We wanted to learn more about biking in the Netherlands and thought who better to turn to than Melissa and Chris Bruntlett. They took us on an enlightening bike tour through the city of Delft where they’ve been living for the past three years. You may already know the Bruntletts from their first book, Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, or from their extensive communications as advocates for sustainable transport. Learn more about the dynamic duo here: http://www.modacitylife.com/about.
#bikelanes #citybike #futurecity
Timecode:
0:00 What makes happiness?
0:30 Melissa and Chris Bruntlett
1:25 Delft, Netherlands before bicycle infrastructure
2:00 How to get children to school in Netherlands
2:50 Delivery drivers in The Netherlands
4:00 Reconstructing transportation systems in Netherlands
5:20 Bike parking in the Netherlands
7:00 Main bicycling parking structure in Delft, Netherlands
7:40 New York City bicycle parking
8:30 Biking and trains as transportation together
9:15 Understanding the traveling network
9:40 Netherlands created a blueprint for cycling infrastructure
10:40 Economics of traveling by bicycle
11:00 Bicycles get priority over cars
11:40 Bicycling creates more empathy and connection
12:30 Why are the Dutch so happy?
14:00 Feeling more connected with the community
15:30 Dangerous transportation infrastructure has to change
17:30 Why don’t the dutch wear helmets?
19:30 The Markt Delft, Netherlands
20:20 City center became low car
22:00 Cities give away valuable space to cars
23:00 Building the Cycling City
23:10 Curbing Traffic
23:30 How to reach out and help create change
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29 Comments
Some 30 years ago I was cycling to school from Huizen to Hilversum daily and one hot summer day I had shorts and a t-shirt on and then it started pouring down, but it wasn't cold, actually didn't mind at all getting wet. Then I saw a girl coming from a cycle path that merged on to mine and she was in this same situation, we were both happy and soaked. And boy did she look hot that way! So riding up the same direction we started talking and from the one came the other and she is now my wife. So yeah. social interaction and resilience, I'm 100% with you Chris!
17:30 – "Why don't the Dutch wear helmets?"
There was a study that showed that cars were passing closer to cyclists wearing helmets than those who didn't. Similar study showed that cars were passing closer to apparently male cyclists than apparently female cyclists.
Basically, car drivers are assholes.
A helmet doesn't save you when you are struck by a pickup truck.
It is entertaining to watch these three marginally competent bicyclists wobble through traffic, clearly oblivious to the risks they are taking because they haven't yet crashed and suffered the consequences of their inability. A friend sent me this link and after listening to the usual anti-helmet propaganda, I did some of my own research and there is a lot of info out there from the Dutch medical community begging bicyclists to wear helmets. 1/3 of Dutch bicycle injuries involve serious head injuries. And the usual anti-helmet goobers, like Wim Bot of the Dutch cycling union Fietsenbond, chant, "'It is a bad idea. Just promoting the idea that helmets should be worn strengthens the idea that cycling is not a safe activity in itself.'” Well, duh. It's pretty obvious that bicycling is not "safe," which is why you should develop skills and wear decent gear to protect yourself. If you want "safe," play video games.
In Canada it's considered weird if you mostly use your bike instead of car to get around
You can do your everyday cycling in NL without a bike because of the safe infrastructure, and because everyone is proficient at bicycling. A helmet requirement would actually lower the amount of people that use a bicycle, research has shown. But people still put on a helmet if they get on a race bike, and there's a growing sentiment for people to use helmets for electric bikes that can go up to 40km/hr.
if we are forced to choose between riding with a helmet and driving a car, we make the problem worse because more cars make bikes less safe. it is dangerous to ride without a helmet. a helmet has saved my head once or twice. but in a society built to be safe without them, i would ride without one.
Right off the bat, the comfort thing is so true. Forget about driving behavior (beyond ridiculous; I know folks who will rather drive or Uber 3 or 4 blocks on a nice day in a nice, walkable neighborhood than walk), one thing that always struck me was how reliant on pain medication a lot of white Americans are. I don't mean for actual pain, but I mean for the slightest sensation of discomfort
You can try to justify not wearing a helmet any way you want. You're still wrong. You can get a concussion or worse by falling and hitting your head, even if you were not moving. It might be a small chance in a safe place like Delft, but that one mistake means a head/brain injury you will regret. Why not just wear the helmet as a precaution?
Sound so soft i can't hear what you are saying even at 100% speaker volume. Fix it.
the audio quality bru what is this
This was a lot of fun!
Please keep in mind…it is not allowed to cycle with three people next to each other. Cyclists are only allowed to ride side by side in pairs.
Absolutely superb video, with such an honest and down to Earth common sense delivery. But then what would you expect from the Dutch people!
I haven't visited Delft for nearly 30years, but look forward to doing so again in a couple of weeks' time. Can't wait to see this wonderful town again, and all the improvements that have been made. Full marks to the Dutch people, we all have a lot to learn from you.
A car driver's insurance deems them automatically at fault if they hit a cyclist?! How come we haven't talked about that before?!! Wow
I'd be interested in the relationship ship between bike and buses. I.e is there less buses in Dutch towns because cycling is so predominant?
This is basically just 26 minutes of Dutch people talking about how happy they are.
for trains add one more train car .just for bikes not humans . it could solve your problem of not being able to carry peoples bikes with them on the train .
Dutch children are the happiest in the world according to a UNICEF report some years ago. Cycling had something to do with it, I belief. Something like independency. The report must be there somewhere. BicycleDutch has some awesome videos of children going to school on the bike. I like to watch them.
It's just more fun to get out there and ride your bike..!
Beautiful. I'm from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. It's just chaotic here. I drive a motorbike or moped as you guys call it, as well as a car. Although motorbike is better than a car as it has 4 times less carbon footprint, but bicycles look awesome, and I would surely want to make my contribution to make my city look like this. How do we get in touch?
I spent a month in Tokyo, Japan, when I was 15 years old, back in 1989. While occasionally I rode the subway around the city, I mostly took the bicycle that was at my great grandmother's house. I was able to ride from the village of Itibachi into Tokyo proper and all over the place from there. I had the time of my life mostly because everyone obeyed the traffic rules, and they were very considerate towards me on my bike. I never once felt unsafe and nervous. I wish American culture were like that.
My daily cycling route to my office looks even nicer in this video.
5:10…. love the little work van keeping a safe distance, not MGIFing
If people knew how much fun it is to go grocery shopping or any other errand on a bike the car dealers would be in trouble. I exaggerate of course but there's also a lot of truth in my statement.
another great side effect is that bike lanes are on overall an ideal skate/longboard surface.
i can kick push my board between cities without getting wiped out by cars, go deep into the countryside and still glide through in between cows, on dykes or through a forest…
never could do that in any other country i visited.
so if you like cruising on a deck, you can go nuts over here. 🙂
8:42 When I lived in Groningen and worked in Leeuwarden, I’d get to the train station by bike to catch a train. But actually, in Leeuwarden, the office was very close to the train station. Many financial institutions are located there. Banks, insurers, etc. So it’s not even always necessary to rent an “OV-fiets” for the final leg of the trip.
I live in Germany pretty close to the dutch border and it always fascinates me how the okayish german bike infrastructure turns instantly into the nicest bike path when crossing the border. In my view this is a good example of how having several huge car companies and their lobbyists in the country (and in office cough Volker Wissing) affect my personal every day life. I am happy there has been a slow shift in awareness in recent years and maybe some day there will be a bike parking garage at my local train station too.
I looooove this video. Am going to share it on my Facebook.
My American relatives visited us September 2022. The younger generation (daughters and in-law of my cousin) were totally smitten of Delft.
Residing in Rotterdam myself, Delft is a ten minutes drive.
I watch the videos of foreigners living in the Netherlands because they show me that what I see as „normal" and take for granted, is not that normal for the rest of the world.
„We are not made of sugar" 😂 yes, I know that expression.
Age 12 I attended junior high, in the city center, while we lived in the outskirts of Rotterdam. I had to cycle half an hour, through any weather condition. In the summer, no problem. During autumn (rain) or winter (snow, freezing, black ice) I had to go to school. No mercy, and no one felt sorry for me, since thousands of young students experience(d) the same.
Now I live on a busy street behind Rotterdam Central Station, with many schools near. So every morning and every afternoon I see many many groups of youngster commuting to/from school.
Helmets…. Finally I hear a good explanation on why helmets do not work, and are not accepted by the mainstream in the Netherlands. Personal safety is way less important than infrastructure.
Indeed, helmets give you a false sense of safety. It will withhold Dutch people from hopping on their bikes, for certain.
If it would help reduce deaths and injuries, I advise car drivers to put helmets and neck protection, since there are way more car accidents than bike accidents, with severe head and necks injuries to the people in these accidents.
In all the decades living in Rotterdam, I have seen bike accidents very rarely, while I saw a lot of car accidents.
Since the 90's the Netherlands strive to sink train tracks and -stations. Delft is one of those projects, but I can name many by heart.
In the 90's the train tracks from Rotterdam, to the south was sunk (because the rail passed a busy canal, which has priority over rail and road, so many delays). It was a five years project during which Rotterdam was cut open (literally) over 3 kilometers for five years. In five years in the 2010's Rotterdam got a new train station.
The new train station including a bicycle parking at the front for 8,000 bicycles.
At the back there was a parking created for 3,000 bikes.
That was not enough. So the parking at the back was extended (doubled), and at the front extra space was created.
Still not enough….
Can you imagine if these bikes were cars; that all these commuters came by car!🤔😳
Finally: I am amazed to see how you all know so much on the history of Dutch cities and the projects, the transitions through the past decades.
My sincere compliment and gratitude for these videos. 👌🏼🙏🏼