to plan getting groceries that would take an hour or 2 in total, having to drive for quite a while before we go to a grocery store. There was no way to walk there cause it was surrounded by busy streets, also no public transport anywhere near where they lived. If I lived in the States I would also ride a car, but now I don't even have a drivers license because I really don't need one (and they are really expensive to get here)
@@BoG_City Thanks so much for watching and the comment. It is possible to live here in the states and not have to drive everywhere for everything. We have intentionally set up our life in Austin to do so, choosing a neighborhood close to employment, groceries, and other daily needs and importantly we have relatively safe routes to walk and bikes to these destinations. With Active Towns I'm trying help other cities create and provide more of these opportunities for more people. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns it's a great initiative John! I get the feeling more and more people are starting to see the benefits and are actively trying to make things better. Austin is a city that is growing fast isn't it? Should be a great opportunity to implement improvements there
@@BoG_City Thanks you! Yes, Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in North America and the City is working hard to create more housing opportunities close to meaningful destinations and build out an "All Ages & Abilities" cycle network (interestingly inspired by Dutch design). In case you haven't seen it yet, here's a short vid I shot of a facility ribbon cutting: th-cam.com/video/xFomWh1eoYI/w-d-xo.html
Separating is the word, taking two things that are stuck together and moving them apart, separating, I thought of untangled, uncoiled and unfrayed, but separating is an accurate description and meets your definition. That's what you want in a translation!
The disconnected cul de sacs and isolated streets and separated communities is epidemic where I live. You could easily take those direct routes on foot or bike exactly as you pointed out but can't. The developers get carte blanche to build however they want, and you can't add MUPs after the homes are built. Every time connections are proposed, residents cry foul or threaten lawsuits. They are afraid of the 'rif raf' making off with their flat screen tee vee. The State would have to condemn 2 homes in every strategic location to make the MUP connections and that will never happen under home rule. So for the 60% of us living in suburbia, we are routinely forced onto arterial traffic sewers for even the shortest trips. It is hopeless and depressing. Otherwise, thanks so much for your wonderful podcasts.
@Francis Warnock, Thanks so much for watching and adding to the conversation. Yes, the current status quo is quite frustrating, but there is some progress as people become aware that it doesn't have to be this way. Cheers! John
Why not just eminent domain part of the gardens of those homes, instead of demolishing a whole one? Mind you, the *first* start is mandating that new developments be made right, rather than retrofitting existing ones.
@@JasperJanssen first of all, eminent domain is dead here in Biden's home State. There hasn't been a successful bid in this part of the country for probably 30 years (your State may be different). And certainly not one that involves stealing parts of people's gardens (yards) to accommodate a travel mode that fewer than 0.03% of residents participate in (for ED to be successful in any case, it requires an overwhelming need for the "greater good" -- a concept lost on most Americans). Second, it is already mandated in the UDC (unified development code) that connections be made, but it came years after everything was already built out here, and what little green space remains (e.g. abandoned golf courses) is preserved for parks or habitat. In the few cases of new "infill" development, existing residents fight said connections tooth and nail, and usually end up winning (we live in this thing called "Home Rule Governance" -- one home owner can scuttle an entire project).
@@JasperJanssen you could make the argument that more folks would ride and thus mode share would increase as a result of making the connections. But that's not how they see it here. There's this paradigm in full swing, that goes something like this: "Why build good bike infrastructure, when nobody bikes (or walks) because of the lack of good infrastructure". Even in the rare instances that they do build good infra, and connections are made, it doesn't correspond to increased mode share in any meaningful way. Nobody bikes (or even walks) when there's abundant cheap petrol (3/gal) and car license & registration is for everyone regardless of competency.
@@ActiveTowns I've been going through your videos, and Jason's, starting with the earliest. Still a ways to go yet. I love it, and commend you two for magnificent work. That said, I struggle to get on board with the message of "hope" -- that we can build/reconstruct our way out of this mess focusing on our cities. The fact is, nearly 2/3 of Americans live in depressing suburbs, and the overwhelming majority of vehicle miles are driven by suburbanites, and thus are the lion's share of emissions. I did appreciate the piece about walkable neighborhood stores; of course, that's the way it should be. But we already know that this is hardly possible under home rule governance. So I guess my only critique would be, shift some focus onto how we fix the suburban nightmare that most of us are trapped in now -- and I don't mean with new construction, because that's not the answer. We have to fix or retrofit what's on the ground first, and then think about protecting/rebalancing our species' relationship with the natural world. Unless we come up with a solution to that, we're done.
" I was running late so I couldn't get to my appointment by bicycling so I rented a bike share car. " Riding bicycles asks us to plan and budget our time. If we want to get there on time, we need to leave a bit early and if we don't want to show up full of sweat (in heat) or wet (from rain) we need to leave another 15 minutes early. We need to plan and budget how much stuff we carry, how much we bring to our destination or how we carry it. That's worth discussing. It's also worth comparing to owning a car, that we need to budget our money instead. But we ought to talk about money saving (and spending) plans for when we bike and save all that money. This is not just found money that allows us to spend an extra 2 or 3 evenings eating at the pub instead of at home. We need to be money wise and use it to get ahead, not just spend more on things not needed. It's important enough money saving plans ought to be included in bicycle training courses. It's part of the package of riding a bicycle.
Thanks so much! Yes, I really loved my time in Delft. You'll probably recognize the featured photo on my website's landing page. www.activetowns.org/ Such a classic of the cycle path approaching the university TU Delft. Cheers! John
38:00 so true! Many Asian countries are a fantastic example of this, where mopeds and scooters are the most popular mode of transportation. There's so many anyway that it doesn't make sense to have traffic lights in most places.
@Joy L, Good point. Having lived in Asian for awhile, a long time ago, I definitely prefer the quieter, less poluuting, and slower speeds of bicycles, it's a much more pleasant environment for everyone. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Wait a few decades for electrification of vehicles, and mopeds will be quiet and not polluting, and slow when street is designed to be slow. In this way it could be more preferable.
What's been interesting here in The Netherlands as well in the past year is how regular daily traffic jams on highways surrounding major cities have completely disappeared, thanks to people working from home due to COVID-19. I find this a fascinating development, because now you don't even have to consider peak traffic hours when you do need to use the car to go somewhere. For me, this reduces the stress of driving quite a lot.
@Joy L, Yes. That's an important point as it gets to the fact that people will make pragmatic choices, which is why it's so important to make walking, cycling, and taking transit super comfortable, convenient, and time competitive. Cheers! John
Absolutely! Since people work from home I experience less traffic jams during rush hour when I'm on the road doing my job. I really hope COVID has a positive effect on more people being able to work from home. We have the technique and internet infrastructure to do so. Sometimes events like an oil crisis or COVID make people to look for alternative solutions that works as fine or even beter, cause a snowball effect opening doors for new opportunities changing things for the better.
@@jeroenrat6289 Yes. History has shown this time and time again. Although the pain and suffering from this pandemic have been and will continue to be horrendous, I too hope that we as societies around the world will learn some important lessons and take advantage of some of these opportunities to change, as you say, for the better. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
I’m not able to look at roads streets and stroads the same way I used to. Lethbridge Alberta uses a boat load of yeild signs in place of stops signs was great. We have so much to improve upon our cities and towns in North America
30:30 I experienced this in Brisbane, Australia. Australia is so incredibly similar to North-America when it comes to these infrastructures and suburbs. I indeed had to walk for nearly an hour to get to a mall for groceries, because all the roads were laid out for cars only and there were no paths for cyclists or pedestrians in large sections. Eventually I had to cross through some bush and jump over a dried up riverbed, which are not very safe things to do in Australia I can tell you.
Brisbane don't represent Australia..... Maybe try to follow Sydney on keep making better public transport or Melbourne with its free tram service in cbd...
@@anubizz3 The thing is, here in The Netherlands you can go literally anywhere in the country using just public transport or a bike-path/sidewalk. There is no place without them. A tram service that's just for the CBD is not good enough. Busses that run every hour-ish and get stuck in the same traffic-jams as cars is not good enough. America and Oz have tried at times but its too sporadic and not nearly extensive enough. It's like a highway for cars that just ends without leading anywhere.
@@joyl7842 You might mistaken Netherlands with Japan, Singapore or Switzerland... If you Dutch people and really thinks your public transport even on par with country then you delusional. Even some of hardcore Dutchman acknowledged they have last mile problem that's why they often need 2 bike + public transport.... That's not the case in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong... Jesus even Jason acknowledged Switzerland is on another level.... A person that allergic to mention Asia city..
I can’t look at the world the same way after finding Jason’s channel. I ride a Onewheel electric skateboard and proper bike infrastructure would be so welcome. I hate the inefficiency of stroads and our massive, car-oriented world.
Thanks so much for watching. Yes, having access to a safe and inviting cycle network opens up the possibilities for so many people choosing not to drive an automobile. My goal with this channel is to help inspire these types of transformations, because, as has been demonstrated, they are possible. Cheers! John
It's worth noting how Jason doesn't remember how often he encounters roundabouts. I still remember when Toronto got its first curb side bike lane, where the car parking lane is between the bike lane and the moving car lane. [Since forever, bike lanes were between the car parking lanes and the moving car lanes. It meant anyone who wanted to park cars were forced to cross the bike lane. That means the bike lane is no longer exclusive for bikes.] So when I was told this curb side bike lane was built two blocks long on Simcoe Street, I went to check it out and experience what it was like I never experienced this arrangement before and just heard about it and saw it in videos from the Netherlands. I went up and down Simcoe Street 3 times and never saw it. I was assured, yes, they were there, so I went back and biked up and down Simcoe Street and again I didn't see it. I had to go back on a third occasion before I actually saw this design. It was so easy to use and seamless I never noticed it was there. Now, it's the standard for Toronto bike lanes. Many bike lanes are still the old way but will eventually be changed over time when streets get repaved. This not noticing good infrastructure means it's so good that it doesn't draw attention to itself.
Dutchie here, for us roundabouts are parts of the road and route we take. There is nothing special about them, and when we cross them your eyes and mind are on the other traffic...
These channels are so good. Cars do so much damage to the environment and the quality of living inside cities, you wonder why they are not actively banned. But thankfully the Dutch have found a compromise that actually makes life better for everybody, including drivers.
@TheEvertw, Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. This really means a lot to me. My goal is to have the channel present a positive narrative that helps inspire others to advocate for change in their communities, wherever they might live. Happy New Year and Cheers! John
Traffic calming, vehicle filtering, separated paths, are all terms that make peoples eyes glaze over. We all want the same thing, SAFER STREETS. But the only solution smaller towns (NH and WI specifically) gravitate towards are lower speed signs or increased enforcement. Has anyone had experience using less technical language to help people understand the many many different ways streets can be made safer?
@Ian McGregor, This is a great point. Boiling things down to the simplest of terms without using jargon is such an important approach to having important conversations within the communities without talking over them in an isolating way. The first step is to engage, listen and truly understand how they (those living in the neighborhood) are struggling. Getting to the root of their challenges is essential. My friend Chuck Marohn also addresses in his most recent book Confessions of a Recovering Engineer www.confessions.engineer/ Thanks for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
Well, basically, make it uncomfortable to drive over the limit (narrowing, chicanes, speed bumps) and make room for mistakes (don't make cyclist/pedestrians cross more than one lane at a time, don't put the cycle lane directly next to the care lane so they can turn and then watch for cyclists, etc).
@@BrazenNL and speed bumps and chicanes are somewhat of a last resort measure in my opinion. I prefer street design without the use of these. Making a narrower street and putting in some nice trees (also good for cooling down the city and pollution) is a much better way to do it I feel.
Jason is very good at using the jargon on his channel, he names it and immediately explains it. The good thing from jargon is that makes it clear that it is something that exist and has a name, it is not something you made up during your last trip to the bathroom.
@Sander vd Donk, Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. As someone who does add music to many of my videos, I can definitely relate to the stress Jason was mentioning about licensing. Cheers! John
how fitting to find this right now - just yesterday I've checked out a town about 10 km from here, still serving as a suburb, where they've done a lot of this (at least for a German town of 2500 people). Several streets are just blocked for cars, while there are dozens of shortcuts for walking and biking.
@@ActiveTownsfor some reason I keep finding videos I've missed before :) About that town: small towns and villages in Germany usually have no real bike infrastructure - you may be allowed or even required to bike on what's basically just a sidewalk (continuing the out-of-town bike paths) which was never designed with cyclists in mind, so it's sometimes ridiculously narrow. At very best you may find some shortcuts to schools or grocery stores - however I've rarely seen so many attempts to discourage driving in such a small town.
My local metroplex is celebrating the nearing completion of a network of biking/walking trails from one city to the other, but they are not for really getting anywhere and are often on old train right of ways or ducking along wastelands bordering highways. So they are paths just to bike or walk or run on, but only to do that.
Thanks for watching and for contributing to the conversation. Yes. I've witnessed this approach many times. The real value of the buildout of an off-street network of trails and pathways is that it is truly part of a network, which implies cohesiveness and connectivity. There is clearly value in having a path between two cities, but to be truly successful and get the best return on the investment, it must be safe and inviting at the bare minimum. When the path passes less than desirable areas, mitigation steps must be taken to improve the experience. Ideally, they will find ways to add additional connections to help people get to and from meaningful destinations along the way. How long are the distances between the cities? Cheers! John
I want Jason to be the next executive director of Cycle Toronto, one of the biggest, most public cycling advocacy groups in Toronto. I don't know of anyone else with more ability to transform Toronto for safer streets. Gil Penalosa could come close but at 65 I'm expecting he will retire soon and he's so busy with 8 80 Cities I don't see him joining Cycle Toronto. Jason could do this by telecommuting from Amsterdam. His reason for moving to Amsterdam is Toronto is taking too long to become bicycle friendly and he didn't want to raise his kids here because of this. But his kids are growing up. And maybe he and his family might feel the call to participate in change here, now. But there's more. He can use the job of ED for Cycle Toronto to be promoted to the general public so he can get the job of mayor of Toronto, where he can get a lot more done for cycling and safe streets here.
@@ActiveTowns You could be right, John. I could be projecting, in that I know how much I want Toronto to be a cycling city. I'm just thinking Mr. Jason is making all these videos about safe streets to bike on because he has a similar passion as me. I know I don't come close to his ability to get my ideas across to a large audience. And I'm not aware of anyone else in Toronto who might come close to his ability. I figured if we want to get this stuff done, he would be the one to do it. Otherwise we may wait a decade or more.
@@ActiveTowns The deal I had in mind was he transforms Toronto to make it fit to live in (by his standards). I started buying lottery tickets when there was a $70M jackpot. You know how I would spend that. One of the first things I would do is offer him a million bucks to consult for Toronto, whether the city wanted to hear him or not. And the Cycle Toronto gig is something like that. (Just, it likely pays less than what I would offer him)
I still think the actual translation for "ontvlechten" being "debraiding" is a lot more apt than just "disentangling". Especially because you get rid of certain "braids" of traffic, and route them in different ways.
Thanks so much for watching and for adding to the conversation. Yes! These are brilliant when they connect to a pathway network or otherwise help people get to meaningful destinations. Cheers! John
The arterial street stoplight thing hasn’t seemed to sink in with people going down certain streets in Leeuwarden. If they just go right _before_ the intersection, they can have priority over cars for that entire bit, but the stop light at the horrendous De Schrans intersection is always _full_ of bikes
Well, I lived there. That is one terrible point in Leeuwarden, combining cycling, car and train crossing in less than 50x50 m2 area, but for cycling it is a straight line compared to more distant cycling alternatives into the center. That's probably why many people choose to use it as a cyclist. Also, the lights turn green quite often for cyclists. But the city, and the center in particular, is very nice for cycling. Although you have to share the road with cars, but they can only drive very slowly.
@@Krasbin I agree that, especially compared to Harlingen, the city is _quite_ nice for cycling. The specific direction I meant was coming from the centre toward the intersection, intending to go to the station. Probably not that many people need to go that way, which would surely explain the gathering. The sharing thing is a good point; even where the street is shared, in many cases it’s bit terrible scary because the drivers are not hostile towards people on bicycles.
In the Netherlands we know the stop sign, but almost always we use a triangular red and white sign to show that you are going to cross a priority street, but you only have to stop if there is traffic on that road.
@50:45 we do seperate them with signage tho... the regular on road fietspad will be marked with a circular plate with a bike on and will be accesible for motorized handicapped mobiles, snorfietsen, and when on road and with broken white lines cars can enter it... you also have fietspaden with a rectangular plate with the word "fietspad" on them, those are accesible only by non-motorized (bikes pedestrians) with an exception for maintenance crews obviously
It is also important to keep in mind that the Dutch road system for cars also has a different mentality. If a road fills up too much the first action is not to widen it but to find places to divert cars off it by making a more direct route. Arterial roads are more so "everything else" kind of roads for all the things that don't justify a more direct route. However the result of that is an incredibly complicated road network. The very first successful car navigation system is the Dutch Tomtom and that is not by chance. Foreigners and even locals just the system almost impossible to navigate.
Fascinating. Thanks so much for watching and for this perspective. I don't believe I've ever even been in a car while visiting The Netherlands. The opportunity/need has yet to present itself. I hope you are enjoying some of the other content here on the Channel. Cheers! John
I'd like to see a case study of what cities like Vaughan Ontario Canada could do to make improvements, or to move towards some of these examples you're discussing.
Yes! Really, having this type of development pattern, which many people like, can work for active mobility, if... and only if there is direct comfortable, connectivity for people walking, biking, scooting, etc. My video featuring @PekkaTahkola highlights a wonderful example in Oulu, Finland - long version: th-cam.com/video/EPmJswNRb7s/w-d-xo.html and shorter snippet: th-cam.com/video/HlhNk5tn878/w-d-xo.html Thank you so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the channel. Cheers! John 😀
i think there's something additional to consider about the point at ~27:00 which is that in north america, the idea that people would be able to travel through urban space in an area that isn't accessible to cars is HIGHLY frowned upon by cpted principles so agencies don't even consider it.
The literal translation of the word "ontvlechten" is debraiding. The cycle path is just called a "fietspad". A dedicated bicycle path between two cities or (more commonly) between a city and the smaller municipalities surrounding it, is called a "snelfietspad". These are optimized for bicycles to such an extent that, If you live in a village or town like I do, an e-bike is usually the fastest mode of transportation when you need to go to the nearest city.
Yes. There is much to learn, adapt, and implement from the Dutch example. Thanks so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the Active Towns Channel. Cheers! John
As a kid cycling to school in the Netherlands, it sucked when it rained, but I got to school a lot faster. Both because of the traffic lights all being green, as for quicker cycling.
50.39 Yeah we do, a seperate bikepath is a 'fietspad' completely seperately from the rest of the road, and a 'fietsstrook' is a bikelane, separated by just a white dashed line. Then there is the 'fietssuggestiestrook' (bike suggestion strip/lane) wich is for cars and bikes, a car can even park on it.
@Captain Chaos, I opened it up to everyone, because I trust that y'all will subscribe and become Patrons. ;-) Hey, Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
The bicycle-only roads going through underpasses make for funny accidents where (mostly) delivery van drivers are not familiar with them and they take off their roof. 😄
@Yvonne Campbell, Thanks for watching. Much of my 30 plus year career has been in the area of prevention... specifically disease prevention through encouraging activity. What was the old saying? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" (sorry for the use of the silly US imperial measurements... hehe) Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Haha! Thanks. I always gravitated towards fixing the root problem instead of trying to patch up things. That's what I also like about the Dutch mentality, they tend to plan ahead and aren't afraid to invest in it money wise and of course in years. It even plays out in daily life. You should try to swing by a Dutch person's house unannounced.... They have AGENDA'S. xD
I would love for Jason to visit some of the suburbs in other cities in the Netherlands and describe how they are different from the ones in the US and Canada. We too have our cul-de-sacs. Some parts of, say, Barendrect or Albrandswaard are full of them. But for both cyclists and pedestrians, they are easier to navigate than for a car.
Suburbs should not be allowed to have only single-family homes. There needs to be ways to easily to cut through the convoluted streets by bike/trail to get to parks and markets. Current developments are SO stupid with usually no community centre with pond, fountain or cafe with small market/shops you can WALK to. NO ONE wants to snake their way through all that on bike, let alone on foot! And bikeways are easiest if they are near the low point of creeks, but cut over bends in the creeks. If we're talking about commuting, routes need to be as direct and smooth as possible.
I live in Groningen and I've been told they tried the 'all cyclist get the green light at the same time' type of stoplights in other cities in the Netherlands and they don't work anywhere else.
We have at least one of those in Leiden and it's not the worst, but it's also not quite relaxed. It seems like a shortcut to only have to spend one moment in a light cycle on bikes so there is more time for cars, to be honest. But that may be because it's a crossing where hardly anyone on a bike would need to wait twice otherwise.
Saw his video about the changes in Paris, France, where streets are rapidly converted into separated bicycle and car lanes. All the advantages and difficulties they encounter. It is forcing a break through and we'll have to wait and see the results. But to cycle around the Place de la Concorde isn't my thing yet. Want to see more about Altis Play, the bicycle vlogger from Paris? th-cam.com/users/AlTi5playvideos
@Dutch Man, If they stay the course, I have a good feeling about Paris. Having experienced it during the first car-free day in 2015 I can say that it's a much better place with fewer speeding motor vehicles. Thanks for watching and the link for Altis Play. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Thanks! There is a lot of work to be done in Paris, to make it better and safe. First steps have been made. But as a tourist I still would use the Metro, though I cycle every day in my own country.
@@dutchman7623 I hear you... funny when I was there in 2015 it was the end of a month-long European infrastructure exploration tour (which naturally started in The Netherlands) and I only rode my travel bike (Brompton) there, never did venture onto the Metro. Cheers! John
Not sure who you are directing this questions to... but nonetheless the answer is the same, yes, we both are still posting. I have a new Podcast episode being released tomorrow and Jason's most recent video is here th-cam.com/video/ztpcWUqVpIg/w-d-xo.html from three weeks ago. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Did you already watch my ride with Jason in Amsterdam, here? th-cam.com/video/-V2U6OzMIUU/w-d-xo.html Cheers! John
The last part about roundabouts I find ineffective. Where the cyclists have an outer roundabout and drivers have to watch for cyclists when entering or exiting. Ineffective at least for small roundabouts. Where I am I have a small roundabout that is quite nice to go by bicycle. The bike lane ends just before the roundabout and the street narrows. Inside the roundabout it' very narrow. Bikes and cars are forced to go after each other. When leaving the bike lane starts again. Before the roundabout it was a junction without traffic lights. On a bike you waited forever for a gap to go left. Now you just enter when it is free. Inside cars can't overtake you.
Thanks for watching. The situation you describe is a fairly typical approach here in North America, especially with unprotected, unseparated bike lanes. In my professional experience, this last-minute mixing of modes is really only possible if motor vehicle speeds are 30 km/hr (about 15-17 mph) or less. But even then the vast majority of people not currently riding but would do so with safer conditions want protected and separated cycling facilities. An interesting recent report out of The Netherlands has also indicated that injury and fatality rates on urban streets that allow 50 km/hr are unacceptable and thus will be reduced to 30 km/hr in the coming years and the streets redesigned to those speeds. This will be particularly helpful in the Dutch roundabouts. Cheers! John
Around 55 minutes: it’s insane that people who don’t want to cycle actively block a faster cycling route. For motorists it would mean less traffic, more parking and faster travel times. Yet the mere thought of a cyclist getting a better deal and will be quicker is enough for motorists to say: f it. I’d rather have to drive 5-10 minutes extra because of traffic, if it means my non preferred mode of transportation is going to be slower then me.
@Rick B, Yes. There's a very weird visceral reaction of hatred towards people riding bikes that's just so curious and mysterious. It's definitely getting better, ever so gradually. My personal approach is to humanize my interactions with motorists whenever possible, especially when I'm walking and riding in my own neighborhood - I do this by going out of my way to get their attention, smile, and wave. It frequently jolts them out of their driver's trance and increasingly now people recognize me in advance and initiate a smile and wave... and yes, they're typically driving slower now. Note: my streets have no bike or pedestrian facilities so we all have to share the same space and at any given time people walking, biking, scootering, skateboarding, rollerblading, you get the picture, will outnumber the drivers 2 to 1, 3 to 1, sometimes even 10 to 1. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
There is an odd human tendency to hurt yourself (or your ingroup) if it will also hurt your enemy. (Painting your house pink to annoy your neighbor. Closing public parks so people groups can't mix. Burning Moscow to give Napoleon a Phyrric victory).
@@uremailingalex In the case of Moscow it served a purpose. To defend the country, which was successful. It wasn’t done out of spite which is the topic here. The French soldiers were not equipped for Russian winter. By depriving them of any form of shelter they either had to retreat or freeze to death. Had napoleon thought to pack a scarf or two and some gloves for the troops, the outcome may have been different. But he forgot. Better to rebuild one city than be subjected to French tyranny and abuse for years to come. That is slightly different from the bike lane topic 😁
@37:25 and even with that explanation and the video watched i think a lot of people have no idea how well this works... so ill repeat what ive said about it there... i drive through a major city by car and unless the traffic is abnormally dense I usually will have most lights going green because cross traffic is avoided... to illustrate...i smoke...i only light my smokes at traffic lights...i often don't get the chance to in my 10 mile trip
Oh here is something you guys haven't really covered(unless I missed it in one of your vids). In many metropolises in US especially in LA the police will pull over bicyclist and search them. Since if you ride a bike you must have lost your license and are up to no good. There is a whole article about this in LA times. Riding a bike allows for search that is not allowed if you drive.
@telocity, Yes. This unfortunate reality surfaced in several of my audio-only podcast episodes... one of my guests was talking about a "dirty tires"ordinace in Kansas City that allowed police to stop and ticket a bicyle rider if they had dirty or mud on their tires... yeah, it's pretext for stopping them primarily if they happen to be black or brown. I believe Michael said this "law" was being thrown out finally. Cheers! John
If they would build bike lanes where I live, I'd never have a car again, instead, I'd have an electric tricycle with baskets, a weather jacket canopy over the bike, a folding solar panel affixed to the top of the canopy, and a solar powered generator in the back basket that I could plug the bike into and keep it charged indefinitely :) This is what I really want to do, in fact, if I had the funds, I'd have someone build me a bicycle camper that I could live in instead of a typical sticks and bricks dwelling.
@@computeraddic675 actually, I've watched lots of videos on the same type of set up for other countries and they all seem very functional, even while moving within the cities along with other cyclists and motorists.
@@ActiveTowns simply seperating the means of trasport actually is not a good thing (this is what happend to the Bijlmer area). You should have different networks, for a smaller scale (mixed on lower speeds) and seperated for larger scale where cars move faster.
@@Koen030NL Yes, precisely. And this is exactly what is illustrated in the video. Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I wrote the comment early in the video, sorry for that. It’s a common mistake to miss the vital difference in network scales and the appropriate design solution for that scale, can’t be emphasised enough.
I happen to be one of those people who loves bicycling. It triggers endorphins in my brain, I expect. I loathe public transportation probably because as kid riding the school bus was a loud, unpleasant experience. I've always said that if I am declared evil on Judgement Day my punishment will be to drive a school bus in Hell. As a teacher for 26 years I had plenty of field trips to confirm my dislike of buses. I know not all buses are school buses, but an aversion is an aversion. On the rare occasions I've ridden on a train I enjoyed it. But I'm happy riding my ebike. There's nowhere I can't go in town in a reasonable amount of time. There are no traffic jams for bikes. I've learned where all the best shortcuts are from watching teenage boys whip around town. I actually don't mind going a little out of the way if it means avoiding traffic. My city may not be ideal (or anywhere close to it), but "I get around." (Are you hearing The Beach Boys in your inner jukebox?)
Love it! Yeah, I'm the same way here in Austin. And really, riding the bike is by far the best way of getting around, and now that I have an e-assist cargo bike, I can go farther and carry even heavier loads. Thanks so much for watching, I hope you enjoy some of the other vids on the Channel. Cheers! John
@Marco Vermeer, I'm convinced the oma fiets design is just simply brilliant. Thanks for watching and adding to the conversation. I did an entire audio podcast about the simple Dutch bike design, going to have to do a video version one day as well. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I've been binge watching your channel and I have to say this one thing... North American infrastructure sucks. Why would you build a trainstation only accessible by highway/freeway? That's just dumb. Trains are supposed to be a form of alternative transport for those that do not own a car nor a driver's license, like me. I would not be able to work in NA haha
@@Crogatho First off, thanks so much for watching! I really appreciate it. And yes, it is just dumb. I once shot some video in Dallas of a beautiful new train station that was only accessible by cars. You literally could not easily walk or bike there... and it was across the street from a massive residential area. I will say this, these mistakes are being called out and cities are definitely starting to do a better job, but it is going to a tremendous amount of time and money to fix these car-centric decisions. But that's why I launched the Active Towns initiative ten years ago and why I am so excited to see this Channel growing. Cheers! John
In the Netherlands "nobody" uses the google maps planner for biking. They use the route planners from the fietsersbond (Bicycle union) or the ANWB (cars). And they can be used to find the best cycling route between any two locations in the Netherlands, not only inside cities.
Oh cool! That's great to know. I'll be sure to plan on using the Fietsersbond planner when I am there in November. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
In NA, separating routes is still done, just with opposite priority. I hear all the time how cyclists should get off the main roads and use the side streets, etc. This leads to cycling routes to nowhere that are longer and more circuitous. And unlike cars, where distance isn't really that important, it absolutely matters of the safe cycling route is twice the length of the main arterial streets. There's a real "well I guess cars aren't using this section of road" (cause it doesn't connect with any destinations people want to actually want to go to), so we might as well give it to those pesky cyclists.
@Riley Nicholson, The Dutch experience is such a great case study (for the rest of the world to emulate - not copy - but adapt to their circumstances) in how creating a comprehensive cycle network featuring both on the road (adjacent) and completely separate facilities along with a well thought comprehensive set of networks for the other modes results in higher satisfaction and effective levels regardless of how one chooses to get around. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
Yeah, I shudder to think what sometimes happens with the AI subtitles. For several videos I tried to do them myself, but the time commitment to correct what the software thought was being said was just not sustainable. I'm trying to just have a good sense of humor about it. Hehe. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I fully understand it's an other big time consuming task. Some channels with enough income pay someone else do it. :-) About time consuming, some TH-camrs made an observation: when you start on TH-cam you are probably a consumer of content, but when you get to be a TH-camr full time your consuming goes down a lot because of how little time you have in a day. So you could say: instead of being a consumer of content you become the content which is to be consumed aka the opposite. Kind of like someone who is part of a sports team, the person in the bleachers is having drinks and hotdogs, but the person on the fields is getting up early in the morning to do a training and eating healthy aka the opposite. Interesting how that works.🙂
@ÖffiChannelNürnberg, Yes, so true. We have a lot of work to do and a long way to go. Hope you enjoy this channel and the conversations. Just subscribed to your channel - best of luck with it's success. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Thanks for subscribing, looks like i get to 250 by the end of this year, more than I had ever imagined . I don't know whether you understand german, if not, and if you want to get a short impression of the transit where I live, I recommend to you the video about the bus line 37 and the one about the best looking subway stations. No talking, just montage.
@ytwos1, Thanks for watching and the comment. In the many of the busy cities centers (AMS) it is now illegal to ride a scooter in the cycle track due to safety concerns - they now are required to be in the motor vehicle travel lanes. Over time more cities will head in this direction. Cheers! John
What about the reason for having so many SUV's in North-America? If that is for drivers to feel safer and more comfortable, they won't want to ride a bicycle - unless they never come close to cars.
@Joy L, Yes. It's been a vicious circle. People want to feel safe so they get a bigger vehicle, then other people get even bigger vehicles, and so to "feel safer" the first group gets even bigger, more massive vehicles... and it goes on and on. It's a false sense of security with about 110 people per day in the US dying on our roadways (40,000 entirely preventable deaths). It's really quite sad. And it's what I am trying to reverse. Thanks again, John
He did a video on that. City nerd limited him self to pointing out whom that benefits at all (if so) and at what cost. I recommend looking into that madness. I my self participated for 6 months as an Au pair in Canada lifting children who could have found their seats or expirenced much more agency cycling in Germany is) up to a pickups King Cab and driving them to the traffic jam at elementary school. It's alienating even if one is used to it
BTW I hate those red bricks (as an ebiker), they don't only slow down cars (which I like), but they also slow down cyclists who just ate and can't go to fast else they get carsick on a bike, while there are other methods of slowing down cars that don't slow down bikes (like in Schoonbeek, Belgium, you have these small street narrowings where only one car can use that part at a time, which works quite well to slow down cars, as long as it isn't made bigger to let the busses through, but it's still wide enough for an ebike to go through at full speed)
Yeah, I’m with you on strategies for slowing down the drivers which makes it safer for everyone and providing a smoother surface for people cycling and using mobility devices like wheelchairs as this encourages all ages and abilities to roll more frequently. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns But if your main problem are fast cars, then I'll take anything to slow them down, even brick roads, even though I hate brick roads, I prefer it over speeding cars by a kilometer or fifteen (which is btw the distance I have to ebike to school)
do not forget every improvement has been bitterly fought over, including close votes over and over again(since early 70ies....so over half a century). It is not a big pink aha-moment and everything is great ever since. Incremental steps in policies and ideas of safety, sharing space and mobility shape the bigger frame/set of rules in wich (bicycle-)infrastructure is a result rather than a cause of how it is now in the netherlands(and amsterdam where i live). Back in the 90ies it was still a completely different err shitshow on a bike, car dominant in all aspects; we had to be really ballsy/assertive on a bike to stay in 1 piece....takes decades for changes to be everywhere and easy to forget how "bad" it really was back only a few years. And a widespread, finely tuned system of multiple modes of public transportation is necessary to keep cities livable and to beat cardependancy.....well....it needs never ending attention to remain great(bus,tram,train,metro) Even here in walhalla-amsterdam...its never finished
@Ammelov mokum, Yes! Such a good point. I believe the crucial decision years ago regarding Groningen's traffic pattern transformation literally came down to one vote. And yes, that's also so true, the cycle network infrastructure is never truly finished as there is always room to fine tune, enhance, and adapt with the changing conditions. Thanks for watching and for the comments. Cheers! John
@blueburaq, That is precisely what Carmel, IN has done or is doing from the start. Building their sidewalks wider, more like multi-use side paths. My friend Brandon Lust aka @AmericanFietser on Twitter posts about this frequently. Here's a short rider POV clip he shot: th-cam.com/video/j_BS1fBgRBI/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
@@blueburaq True... And to be clear... they have a long way to go and ultimately it's not ideal in the long run, but it is a start and a potential model that other suburban areas can adopt relatively qyuickly... still doesn't correct for poor land use, long trips, potentially being exposed to or adjacent to fast moving traffic, etc. etc. And it requires people cycling to do so in a respectful way, defering to more vulnerable pathway/side path users... in other words be courteous and empathetic. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Increasing density is definitely important but also not as easy as widening the sidewalks. I think it's the bare minimum for car dependent cities trying to provide a medium that's separate from the main car traffic yet mostly 'connected'
Jason from NJB says the word “suburbs” as though it is an expletive, and I love it 😂
@Lyssa’s Letters, Especially how we've done "suburbs" in North America. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers! John
Hi Lyssa, you've just learned this Dutchy his new word of the day...thanks!
Kinda fits, since we Dutch are well known for using (hard) expletives.
suburbs (derogatory)
Suburbs = Subordinate Urban
It's blatantly clear why Jason made his channel: his hate for bad infrastructure is real.
@Brazen NL, And he's not afraid to speak up about the fact it doesn't have to be that way. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
And how easy it would be solve it. Their are solutions for many of things, you just need to know what others, like The Netherlands, are already doing.
@@autohmae Yes. Such a good point - I suppose that's exactly what Jason and I (and others) are doing, trying to help "shine a light" on what is possible. And to be clear it is working - I am frequently profiling the many positive stories of cities here in North America that are taking what they are learning and transforming their built environment - the challenge of course is that much, much more must be done and done with a sense of urgency. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns the changes are better than what we have, but in many cases, we're still doing it under the gaze of car supremacy so as a result, keep spending lots of good money for subpar results.
@@snoopyloopy Yes. Well said.
27:50 Bricks also let through a degree of rainwater. This is important in Dutch cities like Amsterdam to keep the ground not too compact. Water reaches the sweet water table and prevents the 17th century houses to sink. Asfalt distributes water to your cellar if the drainage can't handle it. Distribution of water in The Netherlands is something you can fill a whole new channel (pun intended). Maybe it is this making priority of water management that makes us Dutch people to understand transport and planning in general so good.
@G Klerk, Yes. Excellent point. Increasingly when an impervious surface must be used or is desired, we are seeing more facilities being designed to effectively divert the rainwater into "green" areas known are "rain gardens" to aid in proper runoff management and aid in water filtration. My video here: th-cam.com/video/xrgARK6zVp8/w-d-xo.html on the Indy Cultural Trail highlights this approach. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation here in the community. Cheers! John
Another function of paving stones (bricks) is that they have a certain amount of 'give'. The subsoil isn't always stable, and the beautiful trees along the streets have roots, and pavingbricks can handle these problems better. By the time the street gets too uneven you take up just the part of the street affected, correct the problem and repave.
The right English translation of 'zoet' water isn't 'sweet' water but 'fresh' water.
(dacht ik zeg het effe...)
I've wondered about this and couldn't find the answer, maybe you know it: where does the street drain water go in Amsterdam? Into the sewer to be treated, straight into the canals, or something else?
@@Huntracony into the Heineken factory, they sell it as beer
I'm from Europe, and since I was a kid, I was used to walk or cycle everywhere. I could reach any part of my city within a reasonable time and was always safe. We also learned traffic rules in elementary school. I never thought of the concept of my parents driving me places. When I was 14, we moved to Toronto, Canada. Being the walker that I was, I tried walking places. Luckily, my school wasn't far away, so I did walk, but unconsciously it always felt off. I walked through the suburbs, but there never was a sidewalk. So I always had to watch my back. I came up with the strategy to always walk into oncoming traffic, so that I can see the cars coming at me instead of the ones coming from behind. I remember I wanted to go to Walmart to get a video game. The store wasn't an uncoverable distance, so I decided to walk there instead of taking a filthy bus. Oh man, what a mental torture it became. Although there being a sidewalk, walking by these HUUUUGE parking lots in front of malls and plazas eventually started to mentally drain me. It felt like I'm moonwalking in the same place. Eventually I got there and took the bus back. It was horrible. Later we moved to a smaller town in Canada, where it was completely shit. While my school was still within walking distance, I felt the isolation without a car. I couldn't go anywhere even if my life depended on it - not to friends places as they were mostly out of town, completely unreachable and public transportation was non existent. So I became a stay at home video gamer because, what else was I supposed to do? And it wasn't in my European nature to ask my parents to take me places. My parents who always drive (even in Europe), never understood the mobility issues that I was suddenly facing in North America. I remember when I started going to school in the smaller town, a few days after I started, they called me into the office after school. So I went there, and then the lady told me she got me a seat on the school bus. My school was like 30 - 40 minute walking distance from my place, so I was weirded out and told her, I don't need a bus. Surprised as she was by that answer, she said ok and cancelled my seat again. The kids taking the school bus would always be waiting next to my house, while I start walking to the SAME school. Result: while they are standing around in the cold, I warmed myself up by walking and we both arrived at the same time in school. Besides, I was once or twice on these school buses on a school trip. My god, these buses are the most uncomfortable pieces of crab I have ever ridden on. How can you sit in them? They are transporting high school kids in seats for toddlers. While the US and Canada are beautiful countries and I encourage anyone to visit these places, my god am I happy to be back in walkable Europe, and I never want to leave again. I literally gotta thank Jason, because he managed to put the unconscious mobility issues one faces in north America into actual words. Whenever he shows his fake London footage, I feel the pain of not getting anywhere again. A moment of silence for all kids and people without a license in north America, who are imprisoned within their own community. You guys deserve better. And this is coming from someone who also loves driving - just not in cities and communities.
@Л.С. Мото, Thanks so much for watching and sharing your experience. I'm so happy you are once again in a more walkable and livable place. Many North American cities are getting better, that's what I'm trying to help promote with the Active Towns initiative and this Channel, but it is a very slow process. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I can only judge on Toronto, but it seems like at least something is happening, but there is still a long way to go. I wish you and others who work towards better infrastructure in America all the best.
Walking on the side of oncoming traffic 👌
Good of you to find that out.
In the Netherlands there are of course roads without sidewalks, and we learned in elementary school that we must walk facing the oncoming traffic.
However, many Dutch people forgot that, sometimes even ridiculing me when I mentioned it. That's where I lose all humility and tell them "that's the only practical thing we've ever learned in school and you don't even remember that. Shame on you."
Ah, the therapeutic release of pedantry 😇
Reading this makes me sad for how I grew up, because it was total isolation. With no family within hours of driving, and biking to a friend's house would take close to an hour and be life threatening, and walking basically impossible. Wonder how different and better life could have been in better places like Europe.
@@littlebrother82 in the Netherlands we like to complain a lot. About the weather, other people, the government, infrastructure, et cetera.
Of course it ain't perfect over here, but I learned over the years (I'm 40 now) that we got it pretty darn well together over here.
I am mostly very grateful to live here, also with the culture that we have.
Usually yes means yes, no means no and maybe means maybe, which is very nice.
As somebody who's seen most of Jason's video's, and always thought "yeah, yeah, you have a city-centric view, it's different here in the countryside", something hit home when he started talking about discouraging driving by paid and scarce parking. Whenever we go to Amsterdam (which is not a lot, thankfully), we always go by train. It's not cheaper (if you leave out parking), it's not faster, it's definitely not more comfortable. But it is however a LOT easier as soon as you reach Amsterdam. You get out in the center of the city, there's no search for a parking spot, there's no parking cost, there's no risk of your car getting broken into, etc.. So even for somebody who lives over 100km away from Amsterdam, the parking strategy in Amsterdam **still** affects the road usage between Amsterdam and where I live.
Basically: paid, scarce parking will affect traffic in a radius of over 100km, probably even up to a couple of hundred kms.
Fascinating. Thanks so much for this comment and for watching. Cheers! John
And that's so critical to having highways utilized for what they're meant. If random citizens aren't casually making trips into the city via car, those lanes on the highway are free for last-mile delivery and intercity transportation. Meanwhile, we're here in the US with minimal freight train infrastructure, highways that are regular parts of sub-5 mile commutes, trips to the specialty store, and ordinary daily suburban commuting. It's absolute garbage and it's no wonder we have all the traffic we have
This also comes from a more community mindset that Dutch and the Nordic countries have. They don't really care about the convenience or speed of the individual, they care about the throughput of the whole. So they put in a roundabout as it won't really decrease the amount of traffic that flows through an area. The fact that it makes a lot of people slow down even when there is no need to is not really a concern. They even consider it a good thing because it makes traffic jams less likely as there are so many bottlenecks in the system. It is very difficult for a road to fill up too much as cars just can not enter it that fast.
Unfortunately highways still do suffer from this issue and the idea to apply the same mentality has been stuck in limbo for years.
@@ErdTirdMans"...we're here in the US with minimal freight train infrastructure..." By any possible objective measure we have amazing freight infrastructure in America--far better and more used than in much of Europe. I take no position on the rest of your comment, but this part is just laughably wrong.
Well then why don't Netherlands build excellence public transport instead of protected bikeline? Like Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Swiss?
I'll have a Nebula subscription well before I ever get a Netflix subscription, but I still have so much left to watch on TH-cam. Jason's videos were my introduction to the urbanist/transportation community 3 months ago, and it's been incredible to have my concerns validated and to learn that other places are doing so much to improve infrastructure.
@RWrunning18, Thanks so much for watching and I hope you enjoy some of the other content here on the Active Towns channel as well. Cheers! John
I live in the Netherlands, and i just got myself a new leased e-bike, through a new bike-plan of my work. After driving with a car to work for over 15 years. And today i used it for the first time to get to work.
Normally it's a good 15 min drive to work with a car, during rush hours it can get up to 30~45 mins in a traffic jam on the freeway.
This morning with my new Gazelle e-bike i reached my work in 34 mins. It supports you till ~25km/h. My average speed during the whole trip was 23.4 km/h!! I only had to stop for a traffic light once! Thats it! It's amazing really.
Now i can get a bit of an exercize when i commute to work, i save on fuel wich is €2.10 per Liter at the moment. And we could even get rid of one of our cars now. I should have done this earlier😅
Also i can choose from 3 completely diffrent bike routes and the distance stays within 200 meters of each other with just a minute diffrence in arrival time.😂 one is just as straight of a route possible, one goes over some new bike paths, the last one takes a whole diffrent direction near some dunes and through alot of nature.
Yay! That's great. Welcome to the family... we also have a Gazelle e-bike in our household. 🙌 We downsized to one car a decade ago, which we try not to drive, but it is there if we really need it. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns i just got myself the new version of the Gazelle Ultimate C380 HMB. It has a 75nm Bosch performance line motor C380 Enviolo hub with gates belt drive. Also has bigger suspension travel on the front fork than the other ultimates and double piston brakes. It rides really nice. Much better than the older bikes i was used to in the past.😂
We only have a car now for the long trips, when we need to haul big stuff or when the weather is really, really bad. Strong head wind isn't even an issue anymore, i love it! Others with non electric bikes seem to stand still with strong winds hehe. I hope to get alot of use out of it!
@@gtrulez That's a great set up. I have the Bosch Cargo Line Motor, Enviolo, and Gates combo on my Tern GSD cargo bike. Love it!
Great and smart that Jason does not add annoying music that is too loud in the videos.
Yeah, nothing to distract from his smooth voiceover cords. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
In the Netherlands we have narrow shortcuts for pedestrians and bicycles between 'cul de sac' areas. That makes it easy to get to your destination more quickly and efficiently. But those would not fit into the US safety ideas, because they can be used as an escape route where cars cannot follow you. That's the case as well over here, but of the ten thousand who use them, maybe it's one with bad intentions, and the police know where they are and anticipate on them.
In my neighborhood a moat closes of two sides, but where the sides meet a small bridge for pedestrians and bicycles is made which makes a lot of difference. Schoolkids and students use it to diagonally cross the neighborhood to safely go to school and college.
And inhabitants shorten their walk or bicycle trip with a quarter of a mile. That's not much, but there is a shortcut further on. It leads pedestrians and cyclists through quiet streets that can cope with it, but cannot cope with increased car traffic.
@Dutch Man, Here's a fun fact. Years before I shifted my career focus to the built environment I lived in a typical Southern California suburban community, but most of the dead-end residential streets and cul-de-sacs were punctured by a bike/ped path that led to a network of multi-use pathways and trails that connected all the other neighborhoods, parks, and schools. At the time (early 1990's) I didn't really appreciate how rare this was, but as a runner I loved it! Always saw kids walking and riding to get to school and to go play. The roads, well they were as one would expect, not very fun to be on as one riding a bike or walking/running. All this to say, the vast majority of suburbia is a hell-scape, but some of them are quite nice in their own way and can be inherently walkable and bikeable at the neighborhood scale with some creative connectivity. Cheers! John
Shortcuts through cul de sacs wouldn’t be approved by US homeowners because NIMBY to foot traffic.
He's so passionate it's almost funny, but sometimes you need people who will tell it like it is.
@M __ , True that. Thanks for watching. Cheers! John
I too tend to get passionate when confronted with stupid designs that hurt everybody, especially when people have gotten used to a bad situation and can’t even imagine any alternatives anymore.
@@ottoreinstra9323 Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation. We are all quite grateful that Jason converted his passion into producing helpful and productive content that not only shines a light on the issue but provides the alternative option/solution. Cheers! John
Came for the infrastructure, stayed for the quiet hypnotic voice slightly louder than the quiet funky hypnotic music.
Thanks so much for tuning in. 😊
The two of you are so 👌🏽 together. You enforce one another. Nice to see the cooperation between passionate people.
Very interesting. I learn alot from your videos, as a Dutchman, of the Dutch infrastructure!!!👍🏽
Yay! Thanks so very much for tuning in and the kind words. Please know that these actions are appreciated a great deal. Cheers! John
I ride my bike almost exclusively in southern California unless I need to visit my sisters who live a hundred miles away. And there is no cost effective, time effective way to get to them on public transport. My conversations with people about riding my bike always comes down to this. Great for you, dangerous, yes more people should ride, my situation is special and can not participate.
@telocity, Yep... been there, done that. Hehe. In all seriousness, I know that when people see other people that they can identify with as being like them routinely out riding for everyday errands and purposes and are doing so in normal clothes, on upright comfortable bikes, and seem to be comfortably enjoying themselves the seed gets planted that perhaps they too might just consider doing this some day. Ultimately this works incredibly well especially when there's no pressure on them and a lot of support once their ready to move to the next phase. Thanks so much for watching and adding to the conversation. Cheers! John
About the quiet streets, it's worth pointing out that in suburbia the quiet streets don't connect directly. My town is trying to use this strategy but the result is that to get anywhere you have to constantly turn on these 'quiet paths'. The result is that you're constantly lost bc getting to your destination is super circuitous. So we cyclist end up on the arterials anyways, where there's no infrastructure at all.
@Louis Petitjean, Excellent point! Cities that are doing a good job with this challenge use effective wayfinding signs to guide people walking and biking through the shortcuts - decoding the maze. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
I think the best translation for ontvlechten in infrastructure is the literal translation of 'unbraiding' afterwards you're not left with a single neat wire like with disentangling, but with distinct and separate wires
@Deldarel, Thanks for watching and this helpful clarification. Cheers! John
Thanks for the clarification for the tricky to translate words. De-platting
"fietsen uitgezonderd": the sweetest words to a lost cyclist in Amsterdam
Hehe... yep.
I enjoy watching this video. It is funny to hear a you guys talking about cycle infrastructure while this so normal for Dutch people. Most Dutch people don’t realize how rare this is. I don’t cycle every day. I rather like to walk because of my job. I sit behind a computer all day. However, like almost all Dutch people I cycle from time to time. Not only because it is faster or more convenient. It is also very pleasant to cycle after day of working in an office. Driving a car in rush hour after a day of working can be very stressful. While cycling (or walking or public transport) is a lot more relaxing. For many people it is a way of disconecting from the stress of their work life.
@Ton Lon, Thanks so much for watching and sharing your perspective. Much appreciated. Cheers! John
Always good to listen to Jason. Lots of commonsense and practicality.
Agreed! Thanks so much tuning in. Be sure to catch my ride video with him in Amsterdam if you haven’t already. th-cam.com/video/-V2U6OzMIUU/w-d-xo.html Cheers! John
The difference between disentangling and ontvlechten is that the one comes from relative chaos, the entanglement, to structure. A 'vlecht' on the other hand is Dutch for 'braid', which is a non chaotic, organized structure, towards what is also structure, but then not braided together. Perhaps it should be called 'disbraided' which is probably a word that doesn't exist.
not really, with a braid you often have 3 groups which constantly cross each other which is the "tangle" part. Yes those groups don't literally cross eachother (Wouldn't want to merge two hairstrands together) but it it what it symbolizes.
Ontvlechten in infrastructure terminology is the act of making sure that two different modes of transport don't cross unnecessarily, this is often done by moving the modes away from each other, but can in some cases also be just cycling paths, trams and car lanes on a road (not a street) directly next to each other.
Disentanglement is a correct word for this exact same act of splitting traffic.
@Vincenzo di Grande, Thanks for watching and helping untangle this knot. Cheers! John
Oh i thought its english and dutch written ;p
Something critical to cycling and walking is that so much of the success comes from community participation. The Dutch bike lane revolution was kick started by people in the neighbourhood who asked for specific designs in specific locations and asked for within specific time frames. Lay people took this on and still do. There is no revolt with people saying, down with experts, engineers, planners, but regular people asked for and got most of the fundamental changes. Ironically, most of the movement to install bike lanes included studies and surveys, which were largely absent for car culture design where the engineers and planners decided on their own what was best, then just made it with minimal consultation from the communities who were expected to use this infra.
@Doug Wedel, Well said. Cheers! John
Thanks so much for this video, John! I've discovered your channel and Not Just Bikes in the last few weeks and have been eagerly going through your content.
However, like one other commenter above, I have trouble seeing things get better, here in the US. One thing I notice Amsterdam (and in general, the Netherlands) has is excellent complementary infrastructure - efficient public transit, plentiful use of traffic calming, mixed use zoning - that makes each redesign feel like an incremental rather than a radical change. Every city I've lived in here in the US has this entrenched car culture that makes it challenging at best to even redesign a single road, let alone a neighborhood.
The other challenge I see is overcoming the existing car centric mindset. With few existing viable alternatives to driving, I see plenty of opposition to redesigning an existing street. In addition, there's the issue of cost - people don't want to pay for something "they won't use". And they won't use something if it's not a great alternative to driving. You can see the problem here :)
That said, in Chicago where I live there have been a number of baby steps. There are separated lanes in some places. The catch is the slow pace of improvements here. if it's taken them so many years to get to where Amsterdam was in the 90s... When will they get to where Amsterdam is today? I don't want to be in my 80s by the time that happens, haha.
@realenginerd, I hear you. All I can say is that cities in the states are changing, some faster than others. It took cities in The Netherlands 50 years of dedicated hard work to get where they are now and not all cities are as far along. Many in the South are decidedly car centric compared to the northern cities of Utrecht and Amsterdam. Those US cities that do create authentic people oriented places will ultimately dominate when comes to attracting people who have the wherewithal to move to a more desirable place. My personal story reflects this as I made intentional moves from Chicago to Boulder to Hawai’i and now in Austin. Yes, there’s still an entrenched car culture that hovers over all these places, but there are significant cracks as people start to get a taste of something better. All that to say, try not to get too discouraged, it is changing for the better, no, not fast enough, but these things have a way of snowballing after a long period of incremental improvements over time. Thanks so much for watching and for adding to the conversation. Cheers! John
Well the “build back better” policy is in the making, talk to your local politicians to use that opportunity to indeed start re-thinking the infrastructure. Show them these type of videos and there are lots of advisors around to start the discussion.
@@womenfrom0202 Thanks for watching and adding this wonderful tip to the conversation. Cheers! John
It took us 50 years to get this far. And it was an evolution, not a revolution. Just start in small steps. When i waws 18, in the eighties. the only thing i wanted was a drivers license and a car. Dutch youth don't care anymore . They rather have an iPhone then a car!
@@robertcraane7910 We're seeing similar trends even here in North America. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
Great video. I work on timing traffic signals in the US and a lot of this technology and applications discussed here is already here...they just only exist for cars. But we've been bringing this approach to our biking network and it's been really nice!
@Jerry Schippa, Thanks so much for watching... yes, and as Jason mentioned and you know, this is totally doable... we just need to change our priorities. Cheers! John
If you haven't already you should find the traffic light video on Not Just Bikes channel.
@@buddy1155 Good point... the link is in the description for this video, but I'll leave it here as well. Cheers! John => Why the Dutch Wait Less at Traffic Lights: th-cam.com/video/knbVWXzL4-4/w-d-xo.html
My number one pet peeve about driving are traffic lights and stupid traffic light management. If it’s 3am, and there’s nobody on the road, there is absolutely NO REASON I should be sitting for 45 seconds at a red light. I just blow it, each time.
I like the thumbnail, it's pretty much around the corner from where I live in Delft 😁 Interesting podcast! It's still crazy to me how these "normal" infrastructure designs are so alien to North American cities, hopefully they will slowly learn how it should be done
@345timmie, That's cool! Yes, I snapped this pic while I was staying in an apartment in Delft for about a week in 2019. I am working to help "normalize" these people-oriented types of infrastructure design here in North America through this Channel. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
Yeah I was also like "Hey I know that place" :D
At 44:51 I think an important point is missed: Different modes, different priorities. People don't necessarily want *short* routes, they want *fast* routes. They want to be able to get to their destination as quickly as possible. When you're on a bicycle, that will often be the same thing, but in a car much less so. With a car the speed at which you can drive is much more important. And that, as I see it, is the more important reason that the bicycle gets the short route in the Netherlands. We try to make the best route BOTH for drivers and cyclists, but for cyclists that means short routes, but for drivers in the first place it means routes where you can drive (within the speed limit) fast - wide lanes filled with other drivers who also want to go the same direction fast, rather than sharing them with cyclists, people looking for a parking place, people slowing down because the place where they have to leave the road is up etcetera. As an extra plus, this not only gets a fast trip but also a low stress experience for both cyclists and drivers.
@Andre Engels, All excellent points. I will say that for me personally, having relatively time competitive routes to my typical destinations, I much prefer the cycling option because it provides much more joy and relaxation (not to mention much-needed physical activity - breaking away from video editing) in addition to serving my utilitarian transportation needs. And because of the immediate positive feedback to my choice, I have been able to establish this behavior as a habit - I no longer even have to think about it, the "decision" to ride is literally automatic, which to your point is made possible by different networks for different modes. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns So the irony of doing a channel about being physically active is doing more desk work ? 🙂
@@autohmae Yes! Exactly. And I need to constantly remind myself to balance in more time getting "out there" capturing more b-roll by bike. Prior to the pandemic I was frequently "out on the road" as part of the Active Towns tour discovering and documenting the positive things happening in person versus just talking about it via online interviews. Hopefully I can raise the funds to get a little of that travel pattern back once again. Cheers!
I love how I'm casually scrolling through my recommended and spotted this video which just happens to have my daily commute in the thumbnail
P.S. It's the Zuidkolk in Delft
@SchoolWok24, Yes! That's so cool. I was looking for high quality well-framed shot for the Thumbnail and remembered had a series snapshots from 2019 that I took with my iPhone - we were staying in Delft for the week and it was delightful. Cheers! John
Okay, for the one other person who was wondering what Dutch city he mentioned at 32:45, it's apparently the city of 's-Hertogenbosch. Naturally, it's also known as Den Bosch because no one wants to say/spell that.
Hehe,🤣 yeah, and here are my videos from 's-Hertogenbosch with none other than Mark Wagenbuur aka @BicycleDutch. Part One: th-cam.com/video/wnj7HGRwEsk/w-d-xo.html and Part Two: th-cam.com/video/CBt6C60tYsY/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching! I hope you are enjoying the Channel.
Cheers!
John
I moved to minneapolis a little over a year ago. Its not at great as in Europe but its imprivng and still MILES better than other cities Ive visited.
I bike to work now. Im genuinely happier getting to do so. And I use the greenway for a large portion of it. Its so calm. Really the worst part is gettint the bike out of my building. Its old. So hallways are narrow. And I have to store my bike in my apartment to store it. But once Im out its great. I do chain it up with multiple locks tho becauae bike theft is a huge issue.
Yes! Minneapolis is one of our better North American cities, and I'll be profiling it again very soon in an interview with a local advocate working for safer streets. And yes, they have a long way to go before they are at Dutch levels of infrastructure. Thank you so much for tuning into this classic interview with Jason from 2021. Cheers! John
This was fantastic! Thank you. Excellent job, as always. 👏
Thanks so much, Mark. Delighted that you enjoyed it. Cheers! John
At about 26:39 (and yes Jason I do follow your channel a bit), the car centric problem in the US and Canada, is also (and I think the major contributing factor) town/city planning. If shops would be in areas where people live, not just in designated shopping zones than walking and biking would be easier to integrate. But if you have to go 5 or 6 miles to get to the closest grocery shop, because zoning does not allow for any shop closer to home ......
@FacelessJanus, Precisely! Most of our discussions here on the Active Towns Podcast end up coming back to land-use decisions. Thanks for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
This. I live in The Netherlands (Almere) and walk only 5 minutes to a train station, bus station, (decent sized) grocery store and a few smaller stores and do that almost daily. I went to visit family in Las Vegas and all of a sudden we needed to plan getting groceries that would take an hour or 2 in total, having to drive for quite a while before we go to a grocery store. There was no way to walk there cause it was surrounded by busy streets, also no public transport anywhere near where they lived. If I lived in the States I would also ride a car, but now I don't even have a drivers license because I really don't need one (and they are really expensive to get here)
@@BoG_City Thanks so much for watching and the comment. It is possible to live here in the states and not have to drive everywhere for everything. We have intentionally set up our life in Austin to do so, choosing a neighborhood close to employment, groceries, and other daily needs and importantly we have relatively safe routes to walk and bikes to these destinations. With Active Towns I'm trying help other cities create and provide more of these opportunities for more people. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns it's a great initiative John! I get the feeling more and more people are starting to see the benefits and are actively trying to make things better. Austin is a city that is growing fast isn't it? Should be a great opportunity to implement improvements there
@@BoG_City Thanks you! Yes, Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in North America and the City is working hard to create more housing opportunities close to meaningful destinations and build out an "All Ages & Abilities" cycle network (interestingly inspired by Dutch design). In case you haven't seen it yet, here's a short vid I shot of a facility ribbon cutting: th-cam.com/video/xFomWh1eoYI/w-d-xo.html
Separating is the word, taking two things that are stuck together and moving them apart, separating, I thought of untangled, uncoiled and unfrayed, but separating is an accurate description and meets your definition. That's what you want in a translation!
Thanks for watching and the translation help. Cheers! John
Excellent video! Both play their role terrifically
@Mr., Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. Much appreciated. So happy you liked it. Cheers! John
The disconnected cul de sacs and isolated streets and separated communities is epidemic where I live. You could easily take those direct routes on foot or bike exactly as you pointed out but can't. The developers get carte blanche to build however they want, and you can't add MUPs after the homes are built. Every time connections are proposed, residents cry foul or threaten lawsuits. They are afraid of the 'rif raf' making off with their flat screen tee vee. The State would have to condemn 2 homes in every strategic location to make the MUP connections and that will never happen under home rule. So for the 60% of us living in suburbia, we are routinely forced onto arterial traffic sewers for even the shortest trips. It is hopeless and depressing. Otherwise, thanks so much for your wonderful podcasts.
@Francis Warnock, Thanks so much for watching and adding to the conversation. Yes, the current status quo is quite frustrating, but there is some progress as people become aware that it doesn't have to be this way. Cheers! John
Why not just eminent domain part of the gardens of those homes, instead of demolishing a whole one?
Mind you, the *first* start is mandating that new developments be made right, rather than retrofitting existing ones.
@@JasperJanssen first of all, eminent domain is dead here in Biden's home State. There hasn't been a successful bid in this part of the country for probably 30 years (your State may be different). And certainly not one that involves stealing parts of people's gardens (yards) to accommodate a travel mode that fewer than 0.03% of residents participate in (for ED to be successful in any case, it requires an overwhelming need for the "greater good" -- a concept lost on most Americans).
Second, it is already mandated in the UDC (unified development code) that connections be made, but it came years after everything was already built out here, and what little green space remains (e.g. abandoned golf courses) is preserved for parks or habitat. In the few cases of new "infill" development, existing residents fight said connections tooth and nail, and usually end up winning (we live in this thing called "Home Rule Governance" -- one home owner can scuttle an entire project).
@@JasperJanssen you could make the argument that more folks would ride and thus mode share would increase as a result of making the connections. But that's not how they see it here. There's this paradigm in full swing, that goes something like this:
"Why build good bike infrastructure, when nobody bikes (or walks) because of the lack of good infrastructure".
Even in the rare instances that they do build good infra, and connections are made, it doesn't correspond to increased mode share in any meaningful way. Nobody bikes (or even walks) when there's abundant cheap petrol (3/gal) and car license & registration is for everyone regardless of competency.
@@ActiveTowns I've been going through your videos, and Jason's, starting with the earliest. Still a ways to go yet. I love it, and commend you two for magnificent work. That said, I struggle to get on board with the message of "hope" -- that we can build/reconstruct our way out of this mess focusing on our cities. The fact is, nearly 2/3 of Americans live in depressing suburbs, and the overwhelming majority of vehicle miles are driven by suburbanites, and thus are the lion's share of emissions. I did appreciate the piece about walkable neighborhood stores; of course, that's the way it should be. But we already know that this is hardly possible under home rule governance. So I guess my only critique would be, shift some focus onto how we fix the suburban nightmare that most of us are trapped in now -- and I don't mean with new construction, because that's not the answer. We have to fix or retrofit what's on the ground first, and then think about protecting/rebalancing our species' relationship with the natural world. Unless we come up with a solution to that, we're done.
" I was running late so I couldn't get to my appointment by bicycling so I rented a bike share car. "
Riding bicycles asks us to plan and budget our time. If we want to get there on time, we need to leave a bit early and if we don't want to show up full of sweat (in heat) or wet (from rain) we need to leave another 15 minutes early. We need to plan and budget how much stuff we carry, how much we bring to our destination or how we carry it. That's worth discussing. It's also worth comparing to owning a car, that we need to budget our money instead. But we ought to talk about money saving (and spending) plans for when we bike and save all that money. This is not just found money that allows us to spend an extra 2 or 3 evenings eating at the pub instead of at home. We need to be money wise and use it to get ahead, not just spend more on things not needed. It's important enough money saving plans ought to be included in bicycle training courses. It's part of the package of riding a bicycle.
@Doug Wedel, Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
Delft on the thumbnail, awesome! I love NJB and I will probabily love this channel as well. Keep it up, regards from Delft (:
Thanks so much! Yes, I really loved my time in Delft. You'll probably recognize the featured photo on my website's landing page. www.activetowns.org/ Such a classic of the cycle path approaching the university TU Delft. Cheers! John
38:00 so true! Many Asian countries are a fantastic example of this, where mopeds and scooters are the most popular mode of transportation. There's so many anyway that it doesn't make sense to have traffic lights in most places.
@Joy L, Good point. Having lived in Asian for awhile, a long time ago, I definitely prefer the quieter, less poluuting, and slower speeds of bicycles, it's a much more pleasant environment for everyone. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Wait a few decades for electrification of vehicles, and mopeds will be quiet and not polluting, and slow when street is designed to be slow. In this way it could be more preferable.
What's been interesting here in The Netherlands as well in the past year is how regular daily traffic jams on highways surrounding major cities have completely disappeared, thanks to people working from home due to COVID-19. I find this a fascinating development, because now you don't even have to consider peak traffic hours when you do need to use the car to go somewhere. For me, this reduces the stress of driving quite a lot.
@Joy L, Yes. That's an important point as it gets to the fact that people will make pragmatic choices, which is why it's so important to make walking, cycling, and taking transit super comfortable, convenient, and time competitive. Cheers! John
Absolutely! Since people work from home I experience less traffic jams during rush hour when I'm on the road doing my job. I really hope COVID has a positive effect on more people being able to work from home. We have the technique and internet infrastructure to do so.
Sometimes events like an oil crisis or COVID make people to look for alternative solutions that works as fine or even beter, cause a snowball effect opening doors for new opportunities changing things for the better.
@@jeroenrat6289 Yes. History has shown this time and time again. Although the pain and suffering from this pandemic have been and will continue to be horrendous, I too hope that we as societies around the world will learn some important lessons and take advantage of some of these opportunities to change, as you say, for the better. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
I’m not able to look at roads streets and stroads the same way I used to.
Lethbridge Alberta uses a boat load of yeild signs in place of stops signs was great. We have so much to improve upon our cities and towns in North America
Yep. That happens. Hehe 🤣 Thanks so very much for watching! I really appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
30:30 I experienced this in Brisbane, Australia. Australia is so incredibly similar to North-America when it comes to these infrastructures and suburbs. I indeed had to walk for nearly an hour to get to a mall for groceries, because all the roads were laid out for cars only and there were no paths for cyclists or pedestrians in large sections. Eventually I had to cross through some bush and jump over a dried up riverbed, which are not very safe things to do in Australia I can tell you.
@Joy L, Yes! Quite the adventure and it shouldn't have to be. lol
Brisbane don't represent Australia..... Maybe try to follow Sydney on keep making better public transport or Melbourne with its free tram service in cbd...
@@anubizz3 I enjoyed Adelaide a lot. Sydney was far too big for me.
@@anubizz3 The thing is, here in The Netherlands you can go literally anywhere in the country using just public transport or a bike-path/sidewalk. There is no place without them.
A tram service that's just for the CBD is not good enough. Busses that run every hour-ish and get stuck in the same traffic-jams as cars is not good enough. America and Oz have tried at times but its too sporadic and not nearly extensive enough. It's like a highway for cars that just ends without leading anywhere.
@@joyl7842 You might mistaken Netherlands with Japan, Singapore or Switzerland... If you Dutch people and really thinks your public transport even on par with country then you delusional. Even some of hardcore Dutchman acknowledged they have last mile problem that's why they often need 2 bike + public transport.... That's not the case in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong...
Jesus even Jason acknowledged Switzerland is on another level.... A person that allergic to mention Asia city..
Gotta love the ad for the electric SUV in the beginning 😀
🤣
Great video. Congratulations on the first 1000 subscribers!
@Edwin Rijkee, Thanks on both accounts. Much appreciated. Cheers! John
I can’t look at the world the same way after finding Jason’s channel. I ride a Onewheel electric skateboard and proper bike infrastructure would be so welcome. I hate the inefficiency of stroads and our massive, car-oriented world.
Thanks so much for watching. Yes, having access to a safe and inviting cycle network opens up the possibilities for so many people choosing not to drive an automobile. My goal with this channel is to help inspire these types of transformations, because, as has been demonstrated, they are possible. Cheers! John
Nice, thanks for this early Christmas gift 😊
I love me some NJB opinions
@Wouter vanR, Happy Holidays! Thanks for watching Cheers! John
It's worth noting how Jason doesn't remember how often he encounters roundabouts. I still remember when Toronto got its first curb side bike lane, where the car parking lane is between the bike lane and the moving car lane. [Since forever, bike lanes were between the car parking lanes and the moving car lanes. It meant anyone who wanted to park cars were forced to cross the bike lane. That means the bike lane is no longer exclusive for bikes.] So when I was told this curb side bike lane was built two blocks long on Simcoe Street, I went to check it out and experience what it was like I never experienced this arrangement before and just heard about it and saw it in videos from the Netherlands. I went up and down Simcoe Street 3 times and never saw it. I was assured, yes, they were there, so I went back and biked up and down Simcoe Street and again I didn't see it. I had to go back on a third occasion before I actually saw this design. It was so easy to use and seamless I never noticed it was there. Now, it's the standard for Toronto bike lanes. Many bike lanes are still the old way but will eventually be changed over time when streets get repaved. This not noticing good infrastructure means it's so good that it doesn't draw attention to itself.
@Doug Wedel, Yes. Brilliant point. Cheers! John
Dutchie here, for us roundabouts are parts of the road and route we take. There is nothing special about them, and when we cross them your eyes and mind are on the other traffic...
These channels are so good. Cars do so much damage to the environment and the quality of living inside cities, you wonder why they are not actively banned. But thankfully the Dutch have found a compromise that actually makes life better for everybody, including drivers.
@TheEvertw, Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. This really means a lot to me. My goal is to have the channel present a positive narrative that helps inspire others to advocate for change in their communities, wherever they might live. Happy New Year and Cheers! John
Traffic calming, vehicle filtering, separated paths, are all terms that make peoples eyes glaze over. We all want the same thing, SAFER STREETS. But the only solution smaller towns (NH and WI specifically) gravitate towards are lower speed signs or increased enforcement.
Has anyone had experience using less technical language to help people understand the many many different ways streets can be made safer?
@Ian McGregor, This is a great point. Boiling things down to the simplest of terms without using jargon is such an important approach to having important conversations within the communities without talking over them in an isolating way. The first step is to engage, listen and truly understand how they (those living in the neighborhood) are struggling. Getting to the root of their challenges is essential. My friend Chuck Marohn also addresses in his most recent book Confessions of a Recovering Engineer www.confessions.engineer/ Thanks for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
Well, basically, make it uncomfortable to drive over the limit (narrowing, chicanes, speed bumps) and make room for mistakes (don't make cyclist/pedestrians cross more than one lane at a time, don't put the cycle lane directly next to the care lane so they can turn and then watch for cyclists, etc).
@@BrazenNL and speed bumps and chicanes are somewhat of a last resort measure in my opinion. I prefer street design without the use of these. Making a narrower street and putting in some nice trees (also good for cooling down the city and pollution) is a much better way to do it I feel.
@@Koen030NL I agree. Was just illustrating how to simplify the conversation.
Jason is very good at using the jargon on his channel, he names it and immediately explains it.
The good thing from jargon is that makes it clear that it is something that exist and has a name, it is not something you made up during your last trip to the bathroom.
I like the notjustbikes video's also because they don't have music. Then you just hear the traffic in NL :)
@Sander vd Donk, Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. As someone who does add music to many of my videos, I can definitely relate to the stress Jason was mentioning about licensing. Cheers! John
how fitting to find this right now - just yesterday I've checked out a town about 10 km from here, still serving as a suburb, where they've done a lot of this (at least for a German town of 2500 people). Several streets are just blocked for cars, while there are dozens of shortcuts for walking and biking.
Oh wow! I'm surprised to hear that you had not yet seen this conversation sooner. It's a classic! 😀
@@ActiveTownsfor some reason I keep finding videos I've missed before :)
About that town: small towns and villages in Germany usually have no real bike infrastructure - you may be allowed or even required to bike on what's basically just a sidewalk (continuing the out-of-town bike paths) which was never designed with cyclists in mind, so it's sometimes ridiculously narrow. At very best you may find some shortcuts to schools or grocery stores - however I've rarely seen so many attempts to discourage driving in such a small town.
Not Just bikes....excellent channel.
@gaz Last, Yes. Yes it is. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
My local metroplex is celebrating the nearing completion of a network of biking/walking trails from one city to the other, but they are not for really getting anywhere and are often on old train right of ways or ducking along wastelands bordering highways. So they are paths just to bike or walk or run on, but only to do that.
Thanks for watching and for contributing to the conversation. Yes. I've witnessed this approach many times. The real value of the buildout of an off-street network of trails and pathways is that it is truly part of a network, which implies cohesiveness and connectivity. There is clearly value in having a path between two cities, but to be truly successful and get the best return on the investment, it must be safe and inviting at the bare minimum. When the path passes less than desirable areas, mitigation steps must be taken to improve the experience. Ideally, they will find ways to add additional connections to help people get to and from meaningful destinations along the way.
How long are the distances between the cities?
Cheers!
John
_Ontvlechten_ has a perfect translation actually: "unbraiding". A _vlecht_ is a braid.
And also, and this is completely unimportant, but the stress is on the second syllable of _ontvlechten._
Thanks so much for watching and this translation help. Cheers! John
I want Jason to be the next executive director of Cycle Toronto, one of the biggest, most public cycling advocacy groups in Toronto. I don't know of anyone else with more ability to transform Toronto for safer streets. Gil Penalosa could come close but at 65 I'm expecting he will retire soon and he's so busy with 8 80 Cities I don't see him joining Cycle Toronto. Jason could do this by telecommuting from Amsterdam. His reason for moving to Amsterdam is Toronto is taking too long to become bicycle friendly and he didn't want to raise his kids here because of this. But his kids are growing up. And maybe he and his family might feel the call to participate in change here, now. But there's more. He can use the job of ED for Cycle Toronto to be promoted to the general public so he can get the job of mayor of Toronto, where he can get a lot more done for cycling and safe streets here.
I think that is a very heavy lift... you better make the deal a sweet one. lol 🤣
@@ActiveTowns You could be right, John. I could be projecting, in that I know how much I want Toronto to be a cycling city. I'm just thinking Mr. Jason is making all these videos about safe streets to bike on because he has a similar passion as me. I know I don't come close to his ability to get my ideas across to a large audience. And I'm not aware of anyone else in Toronto who might come close to his ability. I figured if we want to get this stuff done, he would be the one to do it. Otherwise we may wait a decade or more.
@@ActiveTowns The deal I had in mind was he transforms Toronto to make it fit to live in (by his standards). I started buying lottery tickets when there was a $70M jackpot. You know how I would spend that. One of the first things I would do is offer him a million bucks to consult for Toronto, whether the city wanted to hear him or not. And the Cycle Toronto gig is something like that. (Just, it likely pays less than what I would offer him)
I still think the actual translation for "ontvlechten" being "debraiding" is a lot more apt than just "disentangling". Especially because you get rid of certain "braids" of traffic, and route them in different ways.
Thanks for watching! Yes, this is a popular interpretation. I hope you enjoy the other videos here on the channel. Cheers! John
That's for the shout out for Groningen!
Bicycles are not cars.
Exactly!
Love Groningen! Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
In Calgary, we have pedestrian & cyclist cut thru’s in our culdesacs, so we can just cycle or walk thru many areas.
Thanks so much for watching and for adding to the conversation. Yes! These are brilliant when they connect to a pathway network or otherwise help people get to meaningful destinations. Cheers! John
The arterial street stoplight thing hasn’t seemed to sink in with people going down certain streets in Leeuwarden. If they just go right _before_ the intersection, they can have priority over cars for that entire bit, but the stop light at the horrendous De Schrans intersection is always _full_ of bikes
@ThePizzaMuncher, On the ground experience, is so important. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns you’d think Ljouwerders themselves would know, though maybe all of them just need to go specifically across and not to the right
I appreciate the podcast though. It was fun to watch
Well, I lived there. That is one terrible point in Leeuwarden, combining cycling, car and train crossing in less than 50x50 m2 area, but for cycling it is a straight line compared to more distant cycling alternatives into the center. That's probably why many people choose to use it as a cyclist. Also, the lights turn green quite often for cyclists.
But the city, and the center in particular, is very nice for cycling. Although you have to share the road with cars, but they can only drive very slowly.
@@Krasbin I agree that, especially compared to Harlingen, the city is _quite_ nice for cycling. The specific direction I meant was coming from the centre toward the intersection, intending to go to the station. Probably not that many people need to go that way, which would surely explain the gathering.
The sharing thing is a good point; even where the street is shared, in many cases it’s bit terrible scary because the drivers are not hostile towards people on bicycles.
In the Netherlands we know the stop sign, but almost always we use a triangular red and white sign to show that you are going to cross a priority street, but you only have to stop if there is traffic on that road.
Yes, that makes sense. Thanks so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the Active Towns Channel. Cheers! John
Brilliant post... great info... thanks !
@ George 1010th, Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. Cheers! John
Great video as always, I'm so glad I found this channel - keep it up!
@Calum Thomson, Thanks so much… will do. Cheers! John
@50:45 we do seperate them with signage tho... the regular on road fietspad will be marked with a circular plate with a bike on and will be accesible for motorized handicapped mobiles, snorfietsen, and when on road and with broken white lines cars can enter it... you also have fietspaden with a rectangular plate with the word "fietspad" on them, those are accesible only by non-motorized (bikes pedestrians) with an exception for maintenance crews obviously
@arPos Kraft, Yes. Good points.
20:03 "[The Dutch] even take into consideration breaking the wind." Yep. Watch out if they offer you a Dutch Oven!
😯🤣
I'd say 'ontvlechten' means 'unbraiding'. But you get it :).
Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
It is also important to keep in mind that the Dutch road system for cars also has a different mentality. If a road fills up too much the first action is not to widen it but to find places to divert cars off it by making a more direct route. Arterial roads are more so "everything else" kind of roads for all the things that don't justify a more direct route.
However the result of that is an incredibly complicated road network.
The very first successful car navigation system is the Dutch Tomtom and that is not by chance. Foreigners and even locals just the system almost impossible to navigate.
Fascinating. Thanks so much for watching and for this perspective. I don't believe I've ever even been in a car while visiting The Netherlands. The opportunity/need has yet to present itself. I hope you are enjoying some of the other content here on the Channel. Cheers! John
I'd like to see a case study of what cities like Vaughan Ontario Canada could do to make improvements, or to move towards some of these examples you're discussing.
Thanks for watching! Yeah, I would imagine they could really benefit from a move in these directions. Cheers! John
The bit where it would take 2 hours of walking to go to your neighbor's house is American Suburbia at its finest!
Yes! Really, having this type of development pattern, which many people like, can work for active mobility, if... and only if there is direct comfortable, connectivity for people walking, biking, scooting, etc. My video featuring @PekkaTahkola highlights a wonderful example in Oulu, Finland - long version: th-cam.com/video/EPmJswNRb7s/w-d-xo.html and shorter snippet: th-cam.com/video/HlhNk5tn878/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the channel.
Cheers!
John 😀
i think there's something additional to consider about the point at ~27:00 which is that in north america, the idea that people would be able to travel through urban space in an area that isn't accessible to cars is HIGHLY frowned upon by cpted principles so agencies don't even consider it.
Good point. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
I really hope Jason won't copywrite strike this video for using his content. If only the podcast was on Nebula
@Sheepje, Now that would be a burn on me, wouldn't it. Hehe Cheers! John
The literal translation of the word "ontvlechten" is debraiding. The cycle path is just called a "fietspad". A dedicated bicycle path between two cities or (more commonly) between a city and the smaller municipalities surrounding it, is called a "snelfietspad". These are optimized for bicycles to such an extent that, If you live in a village or town like I do, an e-bike is usually the fastest mode of transportation when you need to go to the nearest city.
Cool! Thanks so much, David. Cheers! John
The good thing is the Dutch can be used as an example to copy.
Yes. There is much to learn, adapt, and implement from the Dutch example. Thanks so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the Active Towns Channel. Cheers! John
The rain sensor is mentioned in the video What can Seattle learn from Dutch streeft design on the Greenway University
@Arie Kiewiet, I can think of a lot of cities that could benefit from this type of intelligent bicycle light timing. Thanks for watching. Cheers! John
As a kid cycling to school in the Netherlands, it sucked when it rained, but I got to school a lot faster. Both because of the traffic lights all being green, as for quicker cycling.
50.39 Yeah we do, a seperate bikepath is a 'fietspad' completely seperately from the rest of the road, and a 'fietsstrook' is a bikelane, separated by just a white dashed line. Then there is the 'fietssuggestiestrook' (bike suggestion strip/lane) wich is for cars and bikes, a car can even park on it.
@Edwin Pleijsier, Ah, perfect! Thanks so much. Cheers! John
Loved this! Thanks!
@Nick, Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
Love the video, but is it supposed to be public, since you mention it's for patrons and TH-cam subscribers?
@Captain Chaos, I opened it up to everyone, because I trust that y'all will subscribe and become Patrons. ;-) Hey, Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
The bicycle-only roads going through underpasses make for funny accidents where (mostly) delivery van drivers are not familiar with them and they take off their roof. 😄
@Joy L, Yes... I noticed how low that was.
Talking about Albert Hein delivery trucks?😆
@@jeroenrat6289 or JUMBO 😝
The Netherlands is all about "Preventief" Explains a lot ;)
@Yvonne Campbell, Thanks for watching. Much of my 30 plus year career has been in the area of prevention... specifically disease prevention through encouraging activity. What was the old saying? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" (sorry for the use of the silly US imperial measurements... hehe) Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Haha! Thanks. I always gravitated towards fixing the root problem instead of trying to patch up things. That's what I also like about the Dutch mentality, they tend to plan ahead and aren't afraid to invest in it money wise and of course in years. It even plays out in daily life. You should try to swing by a Dutch person's house unannounced.... They have AGENDA'S. xD
I would love for Jason to visit some of the suburbs in other cities in the Netherlands and describe how they are different from the ones in the US and Canada.
We too have our cul-de-sacs. Some parts of, say, Barendrect or Albrandswaard are full of them. But for both cyclists and pedestrians, they are easier to navigate than for a car.
@Richard Renes, Thanks so much for watching and the suggestion. I've been wanting to more of the towns and villages as well. Cheers! John
Suburbs should not be allowed to have only single-family homes. There needs to be ways to easily to cut through the convoluted streets by bike/trail to get to parks and markets. Current developments are SO stupid with usually no community centre with pond, fountain or cafe with small market/shops you can WALK to. NO ONE wants to snake their way through all that on bike, let alone on foot! And bikeways are easiest if they are near the low point of creeks, but cut over bends in the creeks. If we're talking about commuting, routes need to be as direct and smooth as possible.
Yep. Totally agree. :-)
No one forcing you to live in suburb. If you don't like it move to downtown and it surrounding medium density suburbs.....
I live in Groningen and I've been told they tried the 'all cyclist get the green light at the same time' type of stoplights in other cities in the Netherlands and they don't work anywhere else.
Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. That's interesting information. Cheers! John
We have at least one of those in Leiden and it's not the worst, but it's also not quite relaxed. It seems like a shortcut to only have to spend one moment in a light cycle on bikes so there is more time for cars, to be honest. But that may be because it's a crossing where hardly anyone on a bike would need to wait twice otherwise.
not true, we have all green for cyclysts in zutphen as well
Saw his video about the changes in Paris, France, where streets are rapidly converted into separated bicycle and car lanes.
All the advantages and difficulties they encounter. It is forcing a break through and we'll have to wait and see the results.
But to cycle around the Place de la Concorde isn't my thing yet.
Want to see more about Altis Play, the bicycle vlogger from Paris?
th-cam.com/users/AlTi5playvideos
@Dutch Man, If they stay the course, I have a good feeling about Paris. Having experienced it during the first car-free day in 2015 I can say that it's a much better place with fewer speeding motor vehicles. Thanks for watching and the link for Altis Play. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Thanks! There is a lot of work to be done in Paris, to make it better and safe. First steps have been made.
But as a tourist I still would use the Metro, though I cycle every day in my own country.
@@dutchman7623 I hear you... funny when I was there in 2015 it was the end of a month-long European infrastructure exploration tour (which naturally started in The Netherlands) and I only rode my travel bike (Brompton) there, never did venture onto the Metro. Cheers! John
Are you still posting
Not sure who you are directing this questions to... but nonetheless the answer is the same, yes, we both are still posting. I have a new Podcast episode being released tomorrow and Jason's most recent video is here th-cam.com/video/ztpcWUqVpIg/w-d-xo.html from three weeks ago. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Did you already watch my ride with Jason in Amsterdam, here? th-cam.com/video/-V2U6OzMIUU/w-d-xo.html Cheers! John
The last part about roundabouts I find ineffective. Where the cyclists have an outer roundabout and drivers have to watch for cyclists when entering or exiting. Ineffective at least for small roundabouts. Where I am I have a small roundabout that is quite nice to go by bicycle. The bike lane ends just before the roundabout and the street narrows. Inside the roundabout it' very narrow. Bikes and cars are forced to go after each other. When leaving the bike lane starts again.
Before the roundabout it was a junction without traffic lights. On a bike you waited forever for a gap to go left. Now you just enter when it is free. Inside cars can't overtake you.
Thanks for watching. The situation you describe is a fairly typical approach here in North America, especially with unprotected, unseparated bike lanes. In my professional experience, this last-minute mixing of modes is really only possible if motor vehicle speeds are 30 km/hr (about 15-17 mph) or less. But even then the vast majority of people not currently riding but would do so with safer conditions want protected and separated cycling facilities.
An interesting recent report out of The Netherlands has also indicated that injury and fatality rates on urban streets that allow 50 km/hr are unacceptable and thus will be reduced to 30 km/hr in the coming years and the streets redesigned to those speeds. This will be particularly helpful in the Dutch roundabouts. Cheers! John
Around 55 minutes: it’s insane that people who don’t want to cycle actively block a faster cycling route.
For motorists it would mean less traffic, more parking and faster travel times.
Yet the mere thought of a cyclist getting a better deal and will be quicker is enough for motorists to say: f it. I’d rather have to drive 5-10 minutes extra because of traffic, if it means my non preferred mode of transportation is going to be slower then me.
@Rick B, Yes. There's a very weird visceral reaction of hatred towards people riding bikes that's just so curious and mysterious. It's definitely getting better, ever so gradually. My personal approach is to humanize my interactions with motorists whenever possible, especially when I'm walking and riding in my own neighborhood - I do this by going out of my way to get their attention, smile, and wave. It frequently jolts them out of their driver's trance and increasingly now people recognize me in advance and initiate a smile and wave... and yes, they're typically driving slower now. Note: my streets have no bike or pedestrian facilities so we all have to share the same space and at any given time people walking, biking, scootering, skateboarding, rollerblading, you get the picture, will outnumber the drivers 2 to 1, 3 to 1, sometimes even 10 to 1. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I like that suggestion.
There is an odd human tendency to hurt yourself (or your ingroup) if it will also hurt your enemy. (Painting your house pink to annoy your neighbor. Closing public parks so people groups can't mix. Burning Moscow to give Napoleon a Phyrric victory).
@@uremailingalex In the case of Moscow it served a purpose. To defend the country, which was successful. It wasn’t done out of spite which is the topic here.
The French soldiers were not equipped for Russian winter. By depriving them of any form of shelter they either had to retreat or freeze to death. Had napoleon thought to pack a scarf or two and some gloves for the troops, the outcome may have been different. But he forgot.
Better to rebuild one city than be subjected to French tyranny and abuse for years to come.
That is slightly different from the bike lane topic 😁
@37:25 and even with that explanation and the video watched i think a lot of people have no idea how well this works... so ill repeat what ive said about it there... i drive through a major city by car and unless the traffic is abnormally dense I usually will have most lights going green because cross traffic is avoided... to illustrate...i smoke...i only light my smokes at traffic lights...i often don't get the chance to in my 10 mile trip
@arPos Kraft, Hmmm... timing as a smoking reduction strategy... a brilliant public health program. Hehe. Thanks for sharing. Cheers! John
Oh here is something you guys haven't really covered(unless I missed it in one of your vids). In many metropolises in US especially in LA the police will pull over bicyclist and search them. Since if you ride a bike you must have lost your license and are up to no good. There is a whole article about this in LA times. Riding a bike allows for search that is not allowed if you drive.
@telocity, Yes. This unfortunate reality surfaced in several of my audio-only podcast episodes... one of my guests was talking about a "dirty tires"ordinace in Kansas City that allowed police to stop and ticket a bicyle rider if they had dirty or mud on their tires... yeah, it's pretext for stopping them primarily if they happen to be black or brown. I believe Michael said this "law" was being thrown out finally. Cheers! John
??? That is even crazier than what you normally think of the US.
@@ActiveTowns dirty tires? thats the dumbest rules ive ever heard of
If they would build bike lanes where I live, I'd never have a car again, instead, I'd have an electric tricycle with baskets, a weather jacket canopy over the bike, a folding solar panel affixed to the top of the canopy, and a solar powered generator in the back basket that I could plug the bike into and keep it charged indefinitely :) This is what I really want to do, in fact, if I had the funds, I'd have someone build me a bicycle camper that I could live in instead of a typical sticks and bricks dwelling.
@PetnuniaRomania, Sounds like a good plan. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Thank You, and a Happy New Year to You and Your Loved Ones.
Looks like no other cyclist could pass you on the bike lane!Your tricycle would be to big and wide...
@@computeraddic675 actually, I've watched lots of videos on the same type of set up for other countries and they all seem very functional, even while moving within the cities along with other cyclists and motorists.
For us Dutch those cycling video's are a bit boring. We are so used having that biking infrastructure. 😁
@Wim Schoenmakers, Yes, and that's precisely where I'd like the rest of us to get. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns simply seperating the means of trasport actually is not a good thing (this is what happend to the Bijlmer area). You should have different networks, for a smaller scale (mixed on lower speeds) and seperated for larger scale where cars move faster.
@@Koen030NL Yes, precisely. And this is exactly what is illustrated in the video. Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I wrote the comment early in the video, sorry for that. It’s a common mistake to miss the vital difference in network scales and the appropriate design solution for that scale, can’t be emphasised enough.
@@Koen030NL Totally agree. Thanks again! 🙂
I happen to be one of those people who loves bicycling. It triggers endorphins in my brain, I expect. I loathe public transportation probably because as kid riding the school bus was a loud, unpleasant experience. I've always said that if I am declared evil on Judgement Day my punishment will be to drive a school bus in Hell. As a teacher for 26 years I had plenty of field trips to confirm my dislike of buses. I know not all buses are school buses, but an aversion is an aversion. On the rare occasions I've ridden on a train I enjoyed it. But I'm happy riding my ebike. There's nowhere I can't go in town in a reasonable amount of time. There are no traffic jams for bikes. I've learned where all the best shortcuts are from watching teenage boys whip around town. I actually don't mind going a little out of the way if it means avoiding traffic. My city may not be ideal (or anywhere close to it), but "I get around." (Are you hearing The Beach Boys in your inner jukebox?)
Love it! Yeah, I'm the same way here in Austin. And really, riding the bike is by far the best way of getting around, and now that I have an e-assist cargo bike, I can go farther and carry even heavier loads. Thanks so much for watching, I hope you enjoy some of the other vids on the Channel. Cheers! John
Great talk
@Goodlooka, Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers! John
I love my oma fiets, and nobody can tell me otherwise! :P
@Marco Vermeer, I'm convinced the oma fiets design is just simply brilliant. Thanks for watching and adding to the conversation. I did an entire audio podcast about the simple Dutch bike design, going to have to do a video version one day as well. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I've been binge watching your channel and I have to say this one thing... North American infrastructure sucks. Why would you build a trainstation only accessible by highway/freeway? That's just dumb. Trains are supposed to be a form of alternative transport for those that do not own a car nor a driver's license, like me. I would not be able to work in NA haha
@@Crogatho First off, thanks so much for watching! I really appreciate it. And yes, it is just dumb. I once shot some video in Dallas of a beautiful new train station that was only accessible by cars. You literally could not easily walk or bike there... and it was across the street from a massive residential area. I will say this, these mistakes are being called out and cities are definitely starting to do a better job, but it is going to a tremendous amount of time and money to fix these car-centric decisions. But that's why I launched the Active Towns initiative ten years ago and why I am so excited to see this Channel growing. Cheers! John
I heard ontvlechten translated as mode separation.
Yep, pretty much
In the Netherlands "nobody" uses the google maps planner for biking. They use the route planners from the fietsersbond (Bicycle union) or the ANWB (cars). And they can be used to find the best cycling route between any two locations in the Netherlands, not only inside cities.
Oh cool! That's great to know. I'll be sure to plan on using the Fietsersbond planner when I am there in November. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
it translates to unbraiding/untangling. To make sense of the parts through picking apart the whole.
Thanks for watching and the help on the definition. Cheers! John
In NA, separating routes is still done, just with opposite priority. I hear all the time how cyclists should get off the main roads and use the side streets, etc. This leads to cycling routes to nowhere that are longer and more circuitous. And unlike cars, where distance isn't really that important, it absolutely matters of the safe cycling route is twice the length of the main arterial streets.
There's a real "well I guess cars aren't using this section of road" (cause it doesn't connect with any destinations people want to actually want to go to), so we might as well give it to those pesky cyclists.
@Riley Nicholson, The Dutch experience is such a great case study (for the rest of the world to emulate - not copy - but adapt to their circumstances) in how creating a comprehensive cycle network featuring both on the road (adjacent) and completely separate facilities along with a well thought comprehensive set of networks for the other modes results in higher satisfaction and effective levels regardless of how one chooses to get around. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
For fun I turn on the auto-generated English subtitles and it's funny how TH-cam makes Amstelveen into Amsterdam at 1:05:33
Yeah, I shudder to think what sometimes happens with the AI subtitles. For several videos I tried to do them myself, but the time commitment to correct what the software thought was being said was just not sustainable. I'm trying to just have a good sense of humor about it. Hehe. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I fully understand it's an other big time consuming task. Some channels with enough income pay someone else do it. :-)
About time consuming, some TH-camrs made an observation: when you start on TH-cam you are probably a consumer of content, but when you get to be a TH-camr full time your consuming goes down a lot because of how little time you have in a day. So you could say: instead of being a consumer of content you become the content which is to be consumed aka the opposite. Kind of like someone who is part of a sports team, the person in the bleachers is having drinks and hotdogs, but the person on the fields is getting up early in the morning to do a training and eating healthy aka the opposite. Interesting how that works.🙂
@@autohmae Well said.
So many transit/urbanist channels coming up nowadays. Including mine
@ÖffiChannelNürnberg, Yes, so true. We have a lot of work to do and a long way to go. Hope you enjoy this channel and the conversations. Just subscribed to your channel - best of luck with it's success. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Thanks for subscribing, looks like i get to 250 by the end of this year, more than I had ever imagined . I don't know whether you understand german, if not, and if you want to get a short impression of the transit where I live, I recommend to you the video about the bus line 37 and the one about the best looking subway stations. No talking, just montage.
Speed bumps (dips) in the cycle path. To discourage scooters?
@ytwos1, Thanks for watching and the comment. In the many of the busy cities centers (AMS) it is now illegal to ride a scooter in the cycle track due to safety concerns - they now are required to be in the motor vehicle travel lanes. Over time more cities will head in this direction. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns “safety concerns” - the catch-all for “I don’t like that so you can’t do it.”
@@Lurch685 Yep. Pretty much.
What about the reason for having so many SUV's in North-America? If that is for drivers to feel safer and more comfortable, they won't want to ride a bicycle - unless they never come close to cars.
@Joy L, Yes. It's been a vicious circle. People want to feel safe so they get a bigger vehicle, then other people get even bigger vehicles, and so to "feel safer" the first group gets even bigger, more massive vehicles... and it goes on and on. It's a false sense of security with about 110 people per day in the US dying on our roadways (40,000 entirely preventable deaths). It's really quite sad. And it's what I am trying to reverse. Thanks again, John
@@ActiveTowns I wish you the best of luck, it is a worthy effort for certain.
He did a video on that. City nerd limited him self to pointing out whom that benefits at all (if so) and at what cost. I recommend looking into that madness.
I my self participated for 6 months as an Au pair in Canada lifting children who could have found their seats or expirenced much more agency cycling in Germany is) up to a pickups King Cab and driving them to the traffic jam at elementary school. It's alienating even if one is used to it
BTW I hate those red bricks (as an ebiker), they don't only slow down cars (which I like), but they also slow down cyclists who just ate and can't go to fast else they get carsick on a bike, while there are other methods of slowing down cars that don't slow down bikes (like in Schoonbeek, Belgium, you have these small street narrowings where only one car can use that part at a time, which works quite well to slow down cars, as long as it isn't made bigger to let the busses through, but it's still wide enough for an ebike to go through at full speed)
Yeah, I’m with you on strategies for slowing down the drivers which makes it safer for everyone and providing a smoother surface for people cycling and using mobility devices like wheelchairs as this encourages all ages and abilities to roll more frequently. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns But if your main problem are fast cars, then I'll take anything to slow them down, even brick roads, even though I hate brick roads, I prefer it over speeding cars by a kilometer or fifteen (which is btw the distance I have to ebike to school)
@@Irsu85 copy that! 🙌
@@ActiveTowns Nee
do not forget every improvement has been bitterly fought over, including close votes over and over again(since early 70ies....so over half a century). It is not a big pink aha-moment and everything is great ever since. Incremental steps in policies and ideas of safety, sharing space and mobility shape the bigger frame/set of rules in wich (bicycle-)infrastructure is a result rather than a cause of how it is now in the netherlands(and amsterdam where i live). Back in the 90ies it was still a completely different err shitshow on a bike, car dominant in all aspects; we had to be really ballsy/assertive on a bike to stay in 1 piece....takes decades for changes to be everywhere and easy to forget how "bad" it really was back only a few years. And a widespread, finely tuned system of multiple modes of public transportation is necessary to keep cities livable and to beat cardependancy.....well....it needs never ending attention to remain great(bus,tram,train,metro) Even here in walhalla-amsterdam...its never finished
@Ammelov mokum, Yes! Such a good point. I believe the crucial decision years ago regarding Groningen's traffic pattern transformation literally came down to one vote. And yes, that's also so true, the cycle network infrastructure is never truly finished as there is always room to fine tune, enhance, and adapt with the changing conditions. Thanks for watching and for the comments. Cheers! John
Cool man. Bike on
@Albert Pot, Thanks for tuning in. Cheers! John
What if we just converted all suburban sidewalks to bike lanes
@blueburaq, That is precisely what Carmel, IN has done or is doing from the start. Building their sidewalks wider, more like multi-use side paths. My friend Brandon Lust aka @AmericanFietser on Twitter posts about this frequently. Here's a short rider POV clip he shot: th-cam.com/video/j_BS1fBgRBI/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Yes true, Carmel Indiana isn't getting the credit they deserve when it comes to bike infrastructure.
@@blueburaq True... And to be clear... they have a long way to go and ultimately it's not ideal in the long run, but it is a start and a potential model that other suburban areas can adopt relatively qyuickly... still doesn't correct for poor land use, long trips, potentially being exposed to or adjacent to fast moving traffic, etc. etc. And it requires people cycling to do so in a respectful way, defering to more vulnerable pathway/side path users... in other words be courteous and empathetic. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns Increasing density is definitely important but also not as easy as widening the sidewalks. I think it's the bare minimum for car dependent cities trying to provide a medium that's separate from the main car traffic yet mostly 'connected'
@@blueburaq No argument here. 🙂