A chronicle of Mark Wagenbuur's journey

[@AmericanFietser]

No single person or institution has done more to professionally document and highlight the amazing and well designed bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands than Mark. The Dutch government should one day thank and honor him for his work.

[@ActiveTowns]

They're on it! :-)

[@BicycleDutch]

Thanks Brandon!

[@dougwedel9484]

Mark Wagenbuur's video on protected intersections is so easy to understand that I have been promoting it with cycling advocates and with my city Toronto and with anyone in any part of the world who will listen.

[@ActiveTowns]

Without a doubt, one of my all-time faves. Cheers! John

[@JustClaude13]

Since you talked to Not Just Bikes, I was sure you also talked to Bicycle Dutch. And here it is! Thanks for the great video. It was fascinating to learn where he came from and how he became the cycling guru he is now. Now I have to find your Shifter video.

[@ActiveTowns]

Hehe 🤣 Yeah, I'd love to interview Tom, although he seems to be a bit busy these days. I'll reach back out to him - maybe we can do a collab of sorts. btw I have a couple more @BicycleDutch entries coming up in the coming weeks. Thanks so much for diving into my video archives, I hope you are having fun. Cheers! John

[@StreetfilmsCommunity]

Mark Wagenbuur feels like my lost brother in terms of making videos, how we ended up doing it and both of our ample output. Been so excited to be able to hang out with him twice over the years and can't wait to hear him as I click to watch this as I write this comment. Cheers! So glad the world is getting to see and hear Mark in this interview!

[@BicycleDutch]

Thanks Clarence! Can't wait until we hang out again!

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks, Clarence! Hope you liked it. Cheers! John

[@scottmizee7030]

"...having cycled all my life without any plastic on my head!" I love it. :)

[@ActiveTowns]

I know... that was indeed one of many classic lines he had in there. 🙂

[@abelmaxz8427]

Thank you Mark and John for this beautiful video . I am cycling every day in utrecht .

[@ActiveTowns]

You are quite welcome, Abel. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Riding in Utrecht gets better and better each year. Cheers! John

[@carlwhaley671]

I always respond to complaints about Dutch not wearing helmets by saying that the Dutch practice crash prevention while Americans practice damage control.

[@ActiveTowns]

Well said!

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

I would never wear a helmet here at home. Just use my bike for commutes and don't do speed biking. But i would definatly wear a helmet in the usa every time.. would really not feel safe in the usa. For some dutch people it seems to be some alpha male thing to not wear a helmet for some reason. It came trough in the video a couple of times as well. Always ridiculing practicing safety or wearing safety gear. Which is a shame and luckilly it is just a minority that think that way. Having said that, if you ride a bike in the netherlands and you do decide to wear a helmet prepare for people staring at you. It is just so rare here to see people wear helmets other then 3 year olds and speedbikers so you basicly advertise to the whole city that you are a tourist. But most people are pragmatic enough to understand that biking is not as popular in other places and that people can be hasitant to just jump into all the crazy bike trafic. It must be overwhelming for foreigners the first time they ride a bike in amsterdam. Especially in rush hour you are surrounded by houndreds of people driving in what is highly coordinated chaos lol.

[@reneolthof6811]

In every minute of this video Mark’s exceptionally wide range of knowledge on the subject of cycling infrastructure shines through radiantly and I absolutely love it as his fellow citizen of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. There is only one subject I slightly disagree with his views and that is wearing helmets. Although I am totally against the obligation of wearing helmets for bicyclists as practised in many countries worldwide for The Netherlands, I am not at all against people who decide it is best for them to a helmet. Such a decision makes perfect sense to me as does my own decision to NOT wear a helmet on my bike. Mark makes it sound like that helmets are only counterproductive and serve no real purpose, but I don’t subscribe to that opinion. Especially since the demographics of the cycling population as well as their gear is rapidly changing with a meteoric rise of e-bikes or other cycling equipment. Even the wonderful infrastructure over here is getting increasingly outdated due to these new developments and this brings the question back on the table whether we should be following an AND - AND policy. Prevention is absolutely key, but what is wrong with damage control as well? I rarely wear rain gear myself since it is cumbersome to put on, but I am not against it!

[@farkstein1213]

have to love marks dedication to documenting and proselytising his love for infrastructure

[@ActiveTowns]

For sure... and I was blown away that this dates back to his childhood... makes so much more sense now. Cheers! John

[@wim3994]

I must say that you bring some very interesting guests episode after episode. Chuck Marohn, Lennart Nout, Jason Slaughter , Clarence Eckerson and all those others. And now Mark Wagenbuur. Greatly enjoy watching your broadcasts. Cheers from Groningen.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much, Wim! So happy to hear you are enjoying videos and your comment reminds me that I need to dig into my Groningen content and put together a video profile one day soon. Cheers! John

[@jannetteberends8730]

I love the videos of Mark, and I don’t even like cycling that much. But I love watching people cycling. The videos with the kids cycling to school are my favorite.

[@ActiveTowns]

Yeah, mine too. They are having so much fun and developing such good life skills for the future. Thank you so much for watching! Mark showed up as a cameo in my video I produced today. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmnUiJKNZseofLM Plus, I visited him in Den Bosch in September and I'll be producing that rolling interview soon. I hope you are enjoying the Active Towns Channel. Cheers! John

[@Tellz02]

I often fall asleep to Mark's longer videos as I find his long rides through the Dutch countryside extremely relaxing. On other days I find them extremely frustrating and am very envious of the infrastructure in the Netherlands 😖😁Although it is great to see a country doing it right, and the Dutch should be immensely proud of what they have. I am also happy to see that my Capitol city of Cardiff has been making great progress towards making the city bicycle friendly and would like to believe that inspiration has been taken from from the Netherlands as well as many of Mark's own videos. Keep inspiring cities to do better by showing what can be achieved when done correctly. Well done and thank you Mark🚲👍

[@ActiveTowns]

Oh wow! Great to hear about Cardiff... another place for me to visit and explore on the Active Towns Study Tour. Thanks so much for watching and for your informative contribution to the conversation. Cheers! John

[@BicycleDutch]

I know the feeling! I also fall asleep when I try to check the video before it becomes public on the big screen in the living room and I am in my comfy chair! I'm more alert when I'm riding, fortunately, but I totally get what you mean about the calming effect of my videos!

[@StreetfilmsCommunity]

@@BicycleDutch I need to start watching one of your videos when it is late at night and I need to go to sleep after hearing about the relaxing nature. I guess I watch them too early when I am fully awake. :)

[@GreenJimll]

Mark is great - his videos make it easy to show people who have never, and probably will never, visit the Netherlands how they manage foot, cycle and motorised transport. His KZbin channel is a superb resource for urban design, transport planning and cycle provision.

[@ActiveTowns]

So true! I've said it many times... his work and that of Clarence with StreetFilms have inspired me to launch this channel and find my spot in this storytelling journey to help create more livable places. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

[@scottmizee7030]

@@ActiveTowns That's so great! I've known Clarence for years and have been following for Mark more recently, but am new to your channel. Looking forward to seeing more of you! -MEZAY - Portland, Oregon, USA

[@ActiveTowns]

@@scottmizee7030 Cool! I featured Portland in my Open Streets vid on Feb 9th and my premiere on Friday will have a little spot on my rides to and from PDX. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John

[@BicycleDutch]

Thanks Jon!

[@Debrydelys-Deeberdeyn]

This work - patient and genuine - deserves to be highlighted, praised and imitated, also in other countries. I find this video a very enriching project on a cultural level. Great example to follow. I will also follow the others.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for watching and for these kind comments. Cheers! John

[@Debrydelys-Deeberdeyn]

@@ActiveTowns You are welcome John.

[@e-BikeLife]

Another great one! I have been watching Marks videos for years and never tire of them.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for joining us for the Premiere... me too. Cheers! John

[@microdiver549]

Very interesting and highly informative interview, thank you! I have been biking for transportation for years now, but as a woman biking in Chicago in the winter I’m still the odd one out there. I’ve seen small changes with infrastructure but I doubt that everything will just align like it did in the Netherlands. But maybe one day I will get to ditch my helmet.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for watching and for riding! Some of my most peaceful rides when I lived in Chicago were my early morning treks through a couple inches of fresh snow over to the train station. Those were the magical moments before the city woke up and then the cars ruined everything. Hehe :-) Cheers! John

[@highwaysbyways4281]

Best wishes for Mark as he waits for surgery (I'm also waiting). I really hope that we can all come out of this pandemic as better people and there is inspiration to build better places for us all.

[@ActiveTowns]

I am sure Mark will see your expression of Best Wishes here and I extend the same in your direction and ditto your hopes for a better future. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

[@colleenharrison2942]

Great video and wonderful changes to the country. It is good to see that biking works in all kinds of weather for so many people.

[@ActiveTowns]

Glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@SuperMichgirl]

4:55 love that little giggle after Mark said he was being technically “obedient”

[@ActiveTowns]

I know! That was classic. Hehe :-) Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

[@dougwedel9484]

24:00 Mark Bailey said I've had it with people glorifying Dutch cycling. 🤣That's funny.

[@ActiveTowns]

Yeah, I know 😂 It's just a distraction and excuse not to change, pure and simple. It's like saying, "we can't do that here because we have hot summers (cold winters, hills, it's not in our DNA, etc.)" The Dutch have the most effective cycle networks in the world. They are not perfect and they continue to evolve. Their experience and wisdom from constant trial and error are what we need to absorb and learn from. Success will not truly come from blindly doing some form of "copy, paste", it will come from taking this knowledge and these tenants of design and customizing a network that works for a specific setting. Cheers! John

[@antoinewesthoff4417]

That must be an interesting broadcast!

[@ActiveTowns]

It will be… please tune in if you can or catch it after the Premiere. Cheers! John

[@Flyingdutchy04]

I never expected that Marc is that old I thought always he is just 30 years.

[@ActiveTowns]

LOL Since I am literally the same age as Mark I can say that in many ways I still feel as if I am in my 30's - man does time fly by. Thanks so very much for watching. Cheers! John

[@robertbutlin3708]

I spent time in Berlin in the early to mid 80s. To me, then, as a Brit, there was loads of cycling infrastructure, including a map of the city with cycle paths marked and a few junctions with a skeletal skull, suggesting lots of danger.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for watching, Robert! Yeah, I thought it was interesting how Mark mentioned the difference was that big between The Netherlands in the early 1990s - now, however, with the buildout of the Dutch network, well it's night and day. Cheers! John

[@robertbutlin3708]

@@ActiveTowns indeed. Before I really understood Dutch infrastructure I remember being surprised by a main road from Den Haag to Scheveningen being from right to left footpath, bicycle path, one car lane, two tram tracks and then car, bicycle pedestrian. My British eyes expected that much space to have at least two lanes each way.

[@dougwedel9484]

35:30 Bike paths outside of cities, in the countryside. This is very interesting. It is very rare to find bicycle paths or bike lanes outside of North American cities. Our focus is on bike networks within cities only. The idea of having bike routes outside cities is pretty much a foreign concept to the average Torontonian who does not ride bicycles but even cycling advocates and city planners think of this as a novel concept that would never happen here. There are a few exceptions, like having a bicycle route around Lake Ontario (the north side of this lake is in Canada and the south side is in New York State, USA). We are also making a Trans Canada Trail for bicycles. But aside from that the idea of riding a bicycle in the countryside or from one city to another is a very strange concept right now. I have yet to figure out how this will change. But hopefully it will, with more people riding bicycles.

[@ActiveTowns]

In North America, these types of off-street cycle paths or multi-use paths (MUPs) are typically found along abandoned railway corridors, utility rights of way, or along riparian corridors (streams, creeks, rivers, canals, etc.), creating long linear active mobility greenways. In the Toronto metro region, an example might be the West Humber Trail in the far west, northwest area. The challenge that we have is that too often, leaders at the national, state (provincial), regional, and city levels view these facilities through a purely recreational lens and fail to see the opportunity for active mobility and connectivity between and throughout the cities. The Dutch rural path network, connecting city to city through the farmlands, is really quite impressive and is an extension of the networks seen in the urban context. These facilities can be off-street cycle paths, canal paths, rail trail paths, etc. or on-street treatments like a fietsstraat (bicycle priority street), edge lane road, or standard protected grade-separated bike lane. Comfort is a critical concern, so rarely will see these facilities next to loud highways. They are routinely used for both recreation and utilitarian transport purposes. Interestingly, during nice weather, you will see small packs of elderly riders on electric assist bikes many miles (kms) from the nearest city just out enjoying the day and then come across packs of "commuters" going to work or school. How this will change here in NA, is that we must identify it as a priority and get creative on routing. You mention the Trans Canada Trail; here's a helpful comparison in Europe: en.eurovelo.com/ Cheers! John

[@paulnelson802]

Interesting. Over time I have been pondering terminology, specifically the use of the term "path". Locally here where I live the term "bike path" has been used to denigrate any infrastructure for the bicycle. What the word path means in Dutch language is, as I recall "pad". So here what I have been doing in my advocacy and writing is using terms like pad to refer to various separated surfaces and "bicycle road" instead of "bicycle path" or "cycle path". It is a language difference in concept.

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for watching, Paul. And for this addition to the conversation. Whatever we call them, they must be convenient, connected, and comfortable for All Ages & Abilities. Cheers! John

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Yeah a "pad" basicly also means path in dutch. We also use the word in the context of small narrow walkways. Which is how it is used in north america to i think But it is exactly what bicycle paths used to be pretty much, a 1 meter wide "path" on the road meant for cycling. Or what jason likes to call the "painted bycicle gutter". That is where the name comes from i think. But it never had a negative or denigrating tone to it here. It just is how it ended up being refered to. And like most things, once something has a name it usually sticks. In the end it can be called anything really, so if path creates a negative image in peoples minds it is maybe better to find another word that makes it sound more positive to people.

[@JisooKim-wo3if]

I wait for the day when I can cycle safely through L.A. without my helmet.

[@ActiveTowns]

I hear ya! Be sure to catch my episode with Scott Epstein if you have not already. Cheers! John

[@webchimp]

56:00 That bit about things having changed so much the cycle lanes are removed. Jason on NJB came up with the term 'Cargo Cult Infrastructure' recently. Planners copying what they see and trying to implement it without understanding the reasons behind it and the steps you have to go through to get to there. And then it ultimately not working because it's taken out of context.

[@ActiveTowns]

Yes. Super important to understand the context. I actually visited Utrecht street conversion as well as a couple in Amsterdam earlier this month. Thanks so much for watching and for contributing to the conversation. I really appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John

[@dougwedel9484]

Change can happen so slowly. It's interesting about this canal which was covered over to make a street just for cars, then it was converted back to a canal, how this reverting back was talked about in 1986 but not done til 2015. We have so much that needs to be done in Toronto. The main streets of Bloor and Yonge now have bike lanes but just on short sections. Bike lanes need to be installed for the full length of them. Something else kind of related. I asked Greta Thunberg and her group Fridays For Future, which works for climate change, I asked them to encourage their supporters and leaders to endorse riding bicycles. They don't. They say it waters down their message to encourage people to implement solutions, that their mission is to talk about the problems of climate change and the inaction of corporations and governments. I asked them more than once, over a number of years and continue to ask them once in a while. Bicycling is zero co2 emissions and zero particulate emissions every trip. A lot of other things cause smog but cars contribute a lot to this. When people are leading by doing what they can do for the environment, it's easier to ask and get governments to shut down coal plants, etc. We as individuals need to do our part not just ask governments and corporations to change. I really hope someday Greta and her teams around the world start to actively endorse riding bicycles. Youth are the ones who most often ride bicycles, so this just means they ride more often and extend riding into adulthood.

[@ActiveTowns]

Doug, I couldn't agree more with what you've said here: "We as individuals need to do our part not just ask governments and corporations to change." This is precisely what I spoke about with Emilia Hanna with the Car-Free Megacities challenge. It must be both, and in my mind, personal action doesn't water anything down; it amplifies the demand on the leaders of corporations and countries. Here's the link to that discussion: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2eqeXeJjtiMjq8 Cheers! John

[@triesteinbici]

Adattare la città alle persone non più alle automobili! #TRIESTE #Italy Adapting the city to people no cars anymore!#mobilitàsostenibile #triesteinbici

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for watching! 😀

[@maaiker2977]

With another gas crisis on the horizon, history is hopefully repeating itself.

[@ActiveTowns]

Potentially... just need to tone down the narrative that electric cars will save us and lesson the need to actually make our cities better for people. Thanks for watching. Cheers! John

[@maaiker2977]

@Active Towns - Profiles by John Simmerman the big bug is helping as well. People don't want to be with other people in small spaces. You can sociale distance on a bike.

[@marcvolgers8352]

At around 13:00, I learned the term 'vehicular cycling', so I had to look that up (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_cycling). It's very alarming that there are studies and scholars that promote/defend a blatantly unsafe situation (i.e. mixing slow traffic with hardly any protection (bikes) with fast traffic and lots of protection). How far from reality must you be? Just go to The Netherlands, where traffic separation is all over. I dare to say it's the safest country in the world to cycle. I amost suspect these scholars have secret ties with the automobile industry, but I want to refrain from conspiracy theories. But I hope I'm forgiven for having the mere thought ;-)

[@ActiveTowns]

Thanks so much for watching, Marc. Actually, you are spot on with your suspicions, it is a not-so-well-known fact that the late John Forester was a paid consultant within the motordom movement - he literally had a vested interest to advocate against taking travel and parking lanes away from motorists. But what is so insidious about the VC movement (which unfortunately still lives on in certain geographies) is that they will often actively fight aggressively against separated pathways that have nothing to do with the roadway. The fear (mostly irrational) that many of them have is that overreaching governments will ban persons riding bikes from being on the street or roadway at all if there is a bicycle pathway or lane available. In other words, 70% of the Dutch cycle network that is some form of shared space would be deemed illegal. Whew! It's been a long road for us to get to this point. Now we, here in North America, have 40-50 years of bicycle network development to catch up on. Cheers! John

[@marcvolgers8352]

@@ActiveTowns thanks for your elaborate reply. I'm a bit shocked my gutfeeling is right (which can lead to the most weird and sometimes dangerous ideas). But it actually explains why an irrational idea has found entrance in serious study. Channels like this (and e.g. Not Just Bikes) make me realize how insanely good we have it here in The Netherlands*. I used to complain a lot (which is kind of a sport here: complain and have an unsolicited opinion about just anything, even if you're a total noob in the subject), but man, I don't dare to anymore ;-). * This actually applies to a lot of things I've seen e.g. via some expats channels from Americans living here , like worker protection and healthcare. But that's pretty much off topic for here.

[@ActiveTowns]

@@marcvolgers8352 You are quite welcome! I should add that most people who adopt the VC doctrine don't do so in malice, they typically genuinely want to be safe while riding and it has been a strategy for survival given what is currently on the ground in most places. Of course, this means that only a very small percentage of people will ever ride bikes. On the positive side, there is an emphasis on bike handling skills and "rules of the road" education (both of which are good and highly valuable) that is somewhat similar to what Dutch children go through and typically must show proficiency in by age 12, I believe it is. Cheers! John

[@webchimp]

If you watch the Well There's Your Problem episode with Jason Slaughter they discuss the origins of that movement.

[@marcvolgers8352]

@@webchimp thanks for the tip!