Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

[pastapouch]

that just made me very depresssed. We have a too big ratio of idiots /people with brains. 10 - 1 OR SOMETHING. And our pressie sits with Std 2, which means thats not gonna change. I'd love to go there for a week or so. Saw gummi's foto on face book and thought, 'what the hell am I doing in this shytehole'

[javadude]

Helmets are not compulsory, which is a huge hindrance to getting the general population on bikes.

[gummibear]

Everyone cycles at some stage in their life in most of Europe.

That way when they drive a car they know how the cyclist may react,what speed he may be doing and most of all most road user have respect for other users.

 

How many people in SA have ridden a bicycle?

[kosmonooit]

Helmets are not compulsory, which is a huge hindrance to getting the general population on bikes.

 

Why so? Its the same in quite a few other countries, like the nanny state the UK and Denmark, Down to individual choice, as it should be, I personally recommend it at all times, but you are the one doing the breathing,

 

On the Ozzie programme Cycling Central that I watch every week (thanks to Cycletorrents) they had a feature on women cycling recently, the topic of commuting and compulsory helmet use came up, and it was something that put some women off commuting by bike, because it messed with their hair! Tis true!

[GaryvdM]

Why so? Its the same in quite a few other countries, like the nanny state the UK and Denmark, Down to individual choice, as it should be, I personally recommend it at all times, but you are the one doing the breathing,

 

On the Ozzie programme Cycling Central that I watch every week (thanks to Cycletorrents) they had a feature on women cycling recently, the topic of commuting and compulsory helmet use came up, and it was something that put some women off commuting by bike, because it messed with their hair! Tis true!

 

(The following applies to commuting, and not to sport.)

 

There is quite a bit of data to show that mandatory helmet use discourages cycling.

 

Head Injuries and Helmet Laws in Australia and New Zealand

 

Comparisons of pre- and post-law injury data (Figs 1-5) show that there is little benefit to either cyclists or the community from passing laws forcing cyclists to wear helmets. Rather than encouraging cyclists to wear helmets, the laws appear to have discouraged cycling, resulting in reduced health and fitness, but very little change in %HI. If the money spent on helmets had been used for other measures e.g. improving accident blackspots for cyclists, the benefits would have much been greater.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1241.html

 

 

In 2009/2010 both Dublin and Melbourne introduced bike hire schemes. The schemes very similar except in Dublin helmet use was optional, and in Melbourne helmet use compulsory. Dublin was a success. Melbourne a flop.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1211.html

 

 

Over 20 states have adopted laws requiring youths to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. We confirm previous research indicating that these laws reduced fatalities and increased helmet use, but we also show that the laws significantly reduced youth bicycling. We find this result in standard two-way fixed effects models of parental reports of youth bicycling, as well as in triple difference models of self-reported bicycling among high school youths that explicitly account for bicycling by youths just above the helmet law age threshold. Our results highlight important intended and unintended consequences of a well-intentioned public policy.

http://www.nber.org/papers/w15658

[javadude]

 

 

Why so? Its the same in quite a few other countries, like the nanny state the UK and Denmark, Down to individual choice, as it should be, I personally recommend it at all times, but you are the one doing the breathing,

 

On the Ozzie programme Cycling Central that I watch every week (thanks to Cycletorrents) they had a feature on women cycling recently, the topic of commuting and compulsory helmet use came up, and it was something that put some women off commuting by bike, because it messed with their hair! Tis true!

 

Thats what I was trying to say.

[kosmonooit]

Thats what I was trying to say.

 

Okay that's not how I read it but anyway here in SA I think its more an issue of road safety and fear of premature death that keep most people off the roads in term of commuting. Also lets not forget the cultural aspects of cycling, in those countries in Europe it's more 'embedded' in the main stream culture as a means of transport.

 

For events / races they are a good idea, don't think the likes of Emily Batty ever bats an eyelid at the thought of messing up her hair when cycling.

[durbanjacques]

I just got back from the Netherlands yesterday. I never ever ride without a helmet in SA, and I just realised the whole time I was over there I didn't once wear one... I also never felt in any danger. I must however say that I was very thankful for the flat roads, I have am no stranger to heavy bikes but I am convinced that the Dutch bikes are made out of lead. Man those things are heavy.

[javadude]

Okay that's not how I read it but anyway here in SA I think its more an issue of road safety and fear of premature death that keep most people off the roads in term of commuting. Also lets not forget the cultural aspects of cycling, in those countries in Europe it's more 'embedded' in the main stream culture as a means of transport.

 

For events / races they are a good idea, don't think the likes of Emily Batty ever bats an eyelid at the thought of messing up her hair when cycling.

 

Agreed. There's a difference between a leisurely 2K ride on a dedicated cycle lane and sharing the road with PTSD suffering veterans of the struggle/border war and their kids/wives who cant wait for the opportunity show you that their car is harder than your body.

[kosmonooit]

Agreed. There's a difference between a leisurely 2K ride on a dedicated cycle lane and sharing the road with PTSD suffering veterans of the struggle/border war and their kids/wives who cant wait for the opportunity show you that their car is harder than your body.

 

Yup there is a lot of agro on the roads here, and its all fuel for the fire, the bad energy permeates to everyone else, people drive very selfishly, no one gives way, cyclists are generally never given any rights on the road by car users.

 

One thing I try do is acknowledge a motorist who does stop for me when I have right of way at a round-about or where ever, I think that creates a bit of a positive feedback which helps to make things just a little better. Sadly the converse is true, when someone pulls or turns in front of me and I have to stop to avoid impact/certain death, I let them know my displeasure by hand gestures and sometimes a curse, but I fear one day its going to be one of those doodz on the edge of sanity and self-control who is packing a .45 and who is going to retort violently,