Cycling from Bilthoven to Utrecht (NL)

[@danschuldanschul1750]

Thanks so much for filming this ride and posting it! As an American kid living in Utrecht (Tuindoorp Oost) in sixth grade in 1970, I would ride every day along a similar route from home to school at de Werkplaats in Bilthoven. It looks like everything except for de Berekuil has really changed since then. I would usually ride along the Biltse Rading, and some of the roads you show I don't think existed in 1970. Still, the clip brings back fond memories. Even in 1970 the Netherlands had bike infrastructure vastly superior to the best available in the US today.

[@riasomers642]

Drivers see bikers as interference. I ride to do all my shopping yet am treated like a recreational rider that's in the way. Scary.

[@The5Yoyojojo]

Part of this was the road I took to cycle to high school, nostalgic to see it again

[@RevanDarkStar]

This channel is the best advertisement for the Dutch cycling infrastructure! Really impressive what they achieved there... and I live in Belgium

[@lactobacillusprime]

Thanks for doing these! They're nice when I know the route, fun when I don't know the route. Relaxing and mindful even - almost Rail Away with a spin... "Bike Away". It shows exactly why going on a long bike ride in the Netherlands can be a very nice experience. You notice your surroundings more and have more 'brain time' left to actually look around when riding a regular bicycle.

[@MrHenkkkie]

Exactly this! I like to think about what to eat for dinner while cycling from work or study to the super market. Then I make a shopping list in my head and resume the day. To able to do this without worrying about traffic too much is a real pleasure 😀 and enjoying the scenery of course

[@gerardg1950]

The infrastructure below the roundabout (nicknamed “berekuil”) has been there for at least 60 years. I remember riding on the back of my mothers’ bike when I was 7 yrs. 63 yrs ago.

[@BicycleDutch]

Yes, that is quite posible. The Berekuil was opened in 1944. So it has been there for 77 years now. And it is not a nickname in Utrecht. Berekuil is the official name.

[@TheRealChiults]

Which part of the video, please? :)

[@gerardg1950]

@@TheRealChiults @22:20

[@hondaryder3779]

We have a berenkuil in Eindhoven as well, must be similar to IJzeren man, lots of those around.

[@Pushyhog]

wish l lived with infrastructure like this. so nice, to go where you want HPV.

[@PoetaMx]

Amazing... A dream place!

[@hazmannaim8071]

Love these simple Cycling vids!! It would be even better if before the cycling video started you can just show us briefly the destination route via a map so we could have an overview of the distance.

[@steemlenn8797]

Some people would kill to get this bike infrastructure. But most people kill because they don't have it.

[@bannanaboy8]

More accurately, many of us are killed because we don't have it. I live in Canada, and have weekly near death experiences. Every time I ride (just to get around town), I am harassed and yelled at by motorists. It's exhausting

[@steemlenn8797]

@Viiktor XIV 🔵 Why? Explain please.

[@hristijancvetanovski5385]

@@steemlenn8797 There's just no bicycle infrastructure in North America. And where there is, it's usually to meet quotas, so they are poorly placed ones with no safety standard (just paint on the ground on the same street as cars without any barricade, where cars are going 35-55mph). It's dangerous to bike as a form of transportation or simply for leisure. There are excepts, of course, but for the majority of cities, this is the case.

[@onceagain569]

So much truth to this!

[@peterslegers6121]

Funny how the images from several videos start to build up a usable mental map of the area. The regular viewers might even be able to navigate the city once they get there in real life!

[@riasomers642]

I love the rides through woodsy areas. Yes, the cars are near. but not so near as to intimidate.

[@arnisni777]

these kind of videos should be forbidden. it creates extreme envy in german viewers. why don't we this kind of infrastructure. it's just not fair.

[@appleslover]

The Netherlands should colonise Germany

[@appleslover]

Also you could travel and live freely in EU borders so why not move there?

[@arnisni777]

@@appleslover honestly. i have been thinking about that.

[@JourneyLT]

Same here in UK

[@pg5200]

Same in France ^^ Especially in rural areas where I live, no infrastructure what so ever, or just some gravel shared paths... ^^

[@danutatokarska7428]

Piękne tereny dookoła, lasy kocham, bardzo ładny filmik

[@ravingcyclist624]

Very nice enjoyable ride! Thanks! Interesting, at 5:44 a girl is riding on the sidewalk with a perfectly good (and smoother) cycling path beside her.

[@interstellardiplomat8732]

The girl is making space for the woman that overtook BicycleDutch a couple of seconds after. The woman seemed like the bike trekking enthusiast type, with the extended handlebars and the double travel bags. So she's going quite fast, plus the bags make her road profile even wider. This wasn't an urban/city area and the sidewalk was empty, so the girl just moves to the side to let the woman pass quickly.

[@rcpalestrante407]

Up!Amoooo pedalar. Parabéns!

[@reueljames4914]

This is called country, and India, and new Delhi there is no place for cycling, only car and car and car... Lord have mercy.... That is why in new Delhi there is lot of problems and no life... Richard James New Delhi

[@rajnadar6555]

Before the 90's, there were a ton of cycles on the main roads itself...didn't need bike lanes...if India didn't follow the USA model, there would still be tons of cycles...but they didn't...at least New Delhi has a good metro system.

[@reueljames4914]

@@rajnadar6555 you r right sir... 👍.. May Indian people use public transport and no car, so that there lot of space for traffic, and cycling people.. I love old days... Our mothers and fathers use lot of cycle....

[@isblue3189]

@@rajnadar6555 Did you experience that time? It must have been surreal. My parents often talked about how they played in streets and knew the neighbourhood, couldnt really get it before i came across city planning. Hope one day cities can be more bike friendly, seems quite distant though

[@rajnadar6555]

@@isblue3189 Yes, I lived in New Delhi in the early 80's and early 90's...the 80's were much better because private cars were not a major part of traffic...the early 90's is when things started to change for the worse...of course now, it's bad all over India. Where I lived we had large fields to play, but there were plenty of people in New Delhi who played in the streets...it was very common. A lot of damage in India has to be undone...don't think that will happen until poverty, basic health, safety is taken care of...will be a couple of decades at the earliest.

[@isblue3189]

@@rajnadar6555 Wow. I was born in 2002, i cant even imagine how it must have been. My childhood was quite boring, there was nowhere to go on my own. Might even be depressing. Well atleast its fixable, hope i get to experience my hometown being people friendly as it used to be. Anyways thanks for replying, Good day..:)

[@GreenJimll]

Nice ride with some interesting infrastructure views. The diagonal crossing at 29:28 looks scary to me! And at 8:16 did I spy someone with a handcycle coming out of the woods? Are handcycles common for disabled people in the Netherlands?

[@DjamieA]

Handcycles are pretty common ye

[@sharofuddinkaldarov4063]

Thank you for the video. It is the exact same route I used to cycle (except the tunnel in Kapelweg that crosses the motorway) during 2020. I did my master's degree in Utrecht so I really enjoyed cycling around this magnificent city. Now it is nostalgic, here in my country Kazakhstan we do not have such a good cycling infrastructure. I would be really grateful if you could make a video ride from Hoograven (Zeeltstraat) to Houten (Rainbow houses) via Hornbach (not via Lunetten)

[@reueljames4914]

Wonderful video sir

[@BlueEyesBrittany]

Propre, bien organisé, sympa..... on a envie d'y aller pour faire de la bicyclette

[@djinthemixxX]

Great you recoreded this ride my girlfriend from the Philippines is moving to the Netherlands in september and she might have to bike this route

[@jaysonbut9439]

This is my daily route to school

[@bradshawsstudio8410]

Wat zijn de menselijke wetten in Nederland?

[@Traveltoppereu]

In Belgium we also have a good bicycle infrastructure. This should be the case in all of Europe. Politicians should also look at youtube and discover things to apply in their country.

[@appleslover]

My god, the infrastructure is just.. 🥺

[@09conrado]

I see nothing wrong with it?

[@appleslover]

@@09conrado 𝖙𝖔𝖔 𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘

[@09conrado]

@@appleslover perhaps a bit too narrow at some points. And the woody parts are not to socially safe at night but then you could always take another route of you're female and alone

[@appleslover]

@@09conrado 𝕹𝕺 𝕴𝕿'𝕾 𝕻𝕰𝕽𝕱𝕰𝕮𝕿 𝕬𝕾 𝕴𝕿 𝕴𝕾!

[@appleslover]

@@09conrado 𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖐𝖊𝖞𝖇𝖔𝖆𝖗𝖉😓

[@pb8484]

I did this ride after eating pickled herring & drinking 15 beers. It’s a good ride

[@Manlop26]

I LOVE UTRECHT

[@blw4967]

Mark, I'm just curious why there seems to be few leaves on the trees. Is the video from earlier in the year?

[@BicycleDutch]

This was filmed on Wednesday 31 March 2021.

[@SoferAmator]

Beautiful

[@driewiel]

29:54 Tourists looking for the beach.

[@djinthemixxX]

lol they look like (construction) workers having a cooled lunch

[@ddrhazy]

Is there any desire in banning mopeds from the cycleways in Utrecht? At least in the denser parts?

[@tom.jacobs]

Yeah, it's proposed to the people: if we agree (or the objections are to little) they will be banned to car-lane at busy places. [probally in autumn]

[@ravingcyclist624]

They should be banned. Or put governors on them so they can go no faster than an average bicycle. Than could make them quieter and drive their riders insane. :-)

[@tom.jacobs]

@@ravingcyclist624 I think max. speed already at same levels as (e)bikes [25kmh]? Total ban is sort of difficult because they are street-legal, and for many only way to get around, maybe some restriction on area where they can be: because they are very noisy/polluting I'm guessing that could be a reason to get them out of centers. [as with old diesel cars]. Putting them on car-road is also something they would not be looking forward to, because that would seriously decrease the roads to ride, no shortcuts anymore. I think Amsterdam already did this, not sure what is outcome is there

[@tardvandecluntproductions1278]

Not really as they have the same technical max speed of a bike (25 km/h). They are quite rare compared to actual scooters though, who can go 45.

[@tom.jacobs]

​@@tardvandecluntproductions1278 I think that is depending on where you are riding? In Utrecht (city) the blue-labeled (25kmh) mopeds [snorfiets] are the majority, and (if regulation is going on) also banned to the car road. I hardly see the yellow-labeled [bromfiets] scooter here, because already taking the car-road in the city [also in video vast majority [13] is moped, and the scooters [3] you see are outside the urbanized area. That is with the exception of the one @31:27 which is not allowed there [sign @30:55 compared with @12:17] btw: Legally the scooters having a max of 30 if riding on bike road/45 on car-road in urbanized areas, so that might be a motive for them to prefer?

[@piderman871]

31:27 shouldn't you yield to traffic from the right? :p

[@Alicebleh]

Looks like the people from the right were going through a red light, crossing the bus lane.

[@antonievanbruchem4540]

I think you should yield, but I know that bike path, its easier said than done. Everyone just goes for themselves there, there are so many cyclists, you can't just stop in the middle of the path.

[@piderman871]

@@Alicebleh Nope, you can clearly see the bus light is red and the cyclist light is green.

[@tardvandecluntproductions1278]

I think you are correct here yeah. But I and many more forget this in the chaos of the city.

[@kempo_95]

@@Alicebleh even if they went through a red light, you still have to give way to them.

[@gerardg1950]

Where did you mount the camera, on helmet of stuur?

[@BicycleDutch]

On the handlebars. I have no idea what that other thing is you mention.

[@gerardg1950]

@@BicycleDutch thanks, “stuur” is Dutch for “handlebars”. When writing the English word for “stuur” didnt come to mind, so Inused the Dutch word. I thought you were fluent in Dutch :)

[@BicycleDutch]

@@gerardg1950 I am fluent in Dutch, it's my native language. It's just that you must know the Dutch don't wear plastic hats when cycling for all the right reasons. I made a joke to reply to your "insult" that I would even wear such a thing to mount a camera to.

[@gerardg1950]

@@BicycleDutch ik heb altijd gedacht dat je Canadees was, door je accentloos Engels :) Ik rijd zelf altijd met een helm, vanwege een handicap, maar ik ben dan vaak de enige. Zie je fietsers met helm, dan zijn het bijna altijd toeristen. Geweldige video’s maak je, mijn complimenten

[@PetraStaal]

@@BicycleDutch haha, die grap kwam niet aan.

[@RoyallSpence]

Why are there so many motorbikes in the bike lane?

[@lienbijs1205]

There aren't , these are mopeds. Mopeds must drive on the cycle path outside urban area.

[@DjamieA]

@@lienbijs1205 It depends ofcourse if the moped can go 25 or 45km per hour.

[@Pushyhog]

i wanta go to dronten an see some friends.

[@tom.jacobs]

Nice ride, reminding me how annoying the noise of (petrol driven) scooters are and that I go out biking more :-) @14:06/@27:06 is this prove wearing helmets is making you less caring about traffic? [traffic light/using phone] ;) Funny to see all the responses of the (jealous) people, realizing it is apparently not normal to have this great infra/bike culture, which we take for granted. Thanks for reminding me

[@peterslegers6121]

Lol, i don't know if that helmet statement holds, when we get a decent sample size. The delivery guy that comes into view at 26:33 from the left, has a colleague we've been following since 25:10 that doesn't use his phone. Nor do the racers at 31:05 and 31:22.

[@tom.jacobs]

@@peterslegers6121 true, having a helmet doesn't make you use the phone :) What I find funny is that (although big majority) I see nobody without a helmet use phone/run red light, those where wearing helmet: and also true this a very small sample size, got no idea if there are statics in bigger numbers about breaking rules/helmets ;)

[@antonievanbruchem4540]

People without helmet are just as likely to cross a red light or use their phone

[@tom.jacobs]

​@@antonievanbruchem4540 Could be, but than they must be doing it without making accidents. Because even a big insurance company (Allianz Global) state that people with helmet more likely to be in an accident than without [also stating that helmets are for

[@eddyk6853]

Bekend ritje

[@Paelorian]

Such beautiful streets and lanes. Shouldn't those noisy mopeds be electrified? I have no problem with electric mopeds or e-bikes: they're quiet, their speed and safety is similar to bicycles, and they don't pollute the air. I'm amazed the Dutch have achieved such quiet streets, with great difficulty and sacrifice over decades, and yet they allow these noisy exceptions that are louder than cars! Aren't they considered extremely rude? They seem like loud motorcycles to me, much louder than anything else around and so an annoying nuisance. I would be ashamed to be creating loud noise pollution in a public space with other people around. I'm surprised that it's not just legal but apparently socially acceptable to ride loud vehicles on quiet streets in the Netherlands.