The Dutch Cycling Revolution

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A look at how and why the Netherlands have integrated the bicycle into their national transport system - a pattern stetching back to the 1960s.
I asked decision-makers in the UK whether our country could ever look just like the Netherlands with car-free cities and a casual cycling culture.
It is a timely discussion given the rise of environmental awareness worldwide. It's becoming increasingly pertinent to try to find an answer to the private automobile in our transport network - in favour for more sustainabale modes of transport such as cycling or walking.
With discussions from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, British Cycling, the Fietsersbond among others.
Images courtesy of the Dutch Cycling Embassy

[@gravityskeptic8697]

When you think about it: Cars are the most inefficient use of space. So when space is at a premium, get rid of cars first. Incomprehensible that many lawmakers stubbornly keep promoting the car, even if there is no space for them. And even going as far as taking away space from more space-efficient means of transportation, such as trams, bus lanes, sidewalks and cycle paths.

[@OP-1000]

Money, money, money…

[@shrike6259]

Right no more houses/apartments/homes to give a way for free yet government keeps importing more and more people .. cos why not .

[@OP-1000]

@@shrike6259 Because they are also short on laborers.

[@johnathin0061892]

@@shrike6259 That's the great replacement in action.

[@Koen030NL]

@Shep Raynham Doesnt need to be like that. Its just powerfull lobbies of car manufacturers that are pushing cars. Im not saying cars are bad but it is bad when its the only option. Give people a choice of car, bike, or public transportation. Its also peoples desire to show of the wealth and the car manufacturers happily exploit that.

[@RichardHurd]

I am a Brit living in the Netherlands, and I was a mountain biker in the UK, i would drive my bike to a place to cycle around and then drive home. Here I cycle to get around, i use my car once a month or so, usually to go to other cities if they are more than 30km away. I love cycling and i love the infrastructure here for cycling. It is a different way of life.

[@RichardHurd]

@@boterberg278 I could, but what would that achieve? I am not desperate to save some money, and the car is useful once in a while. Like going to the airport, or driving to Spain.

[@RichardHurd]

@@boterberg278 Not sure what you think is better. But i like having a car, life is easier with it than without it. I own a food processor, and i rarely use it, doesnt mean i want to get rid of it.

[@RichardHurd]

@@boterberg278 I don't see how me selling a car i have a use for saves the climate? I would likely buy another one at some point, which then exacerbates the problem. If i keep my car, and don't buy another, that seems more likely to decrease my impact on the climate. I am as concerned for the well being of the planet as the next person, but I think i have to tell you, no one gets out of life alive.

[@bentels5340]

@@RichardHurd Bo sort of has a point. If you use your car that little, it might be well worth your while financially to figure out if selling your own car and renting for one day a month isn't a lot cheaper.

[@RichardHurd]

@@bentels5340 I considered that option. But it isn't cheaper. If i want to rent a car i have to take time to organise it, collect it, do paperwork, pay the extra insurance, fuel/ return it and then travel home. Repeat that monthly and it becomes a tiresome chore. I considered a car share, but the only shares here are for tiny city cars, and i have an estate/ station wagon. Which is useful for hauling larger items. Add to that, we use the car to travel across the continent. Renting a car in that scenario, for weeks at a time ends up costing thousands. For example we will drive to Iceland soon. Car hire there would be circa 5k for a month. And it really doesn't cost much to have the car. There are no payments on it, insurance is low, and as a result of using it infrequently fuel cost is low.

[@abel6846]

Make it safe! That’s all there is to it, really. As demonstrated in Seville, Spain. Just few years ago, the city decided that they needed more people on bikes. They started with providing safe routes, with as much lane separation as possible. And people started cycling, especially women.

[@Aragorn.Strider]

That's also demonstrated in Amsterdam in 1972. Sevilla got the basis right... just much later :D

[@robfirefly]

Build it and they will come.

[@Koen030NL]

@@Aragorn.Strider And from the basic need of safety a lot of optimisation will follow when more people will use it.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

It's also very much about connecting places where people go.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

​@@robfireflyif it goes to places where people want or need to go.

[@bebobism]

Cycling in the Netherlands is one of the first things you learn when you're young and that's been that way for a long time , even before all the 'planning'. We even have classes in elementary school and get proper lessons on the road. It's a cheap and independant way of getting around for youth , I've used a bicycle untill I could ride a moped (16 years) . . . still get around on one. So the idea of bicyclists around you is engraved in your brain even when you get in a car , that's probably the biggest difference with other countries. We are kind of brought up with them , hence the big support for cycling oriented politics.

[@corabee923]

I sometimes wonder if part of Disneyland’s appeal to adults is its walkability.

[@RDJ2]

It is. Same goes for any city they go on holiday.

[@katherandefy]

Yes because it ain’t an attraction for queues and standing in long lines

[@mourlyvold64]

And college campuses.

[@user-kx4xd5zo2g]

What a great film! Thanks Richard for an insight into the UK's challenges with active travel. We have the same issues in Ireland. It is always inspiring to see what the Dutch are up to.

[@warrenchu6319]

I am a recreational cyclist in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. The city a few years ago removed a bike lane just to accommodate parked cars. This is a city, when it first began development in 1984, touted itself as an "urban village", where you can get to shopping areas on bikes, without the need of a car. Today, I am the only one of a few bicyclists on the streets, with cars zooming by at 100 km/hr. I've seen people drive just a few blocks to go the store and come back in 5 minutes, holding a few small items.

[@johnbeckman492]

Sad, isn't it? Shep Raynham commented above on that.😒

[@scruf153]

try bicycle commuting in Alabama like I do everyday

[@warrenchu6319]

Actually I did commute by bike to work for 7 years - 10 miles each way with 1000 feet elevation gain, totaling up to 5000 miles one year. The roads have wide bike lanes and the scenery is beautiful (site of the 1984 Olympics bike race). So even though it's not super bike-friendly like the Netherlands, at least we have a nice bike environment to enjoy.

[@warrenchu6319]

@@scruf153 Can you tell me where in Alabama you ride? I'd like to check it out. I ride in the above city and Mission Viejo, CA.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

As the Dutch, Danes, and many others around the world are showing, it can be done

[@yellfire]

Kudos to you Richard for putting in the effort to make this mini doc.

[@richardbaker4400]

Thanks Sufjan

[@yannickhoeksema3315]

i think when u said utrecht has 1,3 million citizens you meant the city but that is the population of the entire province.

[@mds3697]

It's basically just one big city anyway

[@RDJ2]

@@mds3697 No, it basically isn't. Utrecht has about 350.000 residents. Quite a difference.

[@captainchaos3667]

@@RDJ2 Yes, although that is just the city of Utrecht itself. The agglomeration has about half a million inhabitants.

[@RDJ2]

@@captainchaos3667 still a far cry from 1,3 million, and Utrecht province is still not "basically one big city".

[@deputyVH]

Even more impressive then if the population is less. I hear excuses like there's not enough population to justify putting in a safe junction or a new bridge. My city has 750k.

[@collateral7925]

I'm originally from the Netherlands, I always assumed NL had a lot of bicycles because it is flat and other countries have hills. Never realized as such that policy decisions made decades ago also changed the whole city setup. Now I live abroad and, even if I would like to, it would be very difficult to do everything on a bicycle because it is so spread out.

[@Aitmesss]

As a dutchy, just remember daily commute cycling is about 1 to 15 km distances. Above that, you indeed need another transport method. Still, it doesn't have to be the car as the next option. Public transportation is almost as important as the cycling culture. That has to be in support of one and another. Even the right level of restrictions on the use of the car needs time evert and eacceptance in the society.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

46:00 even in the Netherlands the car is a close friend rather than a distant memory. Our feet and our fiets, however, are family.

[@iamjoestafford]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen about this subject - I'm so glad my KZbin algorithm recommended it to me! Well done Richard - this should be watched by transport planners all over the country.

[@richardbaker4400]

Thanks Joe, very kind of you. Have you got their emails?! Haha

[@RealConstructor]

I am so glad my town removed all traffic lights for cars, cyclists and pedestrians. They were all replaced by roundabouts with priority for pedestrians and cyclists. Only at crossings of provincial roads the traffic lights remain, because the municipality has no decision power here, that is with the province.

[@blauwzakjecrack]

Welke stad is dat? b.v.d. m.v.g. :)

[@rmyikzelf5604]

Fun fact, bikes are about the most efficient way of (city) transportation. And getting people, who really could and would choose the much faster bike if only they felt safe doing so, out of cars also means that people who really need to use a car have more space too. It's all about efficient design and viable alternatives.

[@esenel92]

If Britain wants to make great steps, start off by making sure there's proper cycling infrastructure around schools into the areas where their students live, then have the schools teach kids how to ride bikes, and navigate traffic safely so they can (at an appropriate age) go to school without having to be brought there by car or bus.. They'll like the freedom and are way more likely to keep riding bicycles. Everytime I see projects to encourage cycling I see those "rental" bikes everywhere. I highly doubt a lot of people will use those. Tourists maybe that are already used to riding bikes, but you won't introduce people to cycling that way imho. Spend some of that money on bicycles for schools, to teach the kids how to ride, and maybe even do trips to local parks or other events. By removing the traffic from all the parents driving their kids to school, and stopping in the middle of the road to let them get out you're gonna affect rush hour traffic a lot as well.

[@marilyntonelli8832]

Are Islamists going to ride em

[@mariadebake5483]

​@@marilyntonelli8832 Why not? In the Netherlands they do

[@mbontekoe3358]

and ban people driving their children to school, by having car free zones around schools

[@krob9145]

Most areas fund Bikeability which teaches children at school how to ride bicycles. So many children do know how to ride but because of traffic conditions very few use it for travel. Some places are trying to change this.

[@qazatqazah]

This video was clearly an ambitious project. I watched all of it, and I did like it. What I probably liked most about it is your voice as a narrator. Also, your montage of all those short video clips and the accompanying background music were well done, as far as I can tell. There is one bit of critique I would like to give to you. The hardest part of making a good video must be choosing. In this case: choosing which parts of the interviews to show, and which to leave out. I think all of the speakers had some interesting points to make, but trimming off some of it could actually help improve the whole story, by speeding it up a bit and shortening the whole video. Again, I admit that that may be difficult. And, again, with all of that said, I still liked your video. Please continue making them, and I have no doubt in my mind that you will become very good at it.

[@LuukvdHoogen]

Well researched, great job. On editing I feel like you can be a slightly bit bolder in cutting , and using more of your self-made B-roll footage of the streets while doing so. I'm looking forward to the next project.

[@raresmircea]

Excellent, thank you

[@sarahs784]

Interesting film, cheers.

[@HRM.H]

Cor is a local legend. True Groninger.

[@rienksjoerdsma]

He also teaches at NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden. I've had the pleasure of being one of his students, he's a great guy?

[@AndreSomers]

10:30 The city of Utrecht doesn't have 1.3 million people, it has about 360.000. No single city in the Netherlands has over million inhabitants. If you count the surrounding towns that are effectively grown onto Utrecht, you're at around 720.000. The _province_ of Utrecht does have 1.3 million inhabitants; I guess that's where the confusion comes from.

[@mdhazeldine]

This is an amazing documentary, and really deserves more coverage. Has it been on TV? It's definitely good enough. @notjustbikes you need to check this one out!

[@richardbaker4400]

Thanks very much Mark. The documentary was my university dissertation project and a bit of a labour of love as well! If anyone would like to pick it up, I'm all ears

[@DavidFraser007]

That was a a well made documentary. As an ex resident and cycling commuter in London, the attitude of drivers was awful. I had a few family visits to Eindhoven, cycling there was Shangrila.

[@deputyVH]

That's a culture thing. Holland also has excellent "smart" traffic lights usually with 3 detection loops on approach for both cars and bikes.

[@canberrabybike]

Nice one, Richard. In recent weeks I rode with London Cycling Campaigners through low traffic neighbourhoods in the north, and also in cities across the Netherlands. Your film was a good overview of the history and possibilities in both places.

[@captainchaos3667]

Impressive!

[@JanneWolterbeek]

What a great extensive overview of Dutch cycling culture, the best I’ve seen on KZbin!

[@richardbaker4400]

Thank you Janne

[@JorgePetraglia2009]

Something that is missing here is the fact that the Dutch are people like anybody else in the world. They only have one head and five fingers in every hand and yes, two legs to pedal a bicycle and walk like all of the rest of us. The big difference is how they use their brain,and their attitude towards their community. In America (the entire continent, which includes the country in the north with no name) we still believe that owning a car gives us prestige and places us apart from "the less fortunate". A new mentality should be included in this not that new way of life. Driving a motor vehicle it is not a human right, but a privilege and unfortunately for all of us people owning cars are opposed to the idea of taking public transportation,biking and walking. Holland is a very much a flat country and that helps along,although,thanks to advances in technology we have bikes with up to 21 speeds that can negotiate virtually any hill we might encounter in our travels. In countries with extreme winters we should have better and more efficient public transportation, but the reality is that the auto makers don't like that and that's why even the trains are disappearing to give way to congested highways and huge trucks. A new model of society must be instrumented before we lose everything, even our own environment. The Dutch have realized this concept long ago and yet they keep working on it. We, on the other hand believe that a free society is the one where everyone does whatever they please, in spite of consequences. Greetings from Toronto.

[@Doodloper]

Excellent vid by the legendary Richard "Bakker" Baker

[@GerHanssen]

Small correction: Utrecht does not have more than 1 million inhabitants, nor does any other city in the Netherlands. It's more like 0,3 million: 361 924 to be exact.

[@GNU_Linux_for_good]

26:01 That makes Willem-Alexander the bike _ambassador_ of the Netherlands, ha.. ha..

[@wendyhuggins5288]

I'm a keen cyclist and often do cycling holidays in The Netherlands - I love the ease at which I am able to do this. I would so much like to see a great cycle network here in the UK. I can't safely cycle from my home in Stroud to say - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire or Cirencester but would like to... My husband says that the hills and weather are a massive deterrent in the UK for cycling to take off and for there to be positive change. Thank you for a great video and the research involved.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

Gears and electric assists solve hills...

[@bartduynstee1577]

there are many big cities with crammed centres which should simply ban cars. add public transport, cyclingpossibilties, huge P&R-centres at the edges of the centre and an incentive of using public transport. allow taxis, deliverycars and trucks (morning only), emergencytransportation and special carpermits for residents of the centre.

[@SamBarnard1563]

Legend

[@tom.jacobs]

Very nice overview of the history/reasons/ways how bikes became the default way of getting around. Living in Utrecht [agreed it is a great bike city], with only 370k other people, I can assure you: half an hour is not enough to get to Amsterdam (it takes about 2 hours, nice [bike] ride though). [Maybe distance better not measured in time ;-)] Good point: "new bike roads are not for people riding bikes already, it's for car drivers that need more confidence to take the bike 🙂" Perhaps a too philosophical of a question; but is a widely supported opinion ever too radical?

[@cmmartti]

30 minutes by car or train, not by bicycle.

[@katherandefy]

Wow the narrator voice is really awesome

[@bobbieboothroyd8531]

that plumber could get a cargo bike if he really needed to and I have seen lots of you Tube videos about Different veleomobiles theirs one called the Byo highbread which looks like a small truck that can go on bike lanes but you can peddle it and it also as a barttary so in affect its an E Bike. and of course their is a an Velomobile called The PEBL and the ElF Bike which is in America but I think they have stopped making them. but as the Dutch as shown us Britts it can be Done You maybe interested in watching the Active Towns channel.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

21:00 There's a great video on YT of a presentation by a Dutch urban planner and consultant (employed by Royal HaskoningDSV) speaking to colleagues and concerned citizens in an American town. He makes a great point by google image searching in various languages with the keyword 'fietser' (in English, German and Dutch). The difference in what kind of pictures come up is remarkable. 'Cyclists' and 'Radfahrer' yield pictures of athletes (mostly men) in lycra wearing helmets on racing bikes, mountain bikes and the like. 'Fietsers' returned pictures of everyday people, men, women, and children on their way to work, school, shops and whatnot in their regular clothing on utilitarian bikes. And of course no helmets 😂

[@enemy-rogue]

Some of the examples like the suspension bridge and school/ramp seem to be exceptions rather than the rule at the moment. They were projects instigated at the start of the 2015 Tour de France, which was an event they used to campaign Utrecht and its cycling culture. Want to know why there is more bikes than people? Well I used to have one for my home town, going to the station and one in the destination, going to work in Utrecht. Kind of ironic they removed my bike almost without warning to make room for some 2015 pre events and I had to buy it back (so much for bicycle friendliness eh?) Anyway, some infrastructure is hopefully a taste of what is to come, but I have some doubts. Some of it seems to have more to do with public officials and politicians having something to brag about to their constituents and collegues, especially international professionals coming over for a visit. Some locations with timestamps: 12:12 : If you keep going straight here as of now you'll quickly notice the limitations of bicycle infrastructure. It is still messy in many parts, uncomfortable, unsafe and a work in progress. 15:54 : This place is a fking mess and has killed and disabled several people. They placed some padding on the collumns, which were obviously placed by some bureaucrat who never has to cycle themselves. Their vanity is worth more than the lives of subjects I guess. Seriously the guy who designed this should be pushed down the very same ramp and break something one the "fashionable" death poles. Truely the only way for projects like these to succeed is to temper top-down "city skylines-esque" planning energy with bottom up initiatives like in the 70s. With fuel prices being an uncertain factor we now have a golden opportunity to make cycling more viable everywhere instead of just making car use less viable. Build a metro line in Utrecht and build streetcar style tram infrastructure like those in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Build it well and they will use it.

[@ef4947]

What are you on about...

[@allws9683]

You're so full of crap. The start of the Tour de Frane 2015 was awarded to Utrecht in 2013. In 2011 there were already detailed plans for the bike bridge and the school on the location of the Dafne Schippersbrug. It is related with the roofing of the A2 highway with the Leidsche Rijntunnel and the need for a direct bike connection of Leidsche Rijn area with the city centre. I cannot find any message of casualties at the station of Groningen , other than a 14 yr old girl in 2002 , when the bike parking was not built yet ! Talking about a mess, you probably haven't been at the messy myriad of bikes parked at the station square beforehand.

[@mbontekoe3358]

Try posting in English or Dutch we cannot understand you

[@markovermeer1394]

Some of the footage about Dutch people cycling look very old: I see road which meanwhile have their bike-paths widened a lot. I see bikes parked where there are indoor off-street parkings now.

[@GNU_Linux_for_good]

24:18 When I look at this picture, one question comes to my mind: _How the heck can I locate where I left my bike (amongst thousands of bikes)?_

[@El_Matador724]

What is the name of intro music track ??

[@hasanwidodo5118]

The real zero emissions

[@therealdutchidiot]

If you have someone who says "Boris Johnson built very good cycleways as mayor" you're already done. There's no help for the UK.

[@FeedsNoSliesMusic]

Thinking back on him being seen out and about on a bike, and juxtaposing that with the quality of the cycleways, makes you wonder what he was up to there.

[@therealdutchidiot]

@@FeedsNoSliesMusic Grifting is the man''s game. No more, no less.

[@harmonizedigital.]

Belfast has the worst cycle infrastructure I have ever seen. And by terrible I mean it does not even exist.

[@gerbentvandeveen]

Please contact BTE GROUP. In the Netherlands?

[@Relax72Relax]

1:36 Groningen. Train Station.

[@Doodloper]

16:21 This is The Hague, not Groningen...

[@elliotcowell3139]

I'd just like to say while in the intro it talks about the netherlands not using a bike as a status symbol or fashion object or whatever. If you want that bike cos you think it looks cool BUY IT. If you want it cos you think it looks classy or racey or whatever, BUY IT. If you want it because you saw some celebrity riding one BUY IT. The planet really doesn't care if you choose to express yourself via bicycle. It absolutely does if you express yourself via car though

[@dirkbyker]

welvaart = prosperity

[@blodekont5458]

44:44 sounds like 15 minute city... I live 40 mins way from my work city, can't afford a house there, and the cheap fast ones are for immigrants..trains do not drive as early as 5 am.. 45 mins by car is 5 hours by bike.. and then it is me who is the one to pay for this crappy situation, that has no solution?

[@psocretes8183]

I see London has lowered the speed limit to 20 MPH in places. And 20 MPH in residential areas too is a geat idea.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

9:30 the die-in

[@Abor34]

Det mutsj ferrie butttt 😊😂👍🏽💪🏽

[@Rob-yj9ew]

compliments on your voice! you should use it professional!

[@MrVorpalsword]

The modes of transport held up as environmentally friendly these days are BUSES and PUSH BIKES ....... have you seen all the double decker buses running about with hardly anyone on them between 9:30 and 16:00 and after 6:30 in British towns? .... it would be cleaner to run taxis most of the day.

[@AndreSomers]

Is the problem perhaps that the busses get stuck in the same traffic as all the cars, and are thus slow and unreliable?

[@MrVorpalsword]

@@AndreSomers No, its just that in most towns and cities in the UK there aren't many people wanting to go anywhere in the middle of the day and in the evening. The buses still run because no one has bothered working out how to replace them with cars ..... you have to understand that London is very different from anywhere else here and you may not know that most local government is run by absolute idiots with no imagination and little intelligence ... may be that is different in Holland? The buses actually break the speed-limit at these times of day.

[@ArjenHaayman]

a bit annoyed that all the talks about Groningen were illustrated using scenes from Amsterdam but otherwise nice video

[@Man-in-the-green]

With Amsterdam you can’t go wrong. 😂🎉

[@marjatoorians598]

Utrecht only has 360.000 inhabitants

[@markovermeer1394]

Double when you count all the cities closely around it. More when you add in all the workers which come from further way, every day.

[@JacobBax]

History of the bicycle started in the 1400s ???

[@CARambolagen]

The Dutch have so many cars for their holidays in Germany 🤣

[@williamgeardener2509]

So we can annoy Germans by hogging the left lane on the Autobahn doing 101 km/h, merge into traffic doing 54 and overtaking our Dutch neighbor with a 3 km/h speed difference.

[@CARambolagen]

@@williamgeardener2509 Well sticking to the Autobahns and doing what you describe would be great. But please don't fill our cities and landscapes with cars and campervans etc. :-)

[@williamgeardener2509]

@@CARambolagen That's what we do to annoy Germans when we're fed up with annoying them on the Autobahn.

[@CARambolagen]

@@williamgeardener2509 They retaliate by sending the war-criminals they captured to The Hague :-)

[@williamgeardener2509]

@@CARambolagen That's because all the scum of the earth lives in the Hague. We like to keep our criminals in one place.

[@williamgeardener2509]

As a car enthousiast I do not have any problems with reconstructions of streets and roads in favor of bicyclists. I still have the freedom to use my car and if I can't get to one shopping mall by car, I'll just pick another one. I can still get around in the Netherlands by car, I'm not forced to use a bicycle if I do not want to. That said; I do have a problem with the entitlement of a lot of bicyclists who act like they own the road, who think that traffic rules are mere suggestions of how you should participate in traffic and who will call you all sorts of name when they are at fault and nearly get run over. But I guess you do grow an attitude when you're so protected that bicycling drunk in the night, without any lights, on the wrong side of the road while running red lights or failing to give way doesn't have any consequences because other people are always liable when they hit you.

[@blindtrace7220]

Loved this. Makes perfect sense for a young society with few children and little industry or land. Keep up the good work!

[@Koen030NL]

What do you mean with a "young society" ? wich society are you referring to?

[@blindtrace7220]

@@Koen030NL collage towns.

[@mariadebake5483]

Little industry? Are you kidding?

[@blindtrace7220]

@@mariadebake5483 Nope, the whole country is little. It's more like a big city with some big beautiful parks. I'm just saying, as someone who's only transport and livelihood for years was a bicycle, if you live in a real country and you want to build real, physical things or raise a couple healthy vigorous kids then you need more than a bicycle. But every should own one, probably our best invention after the firearm and the internal combustion engine.

[@blindtrace7220]

@@mariadebake5483 just to clarify, it's a small country but I don't remember ever looking down at Dutchman or woman you all seem to be very big and beautiful people.

[@jelle8071]

49:24 Wait, so are our streets in the Netherlands good for cycling infrastructure because they’re narrow or wide?? Mixed messages from abroad to fit their narrative apparently.

[@Brabour]

Thank you, I was confused by that too. That guy isn't making any sense.

[@HH-fr8xb]

I think both is true actually, in the sense that the very dense historical city centres with their narrow streets are simply not that suitable for car traffic but still very accessible for bikes, while the more modern city planning in both urban and suburban places offer wider streets with clearly separated cycling lanes, that are often even comfortably divided into two directions. Even in the city of Rotterdam for instance. That said, the key is still a conscious decision by authorities to prioritise the bicycle over the car and the blossoming cycling culture that developed afterwards.

[@bluesmoke8714]

That horrible sounding person , did not sound very intelligent, the only takeaway I got from it was that there exists a need for a plumber who is intelligent enough to ride a cargo bike.

[@AmitZinmanVideo]

I wonder how the local film/tv industry depicts this...

[@therealdutchidiot]

In my experience, it isn't at all. Because it's not something that's special.

[@mourlyvold64]

Not much at all, really.

[@blodekont5458]

49:36..NO!! Wrong!! The Dutch have taken out the flaws already, you folks can step in the latest model, not having to invent a prototype

[@alexmeyjes5533]

all true . but don't ignore the difficulties involved in using bicycles on hilly terrain . Today with the advent of reliable electric bikes this will become less of a problem as long as you limit the speeds allowed ( 15kph )

[@CARambolagen]

The priority for pedestrians doesn't really quite extend to Amsterdam as recent reports critically pointed out..

[@mourlyvold64]

What reports would that be? Do you have a link? Thanks.

[@therealdutchidiot]

@@mourlyvold64 Probably some report by tourists standing and walking in cyclepaths getting mowed down by cyclists.

[@mourlyvold64]

@@therealdutchidiot I guess, the poor b*sterds... 😉

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Indeed walking along the canals is quite challenging in Amsterdam.

[@areguapiri]

@@ronaldderooij1774 lol

[@rmyikzelf5604]

47:52 this is a design problem, yet again.

[@ThomiX0.0]

Much attention towards bicycles and its users, but what about the next step?? Stepping down from car dependent cities to bicycle dependent cities is a logical step, but it isn't the end of that. In fact, nowadays, there are many new transport options made possible by the high quality of electrical energy implicated in personal transport. The car 'footprint'is quite big, and changing towards bicycling means at least a 1/4 of this 'footprint' and makes the city spacious and livable by the same amount.. The new and upcoming personal transport with a 'footprint' as big as humans have by walking, is the future for all of us. Like learning to ride a bicycle when we were young, the electric EUC's come with the same easy learning process, also for children. ( balancing oneself is a natural thing to do for everyone) It is just a matter of time, but it will come, more and more. Why the Dutch Government and its safetyboards refuse to implement this simple and small transport to public trains and trams is probably not valuated in the right sense. The bicycle paths will then be used the same way as bicycles do, so why not? We have to move on, and not aim our transportsystems on only ancient tools, which cannot brought in to the train or tram. Quicksteps and EUC's powered by electrical engines will be the future, wheater the 'safety boards' like it or not, they have to manage..not prevent them to be. If cities have to change to plan for the future, then include all options for this future, not make the use of some ( because unknown or unfamiliar) a traffic-crime like the Dutch bureaucracy does right now!! Çycling revolution is one step, don't ignore the next one!

[@MarkNieuwenhuizen]

l like the almost suicidal attempt for an intro, standing in a cycling lane

[@mourlyvold64]

😄

[@gerbentvandeveen]

But, who comes home at night? Not here! #brexit #spakenburg #thenetherland

[@gerbentvandeveen]

They do that on purpose! Out of that car? Then there is no congestion either!

[@nispen]

Please pronounce the t in fietsersbond: fieTSersbond. It sounds as if you are saying fecesbond. 😀

[@RichardDuinmayer]

The Netherlands isn't a city though

[@AntonioCostaRealEstate]

For a mercantile country that promotes bike use over autos it speaks volumes on how insignificant and redundant automakers are to become to the local economy. As if the Dutch were collective saying ..... We can do just fine without your money and jobs , and your mulching out public coffers fir tax breaks and gimmies. Go away. If only the rest of the world could see this. It's like getting ride of your recreational drug supplier.

[@Fjodor.Tabularasa]

I am at a loss why you let that Bartlett person explain you how we Dutch developed cycling. He is a foreigner and doesn't even speak Dutch. All he does is regurgitate. Dutch cycling embassy lmao, it's a name he invented to brand himself and sound 'official' and leech off of 50 years of cycling development in the Netherlands. No one knows him.

[@mypointofview1111]

48.22 the bloke here is really complaining about nothing in particular, he just wants things to remain as they are. As someone who would love to be able to cycle to and from work safely I cannot exercise that right, there are too many idiots on the road & I have no interest in becoming another government statistic in having a fatal collision with a car. We need more bicycle highways, better public transport as there is in the Netherlands to make it more normal for people to get about for their daily activities. We will be healthier, in better shape physically by using more bicycles. More importantly it would be safer for children to play outside without the threat of being mown down by vehicles & journey to school. I'm staggered that children aren't allowed to walk or cycle home now when I walked to & from school from the age of 5.

[@AndreSomers]

Yeah, I was also wondering what that was about. Ambulances turning back b/c they lost their way... Did the crew get proper retraining on the routes? He claims the changes in the Netherlands were the result of some grand, well thought out plan. Nonsense. It has been cycles of iterative changes and improvements, and at times some mistakes and failures. Solutions that work well end up in design guides, and then it sometimes transpires that it doesn't quite work in some other context. Or years later when circumstances have changed b/c of changed traffic patterns. So, if there are problems with emergency services getting places quickly, investigate _why_ that is. Arn't there good routes available? If so, fix that ofc. Perhaps some strategically placed movable bollards could be employed to allow such services through where normal car traffic can't. Or are the routes there, but the drivers are not aware of them? Train them!

[@darinakalinova2180]

I do not recommend Dutch biking philosophy to any country or town. There was said that pedestrians are priority over cyclist.That is not correct. I have never seen any cyclist that would priorities anyone walking. Except that the constant mess caused by bikes dropped anywhere is just beyond. While it's very easy to solve it by disposing them off. Another interesting topic is that people bike in the rain and not all of them have rain coat. I believ I don't have to explain what damp clothes will smell like after being in them whole day. The killed children by cars is unfortunate but not unique issue in The Netherlands. The interesting point is that in other counties it was enough to raise the kids more stricty. And yes it is cultural thing, it's about money.

[@SaKa682]

I think the fietserbond (Dutch cycling agency) could also use a spokesperson that speaks English.

[@roelkomduur8073]

Bond is Union,.. think you need some lessons too...

[@jsb7975]

@@roelkomduur8073 well Sander is right. There are two persons who speak the kind of "Dunglish" among millions of people in the Netherlands : prime-minister Rutte and the actual person in this vid. Sorry but I find it to be a bit embarrassing....

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

LoL "Revolution", yeah like the American shoe revolution, you find them everywhere..

[@0animalproductworld558]

In America, you use your car to drive to a store 1 block away to get just one product 🦢 If you use a bike, you might get robbed, kidnapped, etc 🐇

[@gardenstatePR]

The USA is the ghetto of the world

[@PieterPatrick]

fietsersbond = bikers union.

[@marilyntonelli8832]

All those bikes would be stolen here in. US

[@gosmarte669]

Holland is well suited for a bike infrastructure due to its size and flat nature. It’s a compact country and just lends it self well. In addition if The Netherlands were a hilly country I think you would see a lot less biking. Also the moderate climate makes it nicer to be out on a bike. I am Dutch but I live in a country with lots of hills and very hot summers so there is no way you can go on the bike everywhere.

[@OP-1000]

Electric bikes 🗻🚵‍♀️🏔

[@gosmarte669]

@@OP-1000 sure, but you also need bike paths and not everyone can afford a 2500+ euro e-bike.

[@OP-1000]

@@gosmarte669 Agreed.. Allthougn I have seen them for 600-700 euro.

[@zephyrus339]

Actually, no relationship between bike use and hilliness has ever been found. Nijmegen, Arnhem and Maastricht are literally build on top of and in between hills yet have just as much bike use as other cities in the Netherlands. There are currently also a lot of cyclists in Bern, Basel and Zurich. What gets people to cycle is bike safety. I would also point out that, no matter where you are, every major city is at least partially built on flat land. New York city is just as flat as Amsterdam, yet it's no bike paradise.

[@gosmarte669]

@@zephyrus339 yes I agree but you are only assuming biking within cities and I am talking about biking as a general mode of transportation like in the Netherlands. I drove my bike to school 15 km each way as a child growing up. Also again in hot climates that is much less comfortable then in Dutch climates. I got a kick out of the heat alerts in NL this week for 2 hot days. Where I live is very high humidity and heat from mid May to late September. You tell me if you want to ride 30 km a day in that kind of weather…

[@deputyVH]

One overlooked factor when comparing the UK to Holland is the terrain. Holland is flat. Britain isn't. However, the rise of the e-bike will overcome the difficult terrain here in Britain.

[@dutchladylover]

A much heard 'excuse' (not saying you are using it as one). But in countries like Belgium, Germany and even Austria and Italy you see people cycling as well, not as much as in the Netherlands, but the infrastructure is in many cases nowhere near the level of Dutch cities. You just need different bikes in those countries. Most bycicles in the Netherlands don't have gears for one. Because the country is mostly flat. But in the south, where there are hills, people are more willing to buy bikes with gears. And yes, electrical support may help a lot as well.

[@markovermeer1394]

It's not flat where I live. Besides, those flat lands have a lot of wind. Nothing an electric bike cannot cope with ;-)

[@AndreSomers]

It's not "often overlooked". It's one of the most brought up excuses ever, and it largely nonsense. It was thoroughly debunked, for instance by people like @notjustbikes.

[@Lyingleyen]

I can't make up my mind if it looks like 1980s Beijing or just a Pre-War European City.

[@Aitmesss]

Is it really that hard to draw straight lines, and a more proper bicycle sign on the ground??? Just started???...Come on man😅

[@SteffiReitsch]

There's still too many cars there.

[@uomunumerous2350]

Not gonna sell mine 😜

[@areguapiri]

Too many cars in the USA. No true city life. Zero bike riders. Boring country and culture.

[@SteffiReitsch]

@@areguapiri You're so right about that!

[@marilyntonelli8832]

We’re not Europe

[@martijn31101969]

a dutch project in brittain , i just dont understand . we dutch are famous for not diving on the same side of the road as the britts do . anyway it should be about how to reduce the amount of cars in cities . along the way bikes will come in play.

[@mdhazeldine]

You can't reduce car usage without giving people an alternative though. As the guy in the documentary said, it needs to be carrot AND stick, not just one or the other.

[@martijn31101969]

@@mdhazeldine the goal must be less cars 1st . how to do that is with other means of transport not the other way around. people dont start using bikelanes simply because they are there .there must be more to make them switch

[@mdhazeldine]

@@martijn31101969 They do if the roads are congested and parking is expensive (which is the case in the UK)

[@MrVorpalsword]

The Dutch have a different, less competitive society than the UK their bikes are less competitive too, just look at them .... oh and its VERY, VERY, FLAT. in the UK, the cyclists are VERY different ....... particularly in London, most cyclists are RACING, clad in LYCRA on fast Bikes - you have to get the aggression out of British cyclists before it can work as well as in Holland. For instance, Oxford Road, Manchester, a broad, fairly empty road goes through the university campus, with a bike lane on either side, the cyclists belt through as fast as they can making the cycle lanes the difficult part of the road to cross as a pedestrian. Boris bikes HAVE helped slow the bike traffic in London - I speak as a cyclist.

[@xzaz2]

Then here 'The Netherlands'. Its fucking Amsterdam.

[@r.v.b.4153]

As for cycling infrastructure, we can pretty much state that it's representative for the entire country

[@r.v.b.4153]

And they also showed some other places, like Utrecht

[@CARambolagen]

Brits seem to be as unreformable as Germans 🤣

[@vincewhite5087]

Funny how garbage & terrible traffic & congestion is just fine, but if cycling infra is around, it’s bad. Total hypocrits

[@henkoosterink8744]

Berlin a cycling city? Hahahahaha.

[@areguapiri]

55:59 ...The man is being interviewed by a 10 year old boy.... I wish these people would stop with the climate change nonsense.

[@therealdutchidiot]

Yes yes, go away and let the actual grownups talk.

[@thatoneofmany]

Steenkolen engels, everywhere...

[@bcvanrijswijk]

In these kinds of videos they always show the most beautiful pieces of bicycle infrastructure. As someone who regularly travels long distances through the Netherlands, I unfortunately have to say that reality is not so beautiful at all. For the slightest thing, cycle paths are closed and you have to cycle around for kilometers to get back on your route. This week a cycle path was closed and out of curiosity I went to see why. A car was parked on the bike path and a few men were digging a hole in the berm. Cyclists could easily pass, but the closure of cycle paths seems to give these people a peep. I can give such examples on every bike ride I take. There is also the condition of the road surface of the cycle path. in many cases the road surface consists of poorly laid cobblestones or street tiles on which you bounce, while on the adjacent motorway the cars whiz past on mirror-smooth asphalt roads. The transitions between different types of road surface, for example if there is an entrance or a side road, are usually so badly made that you fear that your bike will fall apart into a thousand pieces if you were to go over it at normal speed. Then there are the priority rules at roundabouts. At most roundabouts, cyclists must give way to traffic approaching the roundabout, while that traffic 5 meters further must still give way to traffic on the roundabout. You can tell from everything that this was devised by civil servants who have never ridden a bicycle since they were 16. Speed ​​bumps made to slow cars down are made over the entire width of the road so that as a cyclist you also have to jump over them with all the consequences for your bike and your GPS device and your behind. Overall, it is noticeable that, despite all the great stories, infrastructure for cyclists in the Netherlands is still the final item of the budget. A budget made by people who never cycle like the policy makers. As long as that doesn't change, people should stop glorifying the bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands. The fact that it's worse elsewhere doesn't change that.

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

I think you have missed your calling. Good points, I also see them, and even go as far as to send in my findings at the local municipality. When I have travelled to whichever country though, and return to home, I do feel like they are a bit first world problems though. I think some glorifying is in place, but we must absolutely remain critical.

[@Blackadder75]

you are over-exaggerating , bike paths are almost never closed and when they are, we just take the road (Dutch people bend the rules easily) It's really super rare that you have to take a different route

[@jaaput]

@@Blackadder75 Instead of "Dutch people" just refrain to "Dutch cyclists", because there are decent Dutch people that do not bend the rules so easily.

[@vincewhite5087]

The enfield citizen didn’t know history of the Dutch history.

[@jsb7975]

The english spoken by the 'fietserbond'- man is obviously cringing, at least somewhat embarressing en does not convince too much. You should have protected this person....

[@mourlyvold64]

Read your own comment again, have a look at it's 'English'. Then try and realise the irony. I'm sorry, it had to be said.

[@jsb7975]

@@mourlyvold64 point made and you are right. (though the phone itself is even worse : en (and) embarressing (embarrassing). Yet lesson learned. 😒

[@mourlyvold64]

@@jsb7975 Wow, sportief. Het ga je goed!

[@vincewhite5087]

Need to move garbage businesses out. They adapt or leave.