Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

[Kranky]

A great read about the infrastructure, culture, and laws that makes commuting by bicycle so successful in the Netherlands.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23587916

 

We can only dream.

[CAAD4]

I thought it was successful, as most events with people on bikes taking drugs, generally are...

[SwissVan]

Great article

 

People are a lot less agro in the Netherlands and many other euro countries, hence this ideal works.

 

Quote:

 

Right not might

 

The fact that everyone cycles, or knows someone who does, means that drivers are more sympathetic to cyclists when they have to share space on the roads.

 

In turn the cyclists are expected to respect and obey the rules of the road. You may be fined for riding recklessly, in the wrong place or jumping red lights. Police (often on bikes) will issue a 60-euro ticket if you are caught without lights at night, and you will have to shell out even more if any of the mandatory bike reflectors - of which there are many under Dutch law - are missing.

[Bat-ass]

its actually pretty simple..... its dead flat and theres no place to park a car!! duh,,, so take your bike!

[GaryvdM]

I enjoy watching videos from this channel : http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC67YlPrRvsO117gFDM7UePg. Some interesting videos on how they design their intersections. Lots of videos on new cycling infrastructure, and a few on the cultural impact of cycling.

[LeTurbo]

They're intelligent enough to say, "Why should I pay 32c more per litre for petrol, plus parking costs, plus insurance when all I'll be doing is less than 10km and the car sits at work all day anyway? Who am I trying to impress? My co-workers?"

 

Edit: Riddled with spelling and punctuation cock-ups. It's "friday", it's early ...

Edited August 8, 2013 by LeTurbo

[Chopper Jr]

We live in the Wild West. Laws aren't upheld even by our police...

 

The Netherlands is like a common-sense Utopia compared to SA.

 

You have trams, bicycles, pedestrians, taxis and cars all sharing the same urban roads - it can be quite daunting walking the streets in Amsterdam. If we tried that here it would be absolute carnage.

[patches]

We live in the Wild West. Laws aren't upheld even by our police...

 

The Netherlands is like a common-sense Utopia compared to SA.

 

You have trams, bicycles, pedestrians, taxis and cars all sharing the same urban roads - it can be quite daunting walking the streets in Amsterdam. If we tried that here it would be absolute carnage.

 

It's all relative... go to the real 'wild west' _africa.

 

Compared to cities like Lagos and Ibadan, JHB is utopia.

 

I get what is being said. I have ridden my bike on narrow mountain passes in the Alps and felt very safe because the motorists are extremely considerate of cyclists. What I'm saying though is that it could be worse than what we have.

 

I think selfishness is our downfall. We're all about "my road", "my lane", "my right of way". In Nigeria it's even worse... in Europe (at least what I've experienced) it's patience and courtesy that make life better for everyone

Edited August 8, 2013 by patches

[JGR]

Higher inherent emotional intelligence

Edited August 8, 2013 by JGR

[organism]

They can be a bunch of numbnuts in the Netherlands too. They now allow scooters on the bike paths, oh and that means the lethal motorised kind, without helmets. Not so bright if you ask me. I have never seen so many Vespas as in Amsterdam. Simple fact though is that road deaths have been on the decline since the 70's in the Netherlands.

 

Europe in general is just geared towards cyclists. Germany is much better suited to cycling I think, even Italy is catching on to cycling as a mode of transport.

['Dale]

Higher inherent emotional intelligence

 

:-O

['Dale]

I thought it was successful, as most events with people on bikes taking drugs, generally are...

 

Heehee

[Christie]

The Netherlands is a nice place to ride a bike, in summer. The infrastructure etc is awesome. A lot of the time it rains, and in winter it snows sometimes, then cycling is not so great.

 

The country is also extremely crowded. There are few places where you can ride for a distance of say 20km without going through a town of some sorts with some traffic lights and narrow streets. The wind blows more often than CT.

[jimmycool]

It's so flat there you can't really understand it until you actually see it with your own eyes. The steepest hill you ever ride up is the little ramps up onto the top of the dykes (kind of like the off-ramp of the freeway up to the bridge)

Everyone always says how flat the Freestate is but compared to Holland it is like the Alps!

[Stefan Cremer]

It's so flat there you can't really understand it until you actually see it with your own eyes. The steepest hill you ever ride up is the little ramps up onto the top of the dykes (kind of like the off-ramp of the freeway up to the bridge)

Everyone always says how flat the Freestate is but compared to Holland it is like the Alps!

The okes that reckon the Free-State is flat are just plan uninformed - a major portion of the province borders on Lesotho... Having grown up there I can tell you that is NOT flat.

 

Re the Netherlands, we can only dream that we will all one day be able to live in unity and harmony. Dream on!!!

[olram_df]

Very interesting read. Would be great to get some of this in some places around SA.