[Ep. 158] The Netherlands is well known for its excellent cycling infrastructure. How did the Dutch get this network of bicycle paths?

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    Read more: http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/how-the-dutch-got-their-cycling-infrastructure/
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    44 Comments

    1. "But that that was possible without a decrease in quality of life"
      wow… a politician figuring out you can change things without austerity… i would cycle around the world to get one of those elected…

    2. This is the best answer to the question if other citties in the world can change their traffic-infrastructure. They can!! That is the most important quality of the Netherlands, the will to change. This video explains very well from a historical standpoint how it all came about. Why we have this phenomenal cycling/infrastructure. For all civil engeneers and citty-planners from all over the world; this video should be shown to your respective city-counsels!

    3. Watching this in Houston, oof. Wish we could find the will here. There are so many cyclists in Houston, most of them out of necessity – they deserve to be safe on the road

    4. Hi Mark, I'm a documentary producer doing a project on cycling and pedestrian safety around the world. I'd like to use sections of the historical footage in this video and in the other video you posted, De Pijp, Amsterdam 1972. Do you have any advice on how I can get a high resolution copy and copyright info? Thanks!

    5. 3:58 I can't believe these are the bike lanes America is still building in 2022. The Dutch figured out dedicated bike lanes were safer in the 70s and we still haven't caught on

    6. Wow that’s amazing history. The Netherlands did it right. Meanwhile I live in the US and am currently seeing astronomical gas prices all over the country, and stalling car traffic is bad everywhere. Meanwhile I’m just wizzing by on my Ebike. I wish that the US would get it together and make safe biking infrastructure like in the Netherlands so that if gas prices go way up again people would have a other option to get around their cities other than by car.
      And I also wish our public transportation was better too and not looked down upon. It’s so sad that so many are either ignorant or too entitled to see that there is nothing wrong with using public transit or bike commuting. For me as a bike rider I try to find pathways where I am not near cars, because anytime I see a road with busy car traffic it makes me nervous, and scared and I don’t feel safe at all. Also not having proper cycling infrastructure makes my bike rides less enjoyable. I love riding my bike but I’m constantly hoping that I don’t get hit by a car or fall off my bike in the middle of car traffic.

      I can see how it’s more enjoyable and relaxing to live and bike ride in the Netherlands because most of their bike paths are totally separated from car traffic and that’s how it should be in the US and Canada too.

    7. I'm trying to think of how I can use this to sell my municipality on more cycling infrastructure, but I keep hearing "single family houses are the best". I think I need a supplemental historical reason, anyone have any suggestions?

    8. The funny thing is, we have a huge Dutch historical community in west Michigan. So much so that we have a fake Holland here. And you know what? They all drive around in pickup trucks and look at you angrily if you ride a bike on "their roads", which look exactly like typical American roads with giant parking lots and suburban big box stores. But I've heard people say the Michigan Dutch are the Dutch that were not wanted in the actual Holland. So I guess that makes sense.

    9. I just went for a bike ride. I started out in Utrecht, went through Nieuwegein, followed the river a bit (Lek) and then meandered back home. Especially this last part is bike paths only! Sometimes not even a car in sight, sometimes "Bike lanes, cars are guests here".
      I am still amazed by what I find, and how easy it is to cycle for two hours, hardly any traffic lights to slow me down either.
      Bridges to get across canals (Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal, Merwedekanaal) but also across major highways around Utrecht.
      Bikes rule! (Yes, I have a car and it is very bored.)

    10. The World can learn a lot from The Netherlands. Fresh air comes with less traffic and healthy people. No wonder the Dutch are taller healthy and its one of the happier countries on Earth.🥰

    11. In 1973, the oil crisis turned the Netherlands to encourage cycling. In 1973, the USA forced the states to allow right turns on red, to "save on gasoline", and resulted in the doubling of pedestrian deaths.

    12. Here in Germany, they continue to build cycling infrastructure which is known to be unsafe and there is little effort to make it a network. Then the cities boast about how many kilometers of cycling infrastructure, even though they decreased safety and none of it is connected.

    13. I've watched this video way too many times because it is still a pipe dream where I am. However, optimism prevails as I work on a local project to restore a street back to a place for all the community.

    14. 3,5 m bike lanes in the mid-70s, wow… German bike lanes back then would be taking 80 cm (!) off the sidewalk – a few of these you can still see (many turned back to the sidewalk, as the area is now 30 km/h and the cyclists are on the road). Later approaches use a multi use path (bike+pedestrian) if there's to little space. Only very new ones narrow the car lanes or at the absolut top remove parking on one side – but more than 1,6m per direction still only happens when they have absolutely no idea what else could be done with the space.

    15. "The then Prime Minister told the people of the Netherlands that this crisis was life changing, that they would have to change their ways and be less dependent on energy, but that that was possible without a decrease in the quality of life" I wish we had policitians that could show that sort of leadership in Ireland 2023.

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