PART 2: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RXRQVcqZ-lU.html Thanks everyone for all the comments! I'm learning a lot from these conversations and am slowly working my way through!
Behaviour on the road is part of our education. As small children we are taught how to behave in traffic. First as pedestrians and cyclists and later in motorised vehicles.
Thanks for visiting our country and honouring our liberators. Two things: Our asfalt is so called ZOAB, "Zeer Open Asfalt Beton", which translates as "Very Open Asfalt Concrete". It is designed to let rainwater sink through immediately so it can be drained through and there is less spray. Drawback is that it has to be replaced more often, so that is why it appears so new and fresh. Secondly, the trams in Delft are not Delft trams, but The Hague ones. A couple of lines extend to Delft, which is only 10 kilometers or so. Nice video and hope to have you back soon!
@@snapgabit is indeed, and this type of pavement is quite specific for the Netherlands. As it doesn't get too often really cold over here (we are under the constant influence of the warm East side of the Atlantic) the highways rarely freeze up. Just spraying a brine of NaCl and CaCl will lower the freezing point sufficiently combined with the cars passing by that keep the mixture activated. On less frequent used roads this open top layer is not used. In neighbouring countries with less influence from the Atlantic you'll find more closed pavement, be it concrete or asphalt.
About Dutch road paving quality, there is a reason for that. The road is owned by someone, be it a municipality, province, waterboard or the state. They have a responsibility to maintain their roads as well as a responsibility to use the safest possible design available at the time of design of that stretch of road. This responsibility is also reflected in the fact that if there is an incident that is caused by poor maintenance or bad design, the owner of a road can be held liable or even at fault. So if there is a pothole in the street you live on, you call the municipality to report that pothole. If your elderly neighbour on their e-bike then hits that pothole, falls and breaks their hip, they can hold the municipality liable for their medical expenses and damage to their bicycle, as the municipality knew about the pothole and has the responsibility to fix it as soon as possible. By the same token if a road was originally designed for 80km/h and the speed is reduced to 50km/h, they also have to change the layout of the road to reflect this new speed limit. If a road blatantly invites speeding, and an incident happens, the owner of that road can again be held liable or even at fault for that incident, because their design wasn't up to scratch. If they repave a road, it needs to be updated to the latest guidelines, lest the owner is put at risk of liability. This financial and possible criminal liability for road owners makes them be a lot more cautious with their designs. If the SWOV or CROW suggests that a new design could objectively be more safe, then not making those changes to the design puts the road owner at risk of liability. Designing a road like in the US, where speed limits are set at the 85th percentile, is considered horrible design here. It rarely happens and when it does you can rest assured that the Fietsersbond (Bicyclists union) or Veilig Verkeer Nederland (lobby group for traffic safety) will loudly complain about it. And there is always that small, yet vocal minority, who will accuse politicians of being child murderers if they make things unsafe for kids riding their bicycle. Which is tantamount to political suicide, at least for local politicians. So they are not a fan of badly designed roads either.
one of the big changes the made was "deregulation" along with the legal responsibility on the road owner removing a "shield" of that is CODE compliant as there is NO CODE there is a group that ONLY monitors and researches road designs for quality and safety and input into the "CROW" manual that is a list of suggestions / best KNOWN practices and NOT a CODE BOOK also the 85% rule is ACTUALLY applied in the Netherlands BUT the opposite of as done in the USA they design the SPEED of the road and follow backwards to BUILD a road that 85% of drivers will naturally drive the chosen speed because of a road is "to fast" and drivers drive the "road speed" and cause an accident then the ROAD owner is responsible
This is fantastic information. I work for a philanthropy involved in these issues in Canada. Would you have source documents to dig into this or key search terms so I could dig further and push at our policy people?
About traffic education: Dutch kids get mandatory "verkeersles" (traffic lessons) during primary education, starting with basics at about age 4 (group 1), and ending with a theoretical and practical bike exam in group 7 or 8 (which is usually age 10-12).
The numbers and arrows at 8:30 are not numbered routes but point to numbered intersections. It allows you to follow (safe) cycling routes without having to constantly look at a map. You only need a list of the numbers. It is a Belgian invention. For North America, such a system could be useful to be able to cheaply plot safe cycling routes parallel to busy roads through quiet streets.
@@lbergen001 Thats the nice thing about dutch road design they don't have that not designed here bias if it works somewhere else we are happy to nick the idea (and adapt and improve upon it if thats possible).
I like how you noted the fact that people at Dutch intersections communicate through eye contact in order to know if they can safely cross or not, I've never really seen any other urbanist channel mention that detail, but it really is an important part of getting around in the Netherlands, and it's one of the reasons why the giant cars in North America seem so insane to me.
One of the weird things that makes this Canadian uncomfortable is when cars actually slow and stop WELL BEFORE they need to when they see bikes coming to a crossing near us where the fietspad has priority on the uncontrolled crossing. Like, I feel I need to speed up to close the distance to the crossing because they're already stopped for 10 seconds before I get to the crossing. I don't think that I really notice eye contact with drivers, though. I can barely make out the faces behind the reflective glass, honestly.
@@RichardMurrayyou have to be dutch driver yourself to get it... Most dutch drivers akso ride bikes and are therefore looking at the bicyclists to see if they are looking at them Hope that makes sense
Lol, this is actually a question on the dutch driver's exam. Do you proceed 1) when you make eye contact 2) when the other person slows down/stops. Hint: One makes you guess about whether the other person is gonna stop and the other directly tells you. Eye contact doesn't mean anything or maybe they think you are hot! Or they want to stare you down!
One thing I missed is the importance of road design to slow down vehicles. Narrowing roads, and adding visual clues will make drivers use the appropriate speed.
@@humanecitiesIMHO that is the NUMBER ONE thing North America gets wrong with a "build fast/safe regulate slow I remember in the 90s when I first had my licence/car and lived in Vancouver driving down I5 into SEATTLE there is a underground tunnel and everyone would slowdown "AUTOMAJICALLY" no signage nothing everyone just slowed down me included that did not know the "speed traps" - IT WAS the tunnel removing LONG "safety zones" and made drivers FEEL less safe so they slowed down seen videos of in Germany they will INTENTIONALLY plant trees closer to the road when approaching a side street and put curves in the road "for no reason" again to cause people to SLOW DOWN and pay attention
This man just randomly decided to go to the of the most random small backwater cities in all of the Netherlands, and is still praising everything. Glad to see my little city of Weert was able to still bring some people some fun.
but Weert has indeed better infrastructure than 99% of cities in the world, as does Emmen or Vlissingen or Doesburg or Ridderkerk or any other random midsize Dutch city anywhere.
I am with you brother! I feel the same coming from Hengelo Overijssel.But it's nice if there are outsiders that appreciate certain aspects of our lives and culture here!
while a lot of cities in europe have similar layouts and pedestrian (and cyclist) infrastructure, the advanced traffic calming measures are what sets the dutch apart. Its clear just how much care was put into making drivers hyperaware of their surroundings and emphasizing the importance of pedestrian safety in their cities.
as a driver in the netherlands i can say it is generaly verry clear where the next "conflict" with other roadusers is and gives me time to come up with a solution
With you taking the train to Delft, I feel I should add something about the new train tunnel that was opened there a few years ago, which was a really cool project, for two reasons. First of all they removed this big railtrack running through the city, but the second reason, and the most important reason why the project was so cool is that they had to move an old dutch windmill including the warehouse attached to it, out of the way , so they just lifted the whole thing up, 17th century foundations and all, by a meter, and dug the tunnel underneath it. Just because we want to relieve the people of delft from an eyesore and noise pollutant, it doesn´t mean we have to destroy what has been preserved for centuries.
Thanks for sharing your trip, really interesting to see a nuanced and thoughtful comparison of Calgary and other places in Alberta to the Netherlands, looking forward to the next part!
Nearsighted signals have another advantage. They enable smarter traffic controls, with, for example, only green for directions with traffic and small or even negative clearance times. Which leads to shorter waiting times for all traffic participants.
During my time in elementary school in the Netherlands we had a “bike riding exam” we had to ride our bikes through a certain route of about 2/3km following instructions and learn about all the different scenarios that can occur on the road.
The Dutch style setup of an intersection in Calgary makes me very happy. ❤ But when seeing this at 10:37 , it makes me mad that the striping on the road is worn off. It give me the impression the cars have taken it over again. Why it is not maintained properly???
Temperatures are very different between Canada and The Netherlands. I grew up in BC, where -25 is still inviting enough to spend the day outside having fun, but when my cowboy rancher brother-in-law came to the Netherlands during the winter, he was shocked at just hold cold a measly -2 really was. He didn't go anywhere without gloves, a scarf and a silly toque. We don't do any ice fishing here, but it gets cold enough to make a Ukranian-Canuck shiver uncontrollably.
I never heard this before and I find this very interesting. Is this like the heat in Southern countries being different because of the humidity? Or is it because of the wind?
@@carmenl163 Humidity is the main factor, yes. And the wind chill factor on top of that makes -2 feel like -20 in your underwear. Take away the wind, add some snow, and at -2 all the little Dutch kids are outside. But warmly dressed.
As a dutchie, the coldest i have ever experienced was in Calgary. About -20 celcius with wind chill. The Netherlands weather can be unpleasant, but not like that.
@@rienkhoek4169 Oh yeah, no doubt it gets real cold in Alberta. BC right now is having a hard time too, and the further north you go, the more deadly it gets. Think of Finland and the rest of the North Circle.
Omg that around the bend placement haha. Also this year I started to e bike in the winter, yes I did bike in the -36/-40 C this week and it was fine after proper dressed.
You CAN import driving habits. At the core of everything you've seen here is the Road Traffic Law of 1994. This changed it so the driver of a motor vehicle is presumed liable during an accident with a non-motor vehicle. This changed the behavior of all road users almost overnight (give or take a few years) more than any of the physical infrastructure did. Of course this change in law itself was only a part of a greater trend but if you want to make changes, getting to that hurdle is an important part. I loved your video, loved the comparison shots between your beautiful country and mine.
Well, and the 2008 law change that put all license plate numbers into a database that insurers and police have acces to, so being uninsured results in automatic fines. It got rid of 'ghost cars' and the amount of uninsured untraceable drivers (who can commit crimes and crashes without consequences) went from 6% to 0,4%. The only ones who voted against were CDA, CU, SGP. Nearly all remaining uninsured drivers are religious nutjobs.
@1:22 Well, actually that is the North Sea beach, and an Atlantic beach is about 1000km away in West France ;-) Also, fun to see a city different than cities in the Randstad and typical exception Groningen in an urbanist video. Biking to Germany would have been a bit more heavy duty, but still possible btw :)
used ti live in Edmonton and had to take a truck to Calgary left Edmonton dressed for -40 it was plus5 in Calgary I needed to leave or get undressed as I was being boiled alive
The best response to "It is too cold to have a bicycle city" is just one word, one name: Oulu! Oulu, the city built for bicycles. The city noone heard about, in any other context. But also, the city, only 150km south of the artic circle.
In Calgary I've seen bicyclists out even at -40 and in snowstorms. There's no such thing as "too cold" just not dressing properly for the cold. If we can spend all day skiing, skating and other winter sports, there's really no excuse why we can't bike
@@LoneHowlerYeah. In the Netherlands it never gets really cold in winter, but still most winters have at least some days with icy roads. You definitely notice less people are willing to go outside on bike or even in a car, but as a child and teenager I’ve cycled on snowy and icy bike paths to get to school. And yeah, I’ve definitely slipped on those icy days. Even kids who lived 30+ bike minutes from school would generally still go by bike those days.
Some thoughts: 1. The canals between the farmplots are used to manage water levels in case of heavy rainfall and drought. In dry areas, digging ditches between acres of farmland, and planting trees and hedges, can improve water retention a lot, and also provide windshade which will help retain fertile top soil in dry and windy areas. Its honestly whack people dont do this in north America and just use more irrigation water instead. That costs a lot of money. 2. The roads look freshly paved because they are. We spend a ridiculous amount of money on road infrastructure. And the wear and tear is still pretty bad because of the massive amounts of trucks driving from the ports, mostly to Germany. We have very high road taxes and gasoline taxes and even an extra 30% tax on cars, but it still isnt sufficient to pay for the road maintenance, it has to be supplemented from other tax sources from people who might not even own a car, like me. 3. The raised pedestrian crossings not only (legally) indicate right of way for pedestrians, but also function as speed bumps for cars even when no one is crossing, so they are a very cheap and effective dual purpose solution for traffic calming. 4. Letting the grass and weeds grow on the roadbanks instead of mowing them constantly provides a big increase in biodiversity, with slower growing plants getting a chance instead of just grass, thistles and nettleweed. These plants in turn provide food and shelter for more types of insects and birds, and it saves the municipalities a lot of money on mowing. 5. Having the pedestrian and bike lane crossings set further back from the intersection reduces traffic accidents by a significant margin compared to having them closer. For the drivers, the bikes are coming from a less than 90 degree angle so you can see them in your peripheral vision, and it creates more distance between the bikers and the cars coming from the intersection so they can see the cars coming as well. In many cases, on less busy roads, this eliminates the need for stop lights for the bike lanes completely, as the bikes can simply wait a few seconds and cross to the center embankment when no cars are coming from the left, and then cross the second lane when there are no cars coming from the right. This improves traffic flow a lot. Additionally, the traffic lights for cars on such intersections are default to always be on red, forcing oncoming cars to slow down, and then turn green when you are approaching the intersection at low speed, if there are no other cars crossing from other directions. 6. In may areas, putting heavy equipment on barges in the canals provides a more stable base than trying to put a crane that weighs more than 10 tonnes on the soft peet soil that most of the low parts of the country have. They would quite literally sink into the ground. The barges can also be moved without having to pack up the crane.
Pretty sure the canals between farm plots do NOT retain water, they are meant for 'water afvoer' / drainage. All farm land in our polders have canals designed to DRAIN water from the farmland. That's why we get into trouble during droughts, our water infrastructure isn't designed to retain ( enough ) water.
He says extreme cold causes wear and tear on the roads, but that's not true. The worst weather for roads is wet during the day, where water enters cracks, and frost during the night
About point 2: the trucks and vans that cause most damage to the roads, are bringing stuff to the shops you buy it from. Because of this, the average consumer causes waaay more damage to infrastructure than I do driving my tiny Suzuki Alto to work everyday for 20km. But I pay all the extra taxes...
Lol mate, Dutch water management is worse than in the US. We cause an artificial drought every year to please the millionaire farmers who want to dump manure even in winter using the heaviest machines. The US nor Canada does do such an extreme winter pump-out, so by virtue of doing nothing their water management defeats ours, which is actively doing harm. And no way to change that because the water boards are anti-democratic, with the millionaire farmers given automatic seats on the board without elections.
I never expected to see Weert in an urbanism video! Weert usually gets a bad wrap here because of the empty shops, the not so very walk friendly spaces and the poor public transit but you showed me that if Weert is bad in our eyes then we are maybe truly spoiled. :) Thank you visiting our little country. If you ever visit again, really try Groningen, Den Haag, Eindhoven and Maastricht as they all are completely unique in their own way. 👋
Glad you had a great trip there! When I was last there, I also rarely took the local trams, buses, or metro, as the cycling network makes them kind of irrelevant for a lot of trips 😅
@@humanecitiesI say that about Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. Of course, our network isn't as good at most of the Netherlands but it's good enough to get around almost anywhere safely if you are okay with sometimes taking a less direct route. We also have a local app (that's looking to expand) that gives you directions by comfort level. It's great and I have discovered trails and protected infrastructure that I was unaware of before.
Most of us use the bicycle for trips in town or the city, depending on where you live, and outside town for up to 5 or 10km and above that we use public transport. In my town of 20,000 this means only the bus, the nearest train station is 15km away. We have a bus to the station on a 30 min schedule and during rush hour every 15minutes. If I go out in Utrecht or Amsterdam and take the last train 00:18 to this station, I’m home at 01:10. If I go to Rotterdam and take the last train back at 23:35 to this station, I’m also home at 01:10. If I’m later, because it is a nice party or a late movie or theatre, I have to travel via Amsterdam Central Station by night train (hourly service), take the city bus night service (30min service) to Amsterdam Arena station and then by regional night bus (also hourly service) to home, but they only ride during weekends and they take 30minutes longer to get home. I often hear complaints about our public transport, but it really is good. And we have a national public transit card, so valid in the whole country for every kind of public transport, train, metro, tram, bus, waterbus, ferry and water taxi. You can also check in and check out with a credit card or debit card instead of the PT card. I own a car but hardly use it privately, only for work.
Thanks for visiting the Netherlands. You're actually one of a few American/Canadian content creators that goes outside of Amsterdam to see the rest of the Netherlands
Yes, the tourist choices of this trip are pretty amazing, espacially if your starting point is Weert - of all places. Antwerp, Belgium, is obviously great, and Kinderdijk is obligatory for foreigners ( Dutch people rarely go there; I have never been there!) but kudos for the person / people who came up with Sint Oedenrode and Ammerzoden. What a wonderfully random selection! Your observations were generally quite insightful and spot on! Well done. Anything we can do, you can too!
Nice video- happy for you brother! And again just a little shoutout- thank you so much for doing wht the Canadians have done and sacrificed during WW2. Never forget!
1:37 Actually, Calgary is on a more southern latitude than most (if not all) of the netherlands but it's quite close, so in fact we get just about the same amount of sunlight. Just that canada, unlike europe, doesn't have the gulf stream. That is the reason the west coast of Europe is unusually warm, even though we're on the same latitude as most of canada
I stumbled upon your video by coincidence, but never expected to see my hometown (Weert) in it. For Dutch terms, Weert is a very normal city. Because it is a small town, the simple infrastructure applies, like the intersection with the cars going around each other. In cities with more traffic, these intersections wouldn't work as well (for example in Munich, Germany). The Netherlands in general has a very good infrastructure focused on cyclist and pedestrians, but this is in the whole of the Netherlands. I think this mainly works because all the people, shops and work are so closely together, which makes biking and public transport an option (together with the weather being not to extreme). Also the very well tuned traffic lights, which 'Not just bikes' made a very nice video about help with the nice flow of traffic. You were very accurate about Weert and the infrastructure, and I do fully agree that the lower speeds and the smaller cars make for a very safe environment. But I don't think an average North-American would acknowledge that XD. If you do happen to come back to Weert, make sure to ask for the 'Turbo-Rotonde' (turbo-roundabout), which I think is the most special piece of infrastructure in Weert (with the bike lane going under it). Also not all cities have such a beautiful church (with a beautiful history) + so much low-rise buildings. So I think for even more unique infrastructure there are tons of other cities too (ps. we also tunnels underneath rivers and bridges for nature over the highway).
You have to adopt it for canada but most shops are where a lot of people live so most of that part can be designed relaticly the same ofcourse you have to take little things as climate and elevation into account. And ofcourse how to make youre city accesable for prople that need to come well not really into it but close to i by car.
5:56 is a good underrated reason why this inter-comodal transportation thing you were on about also works easier here. The kid on the bike with her mother is already looking to her right to see if the road is clear. You literally grow up using the roads and infrastructure. You learn what those shark teeths are on the road and how to yield to people. The basics of right of way is basically naturally ingrained in your brain from a young age. Switching to a car as an adult, you still know there are bikers and other road users out there. And you know where they are, how they move, etc. It is easier to predict traffic and have it be safer. I imagine in North-America, you do not really use the infrastructure as a kid to this extend. You only start learning when you start driving a car. To then also have to share the road with users that are not in a car would be a hard switch to make at first. Probably unsafe in the beginning
My neighbourhood in Edmonton has some of those raised crosswalks, so I treat those streets as ripped up and removed, so I drive my car all the way around the interior of the neighbourhood on the collector road that rings it. We also now have curbs jutting out into the roadway at random locations, reducing parking and making snow removal difficult, ineffective, and expensive.
Yeah, you can feel it. So the climate or cars are not the excuse why The Netherlands has better roads. It really is that Belgium and Canada simply don't have a budget for maintenance.
Regarding education programmes: the Dutch get cycling lessons in school. Not learning to cycle (that's a job for parents), but lessons in getting around traffic by bike. It's usually for 11-12 year olds, right before they start going to a next level of school (middelbare school), which a lot of Dutch kids do by bike in another town/city. It's not uncommon to have to bike for 30-60 minutes to school when you're 12-17.
Can Canada become more like Netherlands? Maybe, maybe not. Can Montreal and especially my neighbourhood become more like Amsterdam? Yes and that’s what i care more about, at least on a day to day basis. Change needs to happen in the cities, especially needs to start from the core of Canadian cities because they really don’t have the density excuse.
You’re right! I’m not looking to ride my bike from Calgary to Edmonton, but around Calgary? ABSOLUTELY! I look forward to seeing how Canadian cities improve over the coming decades!
Great video! I’m from Calgary and I wish we had more walkable neighborhoods and better light rail systems that do east west connecting the x shape of light rail we currently have
6:14 This median wouldn't work here, because my 8.9L Cummins Diesel lifted dually pickup truck (that I only use the capability once per month at Costco, but still drive it around everywhere) doesn't fit. /s
@@humanecities In all seriousness, so many people think that shopping at Costco saves them money. I was the same way back in the States shopping at BJ's. But when you factor in the gas, extra driving, and time of your life it takes to navigate their parking lot and traffic in the area, are you really coming out on top? I'd venture to say that paying $0.10 more for a banana at a grocery store you can walk to saves you more and leads to a higher quality, healthier (with fresher foods), and more peaceful way of life. Also can give you more of a personality than "Have you seen the gas prices" or "sorry I'm late, was stuck in traffic" or "the city needs to do something about these potholes". Conversations for me have never been the same since my orange pill. Everyone just seems like they serve their automotive master instead of them being the ones in charge of their life.
@@AustinSersen I personally AVOID all the big groceries and WALMART and go with the "smaller" groceries as I am in and out LONG before someone is 1/2 done with dealing with walmart parking lot
I find it funny that at 5:46 you praise an intersection that I, as a Dutch traffic engineer and RU-vidr view as a outdated design. For dutch standards this intersection is quite dangerous for pedestrians. there could have been done much more to protect the cyclists and to slow the cars down.
about the biking in cold weather: its actually amazing! as long as its dry (snow is dry), biking is pretty nice, as long as the road is cleaned/salted. Biking in rain is awful, but biking in any below 0 temp is pretty good, as long as you dress for it. You keep yourself warm anyway!
3:48 temperature changes quiclky here aswell... when Beatrix celebrated her last year as Queen, I came out of nightshift at 6 am and had to scratch ice off my window of my car...-5 degrees Celcius 27 april..went home, to bed, slept untill 1,30 pm and could walk outside in shorts and t-shirt because it was +24 degrees Celsius
regarding our highways, we repave them every few years, we do maintenance every night when nobody is driving and we have innovative asphalt mixtures which makes highways extremely durable. it's not really our climate, it's that we take good care of our road in general, look at the shoulders next to the highway and you'll see that they're perfectly clean instead of being full of garbage like in the US.
@@humanecities yup that too, it’s all part of our efficient working culture, we were the first ones to replace people and horses in agriculture with machines that ran on steam, we’re still one of the world’s efficient ones. All of this creates well thought out and integrated systems that make everything for everyone most pleasant and we also strive to always improve, that’s also the reason why our traffic lights are so efficient and why road projects get finished in time here, because people have no patience and that’s a good thing.
@@miles5600 thanks for the insight have to say not having as many "miles" of road PER PERSON makes it a LOT cheaper per person to PAY for the roads and aren't the Dutch the ONLY road network 100% covered with street lighting?
Awesome! Calgary is a great place! I made this video seeing some tourist attractions: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sADlQXGuzo4.htmlsi=QMaDnkdko8P_bkFf There are many more things to see, too! I love sharing my city with people, to please ask if you have any questions!
Nice to see a comparison video in which not Amsterdam is featured for a change (and I'm saying that as someone from there). Now that you've cycled in both the Netherlands and in Belgium, how did those two countries compare infrastructure wise in your opinion?
If the roads look like they are freshly paved, that is because they are. In the netherlands investment in road maintenance is enormous. And a lot of it is done during the night, so not to disturb the daily trafic.
Good on you to go to Weert; it probably gives you a better representation of "the Dutch experience" than Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the like. Amsterdam especially is considered a bit of a universe of its own around here, so it can be frustrating that its the only city a lot of North Americans ever sample.
From the Dutch wikipedia, "zeer open asfalt" is used on the main roads. It is especially optimized to have better drainage and sound propagation qualities, however it wears must faster than normal asphalt. But you can compare our roads with belgium at a certain border crossing, the difference can be huge. My guess is that in NL roads are just much more regularly maintained than anything.
4:25 from freezing to shorts .. we have that in Netherlands aswell, more like desert without the sand dunes... nights freezing literally and daytime t-shirt and shorts weather is typical in early spring. Summers often have lower temp then Phoenix Arizona, or Ankara in Turkye, but the humidity and lack of wind makes it feel like a tropical rainforrest without the actual forrest. And 4 seasons in one day..the cnases are 50-50 all year every day 24-7
The grassy tram lanes in Delft and other places are not just looking good... they have a purpose. There are more and more rain showers occuring and at times the amount of water was so huge that streets started to flood. One of the problems was that the streets were all paved, so the water couldn´t go anywhere. The grass helps to let the water go away much quicker. For the same reason the Dutch transferred many buildings in dual purpose buildings, so they now also can store water. Many of the ´odd´ things you see in the Netherlands have some way to do with water...
3:25 yes agreed, but just like in Sweden where is was this week -43, here in Netherlands -10 feels like -30 due to wind filled with moisture, so just alone the tem. doesn't say much.. just like summers here in Netherlands....temp shoots up to +35, but when you are in turkey having +35 it is much more barable due to dryer air. Summer in Netherlands with these temperatures is like walking in a sauna with the same amount of moisture as a tropical rainforest
Fun fact about the road condition. We pay a lot more road tax as car owners than in Canada. Secondly our highway maintenance is different. It’s much slower per kilometer and in bad weather we just don’t pour the asphalt. Therefore the quality is as good as it can get from the start
I am in Netherlands for about a year now and while i like the country i wouldnt want to live here. Despite i generally enjoy rain, there is something i like more and it is snow and cold weather. I miss it. I should definitely try to visit Canada some day.
My 10yo is in groep 7 in a Dutch public school (grade 5 in Canadian) and they do bike training and they get a diploma. They're not being taught how to ride a bike - they all know how by the time they're in school, honestly. At least half the kids live within 1-2 km and bike alone every day. The diploma is about responsibilities, teaching signage, and how to know who has the right of way.
The bottom line is density. Since the 50’s cities in the US and Canada where designed for cars which in the beginning wasn’t that bad but as cities kept growing with low density single use or zoning development, they ended up generating suburban sprawl which is the least efficient model of urban development.
Yep! One of my friends recently pointed out that the more people drive cars in a city, the worse it is for everyone. Whereas the more people take transit, the better it is for everyone!
To be fair, the Netherlands on average is basically a suburbanized North American city density wise (I'm simplifying, but in general this is strue). That's actually one of the problems our public transit has. There isn't generally the density to invest in anything other than buses or trains.
The biggest reason why roads are better here in the Netherlands has to do with road maintenance, an asphalt road only lasts about 25 years, and after that time is passed the layout gets repaved. That's also how we built good cycling infrastructure without having to spend a ton of money to do it. When a road is due for replacement, you also look into improving it.
Actually, it is about the weather. Here in Finland, roads can get into bad shape in as little as 5 years. First, the temperature changes cause the asphalt to change in size and crack, and large, sometimes deep holes appear. Second, studded tires really do wear the roads down. If a Finnish asphalt road would be without repaving for 25 years, it would be undriveable.
That intersection in Canmore, Alberta looks interesting - however it's a common misunderstanding to call this "Dutch style", as there is a lot more to them than only offset bike lanes and near-sight traffic lights. To be honest, this one (except for the impressive width of the bike lanes) looks more like what Germany would have build in the 1990s when two "Bundesstraßen" (federal highways) intersect… Wide turning radius, wide lanes, only dotted lines for the bike lane.
Have you seen the intersection of Home Road and Bowness Road in NW Calgary (Montgomery Neighbourhood)? That's what I'd consider Calgary's first Dutch-style intersection.
I'm a born and raised Calgarian and have only owned and driven a car for 2 years here, I'm 55 now. I ride, walk or take transit(least of all). I spent 15 years as a bike courier in the core and have found this city to be very unfriendly to bikes until the city recently started to make it far more bicycle friendly, not that the drivers care though. I completely agree that the training of motorist in Calgary is abysmal, I've had Driving instructors with a student squeeze past me in my lane on the road, nobody is ever told that the Alberta Highway and Traffic Safety Act and the Calgary Bylaws state a "Bicycle on is to behave as a motor vehicle and be treated as such on the road" This essentially means I am to behave in the same manner as a Motorcyclist is required to, and I am to be given the same courtesy as a motor vehicle on the road.
You’re right about things getting better, and that many people are unfamiliar with the rules. I think we’ll be needing to change legislation, as well as, infrastructure - for anyone getting around using any mode. We’ll get there! I’m happy to have you here!
Snow is not an excuse for not cycling. Not just bikes by a fellow Canadian shows how the people in Oulu Finland have winter bicycle infrastructure that is better than in the Netherlands.
Unless I'm going crazy, the images between 6:20 and 6:30 are not Calgary but Victoria, BC, where I live. Thank you for your videos. They are interesting and important.
The clock towers as a way to get around is an interesting thing. There is a video on how Paris city center is designed with churches, towers and monuments as navigation points for people to recognize where in the city they are to make it easier to get around.
8:32 These posts don't show cycling routes but rather the junctions on the cycling network you showed here 8:39. However, they are intended for leisure or tourist biking, they are not used to get from A to B. I think what's very good but not easily noticed in Holland is: 1) Eye contact is always made, which I think is quite essential for road safety 2) The crossings sometimes look chaotic, but dutch cyclists have a very good understanding of the traffic rules. What you see is not courtesy from cars to cyclists, it's just cars and cyclists following the traffic rules. 3) Since everybody grew up cycling from A to B before they had a driving license, all car drivers are also "former cyclists", so there is there is a good understanding for how a cyclist behaves in traffic, also indicated by the fact that people don't walk in bike lanes 4) The cycling network is "complete" in the sense that you can get anywhere on the bike, and there are special signs for cycle traffic. I once rode from Utrecht to my hometown Venlo, all that it takes is to know the names of the major cities along the route, for the rest you can just rely on the red signs. Now that I've moved away from Holland I really miss the excellent cycling network, clearly laid out intersections and (relatively) educated drivers, that makes you feel totally safe in traffic. In terms of cycling network, I think Holland is "world class".
3:45 that is actually crazy. going from the coldest summer in The Netherlands to the average summer here in 1 hour. and at 6:05 you have some ultra rare footage of a BMW owner actually using their blinkers. I did not even know they had those.
@@humanecities here you cannot ignore it because you have two options (next to the given fine): or you rip off the tinting wrap on the spot or and if that is not possible, they take your registration and you have to have your car checked after you remove the wraps in order to get your registration back
I'm a local from Weert, The Netherlands And for a city that small they have a decent infrastructure. But wherever you live,, you still need to look out I've seen lots of influences how the North American road layout can change but I think in time to come they will get to the same awesome living standards on street as we have
@NotJustBikes (a Canadian living in The Netherlands) , released a video not that long ago about difference in climate. His response: even people in Scandinavia can bike with winters like in Canada. I asked him if urban planners ever consulted him. He said that they know very well how to do there job, it's mostly the city council how counteract them financially. Looking forward for the sequel.
For your next trip: Houten and Utrecht. Houten is a great example of engineering for cycling and Utrecht has a fantastic parking for bicycles at the central train station.
I’ve been thinking about that, and what might work well instead. Do you have another thing in Helsinki that works better? Or course, I think well designed streets are always the best option for traffic calming.
9:03 Oh dear, I guess you got to go back to the Netherlands. Haha! 😆 I need to go back to get some better footage. I unfortunately didn't get my GoPro in time before I visited in 2022 and I was scared recording with my phone on my bike (I didn't want to get a ticket) so the footage is shaky at best. 😬 My still clips are much better and I just starting to organize it a bit more for a future video.
Its interesting you mention the smaller vehicles, because vehicles in the Netherlands have also only been getting bigger year by year. I don't really think it in the hands of the consumer. Also just very recently our policies changed on letting boulevards grow more in the spring and summer. This never was the case.
Sure you can. Best is starting a brand new city. And even that can go wrong. Do check the history of LELYSTAD, that is very interesting when you know planology. It would be a clover four shape, but ended up half the size. Then you got a city center that is off center. Another great concept was keeping cars and slow traffic (cyclers, pedestrians) completely seperated. All road crossings involve bridges, giving slow traffic a seperate level, there. Can you imagine the problems? The detours because you can't have an expensive bridge everywhere? Well, do check Lelystad. There was a Middle School too, by the way, which is pretty unique in the Netherlands. Okay? This is no joke, do check Lelystad history. It is a very special story. I hope you already know it. If you don't, it really is a shame. On you, yes. 😅
I'm Dutch-Australian and have spent half my life in each. Australian urban planning is very similar to Canadian or US - all 3 automobiel dependant. The stark differences you point out in The Netherlands depends, I think, on 2 main factors. 1. POPULATION DENSTY is extremely high, not only across the whole country and also within the cities themselves. In the Netherlands always I walk to the supermarket or to other shops and stores for my daily needs because everything is close by (or many people just hop on their bike). Taking a motor car is not an option because supermarkets don't have car parks etc etc. In Australia (Melbourne) walking is not realistic, time and distance to the nearest supermarket etc and so I always use my motor car for all shopping etc. US, Canadian or Australian cities all have population densities that are too low to support Dutch-type infrastructure and lifestyle. 2. "Between-the ears" or ATTITUDES are different. Especially attitudes to motor-vehicle ownership. In The Netherlands, a motor car is bought mainly for its function, and much less often as a status symbol, or as an expression of masculinity for many young men, or a means of freedom to go any where, anytime. In Melbourne Australia, I NEED a motor car to live my normal daily life. But in Amsterdam, Netherlands, a car is a hindrance in every way - nowhere to park it, and I can get almost anywhere inside the city or to other nearby cities FASTER usually with less walking, and certainly more cheaply by public transport if I'm too lazy to ride my bike. Population density is the key. Living in an overcrowded dolls' house such as The Netherlands can have a few advantages.
How do these videos showing urban stuff that has been taken for granted in the Netherlands for ages, always give me the feeling that somehow they're still stuck in the Middle Ages in North America? It can't be that bad right?
Highways in the Netherlands have a special top layer that is both extra smooth and extra grippy, called ZOAB. However, it's terrible when temperatures drop below zero, as it can become almost sheet-ice like. So it's totally unsuitable for Calgary.
You forgot to mention the prime selling point of Zoab asphalt, it's dramatically more sound absorbing. But yeah, it's not great at dealing with ice. Moreso that the ice destroys the road surface than anything else.
Different levels of sun? What do you mean? London-Amsterdam-Berlin are in the 52N latitude ballpark and farther to the North (closer to the Arctic circle) than Quebec City.
I'm Dutch and every time I watch 'Netherlands good' videos a bunch of the clips are in my home city, Delft. I'm still pretty surprised by this, as I would expect to see Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague. All bigger cities with clear importance and grander tourist attraction stuff. I'm glad to see my city get attention but I still don't understand why o_o
The Neterhlands is densly populated and has a lot of farming, they need to not waste their lands. Canada is huge and has big areas of lands and islands up in the Arctic...
