Netherlands Most Car Friendly City? | Bike Trip, Day 3

[@jasper265]

Rotterdam was not flattened _prior_ to the German invasion. In fact, it was pretty much the opposite: the Germans invaded and when that didn't go as smoothly as planned, they bombed Rotterdam as a way to force surrender. The damage that was done reflects this: it was a show of force and destruction, a display of what they could do to the entire country, not a strategical move to support the invasion.

[@koenvandiepen7651]

Even worse at the time the Netherlands surrenerd the planes where in the air but had not bombed the city yet .So they bombed it afther the surrender.

[@JoopHbR]

As a Rotterdammer I have to admit that after the bombardment of May 1940 the city planners saw the chance of giving Rotterdam a modern center, as it wasn't totally flattened. It was possible to rebuild it, back in it's original state. However, the city council choose otherwise

[@letheas6175]

@@JoopHbR As an Amsterdammer, old Rotterdam (pre-war) looked MUCH more epic than Amsterdam, it will forever be a shame they rebuilt it into.. well what it is today. I can still see the appeal/like some things about Rotterdam, but it's not my thing, it feels too different.too American in so many ways (though that relatively new neighbourhood Little C is pretty cool)

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

@@letheas6175Little C is a cheap version Eurodisney for Brooklyn. Ugly.

[@jsb7975]

​@@on-the-pitch-p3w NOOOO ! have you been outside and in the innercourts ? Internationally praised and studied!

[@TheB0sss]

Lol as soon as you Said "this is the first road ive come across without any biking infrastructure" my first thought was "you probably missed it"

[@rikschaaf]

6:20 Contrary to popular belief, that is not a bike lane. These are called suggestiestroken (suggestion strips). It's just the way that 60km/h roads are demarked. The lines are there to make the road feel narrower, reinforcing the mental image that this is a 60km/h road, not a 80km/h road. For it to be a bike lane, there actually needs to be a bike symbol painted on the road (at the start of the bike lane and at every intersection). The color of the strip doesn't actually matter. Sometimes the suggestion strips are colored red, sometimes they aren't colored. This is true for bike lanes as well.

[@miles5600]

wouldn't matter since people see them as bike lanes and these are scary on these 60 KM/H roads. it's by far some of our worst infrastructure that's hard to improve.

[@avwie132]

It’s a bike line

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

I actually learned about suggestiestroken on youtube. I also learned municipalities confuse them too - they tend to slap a bike sign on it, which was n😢ever the intention

[@miles5600]

@@TrulyMadlyShallowly wdym wasn’t ever the intention? Municipalities don’t have a say in road design when it comes to bike markings, this is done by the designers themselves and is often done to make the bike lane red and get more attention from the drivers.

[@miles5600]

@@avwie132 bike line?

[@Adzeable]

Love your biking trip video! On 7:20 you are cycling over a "zebrapad". That's dutch for a pedestrian crossing. You have to yield to pedestrians. The look on that ladie's face... ;)

[@ryn2844]

I think he did fine at 7:20. If he'd slammed the brakes there that lady wouldn't have gotten across any faster and a cyclist behind him might've slammed into him. It would've been a weird and unexpected thing to do. When I was a kid and made the transition from cycling in my village to cycling to high school in Amsterdam I used to slam the brakes for zebrapaden like that, because it was what I'd been taught in school. The pedestrians just laughed at me, because it didn't actually make anything go faster, and it stopped traffic from flowing. In het platteland you stop for zebrapaden, but in cities it's not practical to do so all the time. It's better to make micro-adjustments to speed while nonverbally negotiating who goes first so everyone can keep moving along. There's just too many people. If everyone stopped for each other all the time, intersections would be clogged non-stop.

[@BruceKris44]

That specifc crossing is so annoying. No one stops for pedestrians there and now pedestrians wait for you to cross after you have already stopped.

[@FalconsEye58094]

These vids are so well shot and edited, kudos! So many basic things in the Netherlands fascinate me and its amazing to see things on this scale.

[@ohjajohh]

I'm speaking for myself; but once you're really soaking wet from the rain you reach that point of "I don't care anymore". You're wet already and then start to actually enjoy the rain :)

[@TheDutchMitchell]

my favorite new series on KZbin! Can't wait for you to reach Utrecht, my home town.

[@mardiffv.8775]

🟥⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟥🟥⬜⬜⬜ 🟥🟥🟥⬜⬜ 🟥🟥🟥🟥⬜ I live in Utrecht too, Langerak neighborhood.

[@zarxog]

@@mardiffv.8775 I visited Utrecht this july. Great bike city! /Swed

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

Utrecht, which has also turned the cars around. The singels are an exceptional feat

[@mardiffv.8775]

@@TrulyMadlyShallowly Yes indeed. I tell you a story about turning the cars around in Utrecht. My hairdresser lives in a village outside of Utrecht. So one day she and her husband went to Utrecht by car. It was one big traffic jam inside Utrecht, around the car free center. She vowed that the next time they would take the train from Woerden to Utrecht. So much the better.

[@PimH]

To me, Eindhoven could be named one of the most car-friendly cities in the Netherlands. It has a ring road right around the centre, with roads like John F. Kennedylaan which gets cars from the A2, A50 and northern parts of the city straight into the centre without much delay. Many people choose to drive into town, park their car in a parking garage and walk from there. It has only two train stations, of which one is very small and offers no onward connection to local public transit. Eindhoven Centraal boasts a big bus station, but the transit network is a hub and spoke model, where travel within the city almost always has to be done with a transfer at the central station, which just wastes a lot of time. They have started building some dedicated bus lanes to specific parts of the city, but the transit network is truly subpar for a city of its size, and it is just so much easier to drive anywhere, especially outside the city centre.

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

@@PimH you meanEindhoven near the German border is it?

[@dennisverweij4817]

I have to agree. In the Netherlands' top ten most populous municipalities, it is a toss-up between Eindhoven and Tilburg for me. But seeing Eindhoven is larger (even ignoring Veldhoven), it edges out. However, in the past week or so there was a news article about a tramway coming to the city....but I'm sure there have been rumors for many years now of something like that coming. And I doubt anything will come of it. Like how many buildings near the central station were never built.

[@wreagfe]

@@on-the-pitch-p3w wdym the entire Netherlands is near the German border. ;)

[@blueberrypieology3088]

7:20 you needed to yield to that pedestrian, they had right of way. At least swerve to the left to give space for them to start crossing.

[@mavadelo]

Sir, the Stroopwafel is a Gouda original. Kamphuisen Bakery made the first ones 214 years ago. It IS the best invention ever made in Gouda imho. For the foreigners confused why Gouda cheese isn't made in Gouda the following. Gouda cheese is not named Gouda because they made Cheese, it is called Gouda as that was the central point in the area so there the cheese market was located. Cheese sold in Gouda therefor got the moniker "Gouda Cheese". Now, I am sure there will be people in Gouda making Gouda cheese but that doesn't make those cheeses any more Gouda than the cheeses made in Haastrecht or Stolwijk. It seems you are heading towards my hometown soon, as for the pronunciation of Utrecht, I found your first try very acceptable. As for the pronunciation of Gouda... try "cow-da".. it still misses the gutteral G but it is the closest you will get to the actual name.

[@Nikki-rx8ri]

The stroopwafels from the Gouda market are still one of the best! I love it when I see them in other cities, they still say "Goudse stroopwafels" and you just know its gonna be good.

[@cebruthius]

moniker*

[@mavadelo]

@@cebruthius ty

[@KandidKanuck]

I was blown away by the Dutch cycling infrastructure when I rode there in the 90's. You say it has improved even in the last decade? Wow! I'm going to have to experience this for myself. Thanks for your awesome videos 👍🏽

[@rikschaaf]

Rotterdam isn't the most car-friendly. It's the most car-centric. It's actually kinda ironic that most cities that are less car-centric are more car-friendly.

[@hugobouma]

Indeed, it can be massively congested in a way that has become rare in, say, Amsterdam.

[@John-uk2lp]

Was gonna say this as well. To drive in Rotterdam, especially if you're not from there, is horrendous (for Dutch standards).

[@kaasmeester5903]

@@John-uk2lp Compared to which other Dutch cities? I prefer driving in Rotterdam over The Hague or Amsterdam any day of the week. The new A13/A6 connection should alleviate the center ring (A20) and local roads in the north of the city. What I like about Rotterdam is that cycling, walking, public transport and cars are all viable and comfortable ways to get around, depending on how far you have to go. They struck a good balance between all of those, with some trouble spots still being fixed. The most problematic recent change is the change of the tunneltraverse to single lane traffic, causing a lot of jams. The reason is not to make the place less car-centric, but because of environmental limits being exceeded on that stretch of road.

[@luczijderveld2473]

Wanted to comment exactly that but you already did it for me, thx haha

[@wreagfe]

Correct. Recent maintenance projects have resulted in a "wtf this is hardly an improvement for car traffic flow". Even so, I don't think any city in NL is bad for cars. The Netherlands just have a more level-headed perspective on the role and value of different modes of transportation.

[@elkevangeelen4255]

Loverly video. Nice that you showed the monument " City without a heart". Luckely the hearth of Rotterdam is back.

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

@@elkevangeelen4255 Where is the heart?

[@TakanashiYuuji]

7:50 yep, if you're on a road like that, you probably missed the turn for the bike path somewhere :P

[@barendgarvelink]

Same for 8:26, if I found myself there on a bicycle I’d go “wait a minute, this can’t be right” and look for wherever I was supposed to cross instead. And while the car traffic is disciplined enough that crossing here was safe, I would have ridden on the sidewalk.

[@gvg0123]

specifically, only mopeds (40km/h max. speed) are allowed on the cycle path, not all motorcycles. And only when indicated on the signs. Edge lanes with a bicycle on them are, legally speaking, cycle lanes. The ones in the 60km/h zones rarely have the bicycle pic on them and as such are not cycle lanes. The 'edge lanes' in the 60km/h zones are meant to make the road appear smaller, so ppl slow down.

[@dutchman7623]

And when mopeds (class 45 and 25 km/h) have to use the road, they are vehicular driving; they take the lane and not the shoulder. Staying sufficient on the right hand side of course, like everyone should.

[@aeiouaeiou100]

1:52 That's not an edge lane road. Those markings are to visually narrow the road to make drivers go slower. It's a common misconception that those are edge lanes. It is the standard design for 60 km/h access roads outside of build-up areas.

[@JyGproductions]

When biking in the Netherlands dont point your hands in a direction. People will think you will make that turn.

[@bli2008]

ah, you saw "kabouter buttplug" (according to the maker it's Santa Claus with a christmas tree), but we know better

[@barbarabauling7513]

Eendrachtsplein, Rotterdam :)

[@BuchanvanVeen]

the artist has mentioned that he came up to the idea because of a buttplug and and a gnome figurine standing on his working table....

[@remconoordermeer7015]

I would upvote your comment, but it’s at 69 likes.

[@wreagfe]

The "artist" Paul McCarthy never claimed that. That's why no one wanted the statue. Eventually Rotterdam took it, because why not. It's not that it would stand out or degrade anything.

[@axllii]

@@remconoordermeer7015 It's still at 69, so I can't like it 🙂

[@josephinem.]

Thanks for visiting "my" city 😁 and mad respect to you cycling on that bike! Someone comment on your other video called it rightfully a "barrel". 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@eeshtarr]

It's maybe good to know that, by law, if there's an accident involving by a car against a cyclist (or pedestrian) that, at least for terms of _insurance_, it's always the driver of the car that's liable (even if the traffic rules would say that it's not the car driver's fault) ... it's ehm ... monetary incentives ... like this that really work well in the Netherlands.

[@rutgerb]

No. Its atleast 50%, source: i got hit by a car while biking against trafic

[@AMINOMMA]

There's a 50% rule. The car is always responsible for at least 50% of any damages and there's a presumption that he's responsible for everything, however he can prove that it was also due to the other's fault. With kids the driver is always 100% responsible.

[@Keikdv]

Nice that the carowner is the liabler by law. The biker is in the hospital (if lucky) and you still drive on...

[@DenUitvreter]

It's a triple protection. The burden of proof is on the driver, as the one with the more dangerous transportation mode the driver has to take more care and anticipate cyclists breaking the rules, and it's his transportation mode that is inherently responsible for most or at least half of the damage because if two bicycles collide the damage will be much smaller.

[@koenvandiepen7651]

@@Keikdv Sure but do you really wanna life whit the social stigma of haveing hit a cyclist in the Netherlands? Ppl really look down on you for that.

[@fabadam]

I suspect Almere in Flevoland may be more car friendly than Rotterdam. It is w very new city (building started in the 1970s) and has several different cores connected by wide roads. It also has lots of space. Overall it has a feel closer to American cities, but still the various "downtowns" don't have much car traffic

[@Melrieoi]

Precisely this, driving instructors don't teach pupils here because driving is so effortless.

[@GaryInAmsterdam]

Agreed!

[@hendrikbijloo]

I second this proposal. Almere is a good example of a city with good cycling infrastructure, but a low mode share for cycling, because it’s too car-friendly 😢

[@Melrieoi]

@@hendrikbijloo much like Stevenage. But not that low.

[@PSVfanaat]

@Nic Laporte Interesti g video. 🙂 One tip though: I noticed you didn't stick out your arm when turning left or right. That's legally required here in the Netherlands, so you should make that an automatism. Keep up the good work! 👍🏻

[@nicthedoor]

I did my best to signal. Though coming from Japan where no-one signals at all is an adjustment.

[@renevanderkraats224]

Rotterdam....lived there for 31 years from birth. Recognized all the locations you went to there. That was really nice to see.

[@annemieke186]

Riding in the rain or cold is wonderfull.. Like you said: it makes you feel alive...invigorated!...then after coming home, dry clothes and a hot cup of tea or whatever... Endorfines running high...❤ Totally agree...love it

[@frdml01]

I have lived in Rotterdam since 1970 and you won't believe how much it transformed from car friendly into more bike, pedestrian and public transport friendly since then. Many main roads, that used to by four lanes (2 by 2) have been reduced to two lanes. Even the main street in Rotterdam center, the "Coolsingel" has been transformed from a car friendly road into a bike and pedestrian friendly road. BTW, Nineteenth century Gouda is the origin of the stroopwafel, often referred to as Goudse stroopwafel.

[@BikkerDag]

Awesome video! Cool to see you cycled through the town (Nieuwerkerk) I was born and raised at 7:49. I was screaming: 'You're not supposed to cycle there! There is a bike path left of you', but you came to the same conclusion in just a couple of seconds :D.

[@kekkewezel4615]

Mede-Nieuwerkerker🤝

[@philipwood7673]

I'm really enjoying this series and looking forward to each new episode. One of the things I'm particularly enjoying is that you're doing it all on a rented bike and travelling really light.

[@gusvanwes6192]

Kabouter Buttplug!! The housing in the pond is one of the solutions to groundwater displacement from buildings to avoid flooding.

[@johngorman7729]

Hi Nic, i live in calgary and visit Vancouver regularly because it is “My Netherlands”. Im from Scotland and used to go to Amsterdam every 6 months.

[@nicthedoor]

I suppose I can see that in comparison. Vancouver is no Amsterdam though it does have some redeeming qualities

[@iamjoestafford]

Really enjoying this series Nic - I love your filming style!

[@urbandiscount]

I live in the centre of Rotterdam, near one of those 4 lane urban highways that go right through the city. It would be a blessing if those stroads were made car free. Rotterdam is car centric, but one attempt to reach the Bijenkorf parking garage on a saturday teaches you that it's not car friendly.

[@z.b.95]

The fourth viral video in a row. Congratz Nic! You earn this.

[@jannetteberends8730]

1:17 it was planned that way. It’s called het Groene Hart. It’s like a giant park between the cities in the west of the Netherlands. There is an English Wikipedia page about it.

[@royklein9206]

love your video's Nic! I'm sure you've heard this before but your voice has a certain ASMR-quality to it that makes your video's such a joy to watch! Hope you had a great time over here!

[@nicthedoor]

That a really nice thing to hear :) I personally do not hear that in my own videos but ASMR is a quality I enjoy in others.

[@ov3gan369]

I live in Rotterdam and I HATE the new lay out of the Coolsingel. WHY only one wide bike lane on one side? Why not two narrower (but still two-way) bike lanes on both sides? That one bike lane gets to crowded and it's a pain if you need to be on the other side of the street. This lay out was clearly designed by someone who never bikes (in the city). But other than that, thank you for visiting our beautiful city ☺

[@remcoroest4527]

nice videos. I miss that you indicate direction with your hand😉

[@michelroovers4039]

One thing to consider, in the netherlands almost all people that drive cars also ride biciles. And from a insurance standpoint the driver of the car is liable when there is an accident between a bicicle and a car, also the unpredictabillity of pedestrians and cyclist is somthing we are trained on before you can get your driving licence.

[@Lucardini]

Hey Nic, respect for cycling through the rain! I am from Gouda and have been living in Rotterdam for years and studied Urban Planning here. It has been interesting so far to see your perspective on Dutch cycling infrastructure this series. Although I'm sure the route you took was interesting, you happened to just miss out on a beautiful route past "De Rotte" a narrow channelized river from which Rotterdam derives it's name. Maybe come back some day to Rotterdam with sunny weather and follow this river into the city center!

[@Irsu85]

If you go to the city center in Utrecht, you should park your bike at the train station, since the city is way too full of pedestrians to bike in (or at least when I was there)

[@nicthedoor]

Oh don't worry. I spent a little too much time in the bike parking at the train station 😅

[@barbarabauling7513]

Really interesting watching your take on the (bike) infrastructure of the Netherlands. I've been living here for 40 years, and pretty much take it all for granted nowadays. It's lovely to see it with your fresh eyes, You pretty much nailed most of your information. Stroopwaffles originated in Gouda, and that building on the market square used to be the Town Hall and dates from the 15th century! I've subscribed! :)

[@holotape]

Loving this series. Nice work!

[@DenUitvreter]

Actually when the Netherlands was still going full on cars and highways, government decided against big box stores at cities edges to protect the liveliness of city centres. This decision has worked out great for cycling including being in proper country side right outside the city but was not taken for it's benefit. Rotterdam has only been a normal Dutch little city until the mid 19th century, when it started digging waterways and connecting those the big rivers further inland to become the huge sea port and a big city it never was. So it boomed and grew quite sudden and late like many American cities. So also before the bombs is quite different.

[@Crustenscharbap]

In Germany we think if a city with good bike infrastructure must have bad car infra. Gouda is pronouced Crhroudah.

[@aeDoesThings]

Almere is technically the most car-friendly city in the Netherlands, mostly because it's so young. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that it is so car friendly that it's the only city in the Netherlands that you can't get your driver's license exam done because it isn't enough of a challenge to drive in. It's a pretty good looking and planned out city as well, you should check it out

[@CanyonWanderer]

Yet another great video and again a feast of recognition! Tomorrow I'll be cycling on the path @3:37🙂, loving this series, glad you like our country!

[@fen0221]

7:19 🫣you’re supposed to give way to the pedestrian at the zebracrossing. Pedestrians always have prio at zebracrossings unless there are active trafficlights.

[@Terrgaz]

Awesome series. Really love it. Looking forward to the new day!

[@skollbrod]

I hope you visited a place called Houten. There are wonderful bright colored houses with awesome bicycle infrastructure around a small lake called Rietplas. Doesn't feel like the Netherlands with those bright colored houses.

[@nathanyellll]

the rain cycling is peak. I visit during october for ade and love the late night back to the bnb from music. Feel so alive as a san diego native thank you nederlands ❤️

[@elementkx]

Biking in the rain is THE BEST! It's like walking in the rain, but faster, lol.

[@headphoneheadache7667]

The biking in the rain and in a good mood? Definitely felt that before, especially when you know that you need to cycle 18km to your secondary school. I am that odd one that doesn't tend to wear a rain coat at all. But even then, biking in the rain sometimes gives me the feeling of: "World, I don't give a fuck, I am invincible whatever you throw at me." Great moments

[@moladiver6817]

To be frank, as a Rotterdammer I really like that old image of the Coolsingel. Beautiful pavement and the cars in that picture are amazing. I left The Netherlands years ago but I'm always drawn to Rotterdam whenever I'm in the country. The vibe, the people, the layout of the city, the amazing food. 160 nationalities in one town. The city also draws in a lot of foreign tourists now and is quickly catching up with Amsterdam. I was helped by an employee from Spain for example in a clothing store, in English because he was a student. I love walking along one of the singels (canals) in the old west. The best Surinamese food in the country can be found in the Kruiskade. Want to cook Chinese, Indonesian, Thai or Japanese food? Got you covered with the many eastern supermarkets that we call toko in Dutch (Indonesian for store). And of course, as a Rotterdammer I have to say, the best fries in the country are from Bram Ladage. Freshly cut potatoes straight into the oil, and served in a pointy paper container and covered in a copious amount of sauce as it always should be. Any sauce you like because in The Netherlands we don't just have ketchup on our fries. Boring! Or just mayo. Boring too! 😜 I can't wait to go back and be a tourist again in my own favorite town on the planet.

[@DT-wp4hk]

Ruined by groen linkser Arno Bonte

[@p.c.1413]

Wrong, all fries in the Netherlands, and Belgium too, are double fried. Basically they fry them first at a lower temperature, let them cool down and then fry them at a high temperature to get them crispy.

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

Quickly catch up with Amsterdam… 😂 yeah right. Amsterdam. You know nothing. Amsterdam over 20 million a year. Rotterdam 1,5 million a year.

[@moladiver6817]

@@on-the-pitch-p3w Those 1.5 million visitors in Rotterdam are only hotel guests while the 20 million in Amsterdam are all visitors combined. When you're trying to teach someone a lesson at least do it right. 😆

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

@@moladiver6817 The figures are right. Rotterdam has a few visitors compared to the main capital.

[@edouardschneiders0]

Rotterdam is definitely the most car friendly city in the Netherlands for me. I live there and it often frustrates me, having lived in Amsterdam and Delft before. But I still love Rotterdam for it's lively and more down to earth vibe! Fun to see so many familiar places in your videos! And great video! It's videos like yours that make me appreciate my home country more!

[@wilsistermans1118]

Rotterdam is an excellent example of a bicycle friendly city, which is also car friendly. Separating bicycles from cars can be beneficial for both!

[@miles5600]

Rotterdam isn't the most car friendly city in NL though. places like Ede and Emmen are just as or even more car centric.

[@wilsistermans1118]

@@miles5600 I know, they aren't comparable to Rotterdam in size. Rotterdam is NOT car centric, it also has a rather good cycling infrastructure to and there are plans (studies) to improve the cycling infrastructure even more, without degrading car infrastructure. Places as Ede and Emmen (and a lot of other smaller places) still have quite old street plans, which are still not adapted to be more bike friendly. Partly because there is not that much traffic and mixed traffic of cars and bikes is not that much of a problem. There where main roads need to be resurfaced, they are often also redesigned to be more bicycle friendly.

[@christianjohnson5860]

I just did a similar tour by bike, I would say The Hague. Its very spread out and easy to get around.

[@theGoogol]

Stop for pedestrians trying to cross at a "zebra", though.

[@adriaandoelman2577]

Or interact and flooow

[@bert2526]

That woman's body language said "go ahead".

[@Jonago.]

Seeing you cycle directly through my home town is very surreal to me - seeing the paths I use regularly was nice! Of course, I was out of the country the day you passed through lol

[@MrAronymous]

One easy trap to fall into is mistaking rural road sidelines that are merely there to visually narrow a road with an edge lane road. The legal difference is simply the bike logo painted on the lane.

[@RaabStephan]

Awaiting the "hills" of Limburg

[@arjankroonen4319]

LOL at 08:00.... I was thinking in my head "then you are probably in the wrong place"... Notice cars are still OK-ish, even though you should not have been biking there, They don't try and push you off "their road" or anything. Bikes are sacred, especially in the rain.

[@RobinCapper]

Great following your travels from the New Zealand :)

[@erwincastillo8238]

Maann... I wish my country is bike-friendly like yours.

[@Woppettier]

9:47 Hehe, try Blekerssingel/fluwelensingel, it's way worse. Btw you are not required to stay within dashed lines.

[@BrazenNL]

5:50 For this to work, people have to want to understand each other. They have to care about each other. If you only care about yourself and your schedule, it will never work. If you think you're better than someone else, again, it will never work.

[@koenvandiepen7651]

Yea hence why it will not work in North america whit their we are all just temporarily embarrassed billionairs mentality. They will just drive each other over.

[@oadka]

Do americans have that selfish attitude more than europeans?

[@nathanyellll]

yes i am a san diego native and can say its a emotional battle to get closer to a better “quality of life.” from bike lanes to walking my dog unleashed and i’ve trained him.

[@rogerk6180]

You need to live in a society for this stuff to work. In a individually centered place it is very hard to have nice things.

[@jasperlambrecht1906]

In Belgium we have a “fietstraat” instead of just bike lines they need to yeld, can use the whole street. Cars can drive in those streets to but they cant overtake a bike in those streets.

[@dimrrider9133]

Gejat van wie anders de ollanders

[@aidanmccarthy9249]

After checking in to my hostel and renting a bike when I visited Rotterdam last year, the Santa statue was the first thing I went to. I also randomly found a Gundam one when I biked past a skate park.

[@Renejansie]

Nice video, thanks for promoting my country. Beside the frase you're not made out of sugar, we have an other one. There is no such thing as bad weather, there is only bad clothing.

[@margreetdoodeman1441]

Volgens mij is dat een slogan van Agu.

[@nicthedoor]

Another favorite of mine!

[@barendgarvelink]

The exact same saying exists in Swedish.

[@MarcelL-DM]

When I was growing up there were no markings on the shared roads for bikes in small towns, but you still felt safe cycling on the road because we all grew up cycling. Motorists are more careful when sharing a road with cyclists.

[@matthijsskeer8215]

The 'interesting neighbourhood' is Zuidplas, which the municipality finally decided after decades: "yes, you can build houses 6 meter below effective sea level (NAP) if you really want to.'.

[@lolololol7573]

Right? There's something about riding the bike in the rain. It's kinda nice...

[@italorossid]

I've found the Utrecht suburbs to be closer to the North American standard layout, but still include bike paths and regular bus services.

[@jeffafa3096]

Riding your bike in the rain can be very relaxing and satisfying, but it can also be a cold, wet nightmare, especially in the fall or winter. We still ride our bikes in these seasons though...

[@pieterbassie85]

Very cool new series, looking out for the next one :D

[@PVDH_magic]

With regards to Gouda, yeah If I'm biking to my parent's place (from close to Delft up and past Gouda and then south past some rivers) I always circumvent Gouda, it's certainly one of the worse biking cities - at least on the routes I've had to take. Still miles ahead of any international comparison, of course.

[@sizzler1025]

I was about to call you an idiot then you did it yourself hahaha, you're nice guy allways nice to see people appreciate my home country

[@Deckzwabber]

A few notes on egde lanes. Most Dutch drivers are very careful when it comes to opening car doors. We get taught to check the mirror and look over our shoulders during driving lessons. I don't worry too much when cycling past a row of parked cars. Accidents happen, but very rarely. Car and lorry drivers are very aware of the cyclists that they share the road with. Equally, cyclists are expecting traffic to be speeding past them at close range. Dutch cyclists are for the most part very experienced and confident riders. We have literally grown up cycling between cars and other traffic. The upright style of bicycle helps with being seen and being able to see others, especially behind you. You will see elderly people with mirrors on their (e-)bikes, so that they maintain situational awareness, even as their agility diminishes. These lanes used to be much more common. Until not too long ago, the speed limit outside town borders was 80 kp/h, meaning cars would regulary be doing 100 there on quiet times. Althought most drivers are curteous enough to slow down a bit and pass with a wide berth, when going that fast. I still think they are a good solution for areas with limited space and only a limited number of cyclists. But of course, that is greatly helped by having a nation of very skilled and experienced cyclists and very bike-aware motorists.

[@ivobrengt8823]

You went to the shop where they say stroopwafels are invented

[@quisttttt]

I live here in Rotterdam and I can say the the traffic is a nightmare. From the city center towards home costs me 7min on my bike but upwards to 45min by car...

[@dymphrpeeters8799]

Hahaha when you noted the road without any bike infrastructure i immediately thought "ah yea thats bc you're not riding in the right place" xDD i suppose there are some roads with no marking, but in most cases, if you dont see anything there is a different separated bike lane somewhere near xD

[@dimrrider9133]

You can tell me everything but love to cycle in the rain haha and yes im Dutch who was a paperboy for 3 years to buy a mopped when i came 16 and meanwhile cycled 24km a day to school and back and most of the time it was raining LOL

[@hondaryder3779]

Ik luisterde naar Iron Maiden op cassette op mijn gele Sony Sport walkman, terwijl ik de Telegraaf bezorgde in Nuenen. Heeft me een prachtige Zündapp en later een Yamaha RD en FS1 opgeleverd, goeie tijden! Nu rijd ik een Gazelle Eclips en een Transalp, tweewielers rule!!!

[@apertamono]

You pointed out that you were quickly in the countryside after leaving the city. Well-spotted! That's also the result of planning and policy, in this case zoning on a national and provincial level. The area around Gouda, where the milk for Gouda cheese comes from, is called the Green Heart of the Randstad conurbation. It would be filled with housing if towns in the area weren't limited in how many homes they could build. The Green Heart is such a priority that even the high-speed train line from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels goes through a tunnel for the benefit of a few cows.

[@RoyRope]

Ha that's funny I was at Gouda that day for a wedding, I saw the volleyball game too. For Dutch standards, I don't like the cycling experience in Gouda that much, too mingled with cars.

[@MrTurbo_]

When you get to closer to the center of Rotterdam the cycling infrascructure gets worse and worse, and so does traffic (and parking prices), i used to work in one of the many business towers, and you could see the entite city getting gridlocked from 4pm to 7pm, honestly the only way to get semi decently around the city is through public transport, although the trams and metros don't go often enough and are always crammed way too full, leading to me having witnessed multiple sometimes violent conflicts between people. Also another massive issue with Rotterdam is that it next to den haag is one of the worst places when it comes to violence, theft, murders and other illegal practices. I honestly have to say i really dislike rotterdam, having commuted to places like Dordrecht which is not far away, it's honestly disapointing how much worse rotterdam is as a place to be in.

[@cateatingbread]

You should do a cycling tour in the the east of the Netherlands sometime. Not the places tourists generally visit. Maybe in Limburg or something

[@nicthedoor]

Oh I know I will at some point!

[@jensderouter]

Fun to see you near my hometown! I’m from Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel and I normally run on those bike lanes in the morning or evening :)

[@xecoq]

I'd say Arnhem also feels pretty car dependant relative to it's neighboring cities For the edgelane roads with 60kmh limits, the normal speed limit outside the built up areas is 80 but is reduced to 60 in places where there is no seperate bike paths. No really ideal for either type of user

[@gzignl]

I ride that part between delft and rotterdam so many times on my rides to the beach, i remember every mm.

[@bengt_axle]

We do have a variation of center lane in Montreal, where the cars will be driving down the center of the road in a direction opposite to the cyclists. When there is no car, the cyclists tend to ride closer to the center of the road in order to avoid getting hit by someone opening a car door.

[@countdown4725]

2:46 i would not call Rotterdam car-"friendly" because the traffic jams are the worst there, due to so many people driving

[@tsaarmartijn]

Sad you haven't tried the Maas Tunnel and the Erasmusbrug. Interesting pieces of infrastrucutre for cycling amoung a river. In Amsterdam we have the ferries.

[@Speederzzz]

A good mood is the best defense against rain when you have to bike a bit

[@hendrikl.3731]

5:21 Katwijk aan zee , right? Nice and attractive video! We are spending our holidays yearly in the Netherlands… almost every city centre or village is cozy and cyclist and pedestrians have the highest priority! Looking forward to Utrecht which is one of our favored cities

[@misterETIO]

That side line was not for motorbikes, its a like a safety strip that if you drive on would make a terrible tire noise and alarm you that you are on the edge of the road.

[@rogerwilco2]

I think a lot of those edge-lane roads are older roads, we used to have a lot of those in the 1980s and 1990s , but have gotten a lot more separated bike paths since, especially because of things like the door zone.

[@Arjay404]

The edge lane roads are generally not preferred and many of them are as remnants of previous roadworks and are likely to be removed once the roads is up for resurfacing/updating. That 60km/h edge lane road for example are NOT allowed under current standards. Edge lane roads should only be in places with low speed AND low traffic numbers. And this is where the US struggles with edge lane roads, they place them in locations that are not suitable for them. Often times adding edge lanes on previously high speed roads with high traffic without any modifications to reduce the numbers, so they end up being dangerous.

[@uhhhhhhhhh]

Another stellar video! I've been living in Rotterdam for a decade now, and you're pretty spot-on in your description. Whilst cycling infrastructure has improved, there's still a long way to go in undoing the car-centric infrastructure of the 50s and 60s. We've got great park and ride infrastructure on the edge of the city centre, where visitors can park for free if they take the metro into town (arguably quicker than driving too). Yet visitors still drive into the city en masse to those 'parkades', simply because it saves them a modal switch. I hope we'll see more parts of town turn into destination-traffic zones, and get Rotterdam on par with other cities in The Netherlands. It's a lovely place, but it's sometimes hard to realise that between the cars and the noise.

[@kaasmeester5903]

The park & rides are great options, most of them are well used judging from how full those parking lots are. Metro rides into town are short and affordable as well. I don't think it's really needed to clean up a lot of car centric places and improve things for cyclists; as it is, there's a good balance between different modes of traffic. The few places that perhaps could use some improvement are the Bergweg and some spots around Zuidplein (and probably a few other places that I don't visit by bike)

[@bertoverweel6588]

Do you know the Dutch way of opening a car door? When you drive on the left side open your door with your right hand so you can see over your lefthand sholder for cyclists, driving on right side use your left hand.

[@JasperJanssen]

For the record, stroopwafels are *Goudse* stroopwafels. They’re from there, just as much as the cheese is. (And I see you found Kabouter Buttplug, as he is popularly known. (Kabouter is a gnome, more or less). Its actual title is Santa Claus, according to the artist, but. Well. You’ve seen it.)

[@FrankHouwelingBoskoop]

The people in Gouda are obsessed because these delicious cookies were actually invented there!

[@NielsdeKemp]

Gouda, my home town! 😍💪

[@k.vn.k]

City of Adelaide in Australia has been voted the most liveable by Economist Global ini 2021 and the most beautiful by Architectural Digest this year. Maybe you can visit and do some review in the future?