Ik ben onlangs naar de VS verhuisd. Ik woon hier nu 7 maanden en ik mis Nederlands en het fietsen zooooo erg! Het is heel lastig om hier te fietsen aangezien er geen fietspaden zijn en automobilisten fietsers niet verwachten. Het is dus eigenlijk heel gevaarlijk.. daarbij als ik naar de supermarkt wil moet ik over de snelweg en dan gaat fietsen zo lastig :( Terwijl het weer hier veel beter is om in te fietsen.. blegh ik mis het! haha Heel erg bedankt voor deze videos. Dit is absoluut je beste!
For those who are still boggled about the Dutch not wearing helmets; they don't make cycling safer. First of all, the roads here are so safe that there's no need for head protection and the road's rules are very 'cycling friendly'. Secondly, the Dutch are known to peddle on throughout the whole year, whatever the weather circumstances may be. Even in the winter where there's ice and snow on the roads. This can be just as dangerous as cars and I, like any cycler (probably) here has lost control of my balance and crashed to ground more than once. And guess what! Each time that happened I fell on my arms/hands, not my head! Which isn't odd,since a human's natural reflex is to break any fall with our hands and try to stop from falling. Has nothing to do with your head unless you topple backwards. If I really want to protect myself from any injuries I might as well wrap my whole body in padding. lol
Another thing that makes a difference, I think, when it comes to the danger of cycling, is the design of the bike. Most bikes used in the US, Australia, or anywhere else for that matter, are designed for you to lean forward, almost horizontally, which makes it easier to go faster and speed through the traffic. When you sit on a 'Dutch' bike, however, your position is very upright. Most Dutch people therefore don't really cycle very fast, they're very relaxed and just take their time to get to where they want to go. Their upright, vertical position also makes it easier to keep a clear overview of the traffic and what's happening around them. They can look over the roofs of the cars around them. If something dangerous does happen because of something or someone they didn't see coming, their weight is not at the front wheel of their bike, as it is with the 'speedy' forward hanging cyclists. Those cyclists cyclists have very little time to adjust and are launched over their steering wheel, head first. The more relaxed Dutch cyclists however do have time to adjust, can jump off their bikes or can use their hands/arms to break their fall. Sorry for the long story ;) I just think it's important to mention that your position on the bike can make a huge difference when it comes to dangerous situations in traffic.
+Scheffie True. I ónce in my life witnessed a girl falling, when she biked (fast) on a manholecover that stuck out, but was covered by the snow, so she didn't see it. Her bikewheel got stuck somehow. She was catapulted over the steeringwheel, made a barellroll, sat upstraight in the snow and said; 'Oh...where's my bike?' She turned around, saw the bike, got up, shook the snow from her coat and continued. No fucks were given that day.
The Institute for Road Safety Research, based in the Netherlands, states that wearing a helmet can almost halve a cyclist’s risk of head injury and that 'head/brain injury occurs most frequently among children and youths'. They emphasise, however, that 'bicycle helmets do not prevent crashes'. www.expatica.com/nl/insider-views/Helmet-safety-cycling-in-the-Netherlands_509849.html
Thank you very much for uploading this video! Very informative! I hope every country in the world will realize the practicality and sense of its people using the bicycle as the chief mode of transport from point A to B. Somehow, the Dutch got it right. Your channel is awesome! Keep on posting!
I was a bit ignorant of this...I didnt know most Dutch people bicycle to get around until I applied for my year abroad program and found out my host family was lending me a bike...I was confused for a bit lol...I really wish america was like this
hello my name is richard and iam from delhi. see delhi people don't love to ride cycle.. They love car bikes and all other things. but when I see this video. I feel that I should also ride bike cycle. in every day live if we indian also ride cycle then our in wear mend also polusen free. And we all the helth feet. If nobody love ride bike cycle. then I love to ride. thanks for this video.
The problem in India, also in China & other developing countries is that we view cycling as backward. When our countries were poorer cycling was very common, we also used to have lots of cycles parked in front of cinemas & railway stations. We wrongly associate progress with more cars & motorbikes, look where it has got us. The Dutch fell into the same problem in the 70s they successfully came out of it, we can too. Video of how they got their cycling infrastructure ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XuBdf9jYj7o.html
I'm a bicycle commuter in Nairobi and I wish my streets were made safe for us like this and as a walking nation if every pedestrian had a bicycle is would be paradise
As a long term cycle commuter in the US (40+ years). I have to say, take a look at those very comfortable handlebar positions. Here in the US you still see so many people with their handlebars super low.
If it wasn't for channels like this one I wouldn't be aware of how unusual it is. A bike is like a pair of jeans, most people have at least one because it is simply a practical piece of equipment.
This is absolutely awesome, there is just something so relaxing, pleasing and peaceful about biking. I have noticed that here in America there has been a bicycle explosion !! People are starting to take advantage of the major benefits of riding. And to be honest I am loving it.
@antonyhilliard sorry to break it to you... but that was a group of Belgian cyclists...(Belgium is less than 40km from 's-Hertogenbosch, so they came cycling)
Important is that everybody learns riding a bike (fietsen) at the age of 2 to 3 years, and start playing with friends all sort of things, like: who is first, touch eachother while biking, biking with more kids on one bike, biking without using your hands on the stear, one person biking with two bikes, and, a pity, faling of or with your bike. This is how you learn safe biking on a latter age. What it foremost teach you is anticipating what other bikers intend to do, you look at their posturing or look at their eyes. As someone starts driving a car he or she also is a informed biker at te same time, anticipating bikers behavior.
Amazing video! This is among the best of your videos in my opinion, but of course they are all so wonderful. Thank you for your continual sharing of how the Dutch succeed, dispelling the excuses people make for low levels of cycling, the history lessons, explaining infrastructure, showing bicycles in Dutch culture... Thank you very much!
love your videos, really wish we'd take a leaf out of your countries book .. do you know of hand the theft rate for bicycles and accessories .. here in Australia, I've taken to putting cheap clip on lights on my bike, nobody seems to want those , compared to expensive fixed makes, and I double lock everything .. it's a bloody pain .. thanks for sharing
Übercool? I consider myself very 'Hollandic' and this is what my bike situation looks like. I have five bikes back in the shed, two ladies' bikes, two gents' (with high frame bars), and a vintage folding bike, in fact the only one I had to buy (from Dutch Ebay), after repairs, new tyre and saddle etc. 40 euros. The rest are used bikes I got from relatives or friends because of repairs and part replacements needed, here bikes often move on like that. I've all repaired them on the cheap. I've been hearing figures of annual bike costs of 300 euros on average but for me that would cover all my bikes over a lifetime of usage, locks are probably a big part of that. My go to bike is the biggest (I'm 2 meters tall) a traditional but relativily light gents' bike with lots of aluminium parts, a truelly excellent daily bike. The others are for backup or when friends come over and we want to tour the area together to look at the many (cliché alert!) windmills in our area. And I can always lend one to whoever might need one. All the bikes have 3 or 5 internal hub gears and hand brakes and are very easy to ride. Now I also happen to drive an old Volvo stationcar, the big 940, and that's where the folding bike comes in, I usually have it in the back of the car and can switch any time from driving to riding, at any place where access to a city center is restricted or parking is expensive, or for a fun ride. It always saves time, it gives me a lot of flexibility and it's very cheap. Gps navigation on the phone has made it an even easier option. Several people I know do the same thing, it all makes so much sense, but I guess for us it always was going to be the most logical personal transportation arrangement. And übercool Rutger Hauer will demonstrate here there's nothing more fun than taking your new bride home on a granny bike through the center of Amsterdam! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ze_Ncdy_igw.html
Is this true? Verifiable? America early on understood this, but the evil car empire has taken away this sensible governor on drivers. I'd appreciate more info. And Dutchman, like the Danes, my admiration is immense for your humanity!
Dat kan..maar ik heb ook genoeg mensen gehoord die na een avondje doorzakken claimde dat de lantaarnpaal zich verplaatst had en dat er daarom met volle snelheid tegenaan geramd hadden.
+Dynamo Zeker. Wel oppassen voor lantaarns. Ik ken iemand die tot op de dag van vandaag claimt dat de lantaarnpaal zich verplaatste en daarom z'n fiets total loss was.
Another perfect video. Mm.. if being outside for about one hour getting wet has a probability ranging from 0.09 in May to 0.16 in December, then why do I have the feeling that half the time I'm arriving back home (after work) soaking wet? :-)
But Dutch sport cyclists also often wear helmet. We do wear helmet to protect ourselves in the case of 'self inflicted' accidents. But a helmet is almost alway useless when being hit by a car. The chance of falling, hitting a pole or other self inflicted accidents increases with your speed. For the rest, a helmet gives you a false sense of security, it hinders your vision and it sends out a signal to others that you are well protected so they don't have to watch out for you that much.
+Rishudun That'd be like having lanes for unicycles here. USA hardly bikes, they use their cars. And the more cars they use, the less people would want to go and bike out there, it's more dangerous. There's more 'road rage' people drive their cars like maniacs if they're in a hurry.
tell that to the Dutch. If you design traffic in such a way that emergency situations are near impossible to occur, you can even cycle handsfree. Which in fact i do often
I'm sorry to ask, but have there ever been a major bicycle crash that didn't involve people or motor vehicles. I am just amazed that serious collisions rarely happen that's all.
In places where it's busy enough that crashes might happen, cycling speeds are generally low. If a crash happens, people are unlikely to be seriously injured. Most cycling injuries are sustained by the elderly who get a bit wobbly on their bikes after a certain age. When bad weather strikes, the stubborn ones still go out despite the warnings and some of them end up breaking wrists and collar bones.
No...the bikers are the ones in charge here. We have our space, cars have their space. And if we choose to invade the car-drivers-space, they have to stop for us. The same way cyclists have to stop for pedestrians.
I did have some accidents on my bike but I never got seriously wounded, mostly because my speed was low. And somehow we know how to fall the safest way.
It does happen, but it is very rare. 0-3 bicycle-crash deaths a year, most of the hundreds of dead cyclists each year get hit by a car. Mortality rate by type of collision give fascinating statistics.
You can get that, especially useful if your bike is a bit expensive. Did you know the Netherlands is one of the countries where people are the most insured ?
Look carefully at this video and any other from the Netherlands and you will notice there are almost no overweight or obese people..why because everyone cycles..nuff said!
we do have obese people, obesitas is on the rise in our country also like in the rest of the world... and like saartje says they do cycle too. maybe not as much as they should do to loose some weight.
Because outside the Netherlands, cycling is mostly seen as a leisure activity and isn't taken seriously as a mode of transport. Most governments also see cars as a source of money (especially for oil companies) although the costs to society are greater. You're right, it makes no sense, but that's the way it is sadly. I live in the UK and cycling here is horrible, you should see the latest video about London on this channel. Google 'Cycle Facility of the Month' for some insight too :P.
Please do not forget that building this infrastructure took a long time, starting already 50 years ago. Next to that the people and the local and national government consequently rebuild existing infrastructure in a bycicle friendly (and therefore safe) way. Most other countries (like the USA and the UK) probably will never succeed due to their political structures. In the Netherlands we have a multi party political system where a compromise is reached and executed, in the UK and the USA building infrastructure with a long term vision and policy seems to be impossible. Regarding safety and wearing helmets it is relevant to mention that people using the bike to commute in almost 100% of these cases do not wear helmets, but on electric bikes and cyclists on racing bikes it is the other way around. Another important safety factor is the fact that almost all the drivers in cars are (at other times) also cyclists, every driver knows that extra care is necessary regarding bike drivers. Laws are also in place that make car drivers always responsible if an accident occurs involving a bike and their car.
I actually got a ticket once for speeding on my bicycle, was going downhill fast, about 40 km/h where there was a maximum speed of 25 km/h allowed, It was in Limburg southern part of the netherlands.
What would be the benefit? Roadbikes are more expensive, it is harder to find replacement parts, and you can't carry a lot of groceries on them. I don't know why we don't have more fixies here though.
I think the BIG point is "average trip is 15 minutes" and I bet across MOST of the world that is true outside of HIGH PRICED / congested areas and most CAR COMMUTER trips are 15 minutes and THAT is the "key MAKE MOST trips 15 - 30 MINUTES MAX by NON CAR travel and car based trips will FALL and ownership will follow
Every city around the world should encourage bicycle transportation by making more protected bike lanes in cities. Bicycles are emission free transportation. No noise. Healthy for people and better for the planet. The Climate Crisis needs to be addressed. Bicycles can help.
... what i would do with those bike paths! In my case I ride to work everyday an that takes me 15minutes instead of 50 with a car. the only thing is that our bike paths are fare more dangerous in Peru and the arent many.
That is true, but there is a nice cycle lane between the both roadways of the Avenida Salaverry in Lima. Es correcto, pero hay una ciclovia muy bonita entre las 2 vias de Avenida Salaverry en Lima.
That depends on what you mean with 'everywhere' ! If it means you'll go from city to city by riding the normal cycle paths it's no problem. But if you mean riding on the wrong side of the road, riding on sidewalks or in pedestrian areas, that would be a problem !
the most idiotic idea I have seen is the bike lanes idea in US cities next to car lanes with no separation but a single white line. It is crazy, it is stupid, it is dangerous.
It is a start and we have many of those lanes here as wel, no problem. But the different is the way how people drive their car and know how to deal with cyclist on the same roads. Most Dutchies are cycling as wel as they are cardrivers, and also if you run over a cyclist here in the netherlands it is almost, for 99.99% of the time, the driver who is in trouble with law: a car is a murder machine which you should control at anytime.
+BJ Martin. The condition of the tire is the main issue. And would you buy an additional bike when you have about 1 - 4 weeks per year snow and the local authorities have the roads and cycle paths clean regularly?! And with a rightup city bike you have a better view and eye contact with other road users (negotiating), which improves safety.
I see your point. But, I ride my mountain bike year round. I don't ride my road bike anymore. Even the pro cyclist are trying out the thicker tires now. I just think it's better traction in rain and snow when you need it. If you had a spill, you would avoid it at all cost. On another note. Does the city require fee or insurance for cycling?
+BJ Martin. There is no fee or Insurance for cycling. Infrastructure is paid from the annual national and local taxes. Besides, it's rather complex, as the Department of Health benefits from the healthy habit cycling. When you buy a new bike, Insurance is recommed because of theft or damage. there are a lot of gangs, mainly from Eastern-Europe, who are stealing (E-) bikes. Examples thicker tires, size EU 40-635 (= 28 x 1 1/2 inch): s14.postimg.org/gif2wt6xt/Cycling_NL_tradition05.png and/or s18.postimg.org/6y2lru9nd/Cycling_with_kids13.png (Brands: Schwalbe, Continental)
+BJ Martin about snow, bad weather For me it was the other way around, i went for racing wheels, even in the snow. I liked how i could feel the tires 'cutting' thru the snow and not creating a packed layer under the tire's. Just do what feels right to you, there is no 'right' solution, there are just to many variables in play like road surface, road condition, weather, seasons, traffic, you name it. Even stuff like bike cleaning routines come into play.
Mr. Martin....If the ground is so cold that the snow doesn't melt when it falls then a wider tire is best. If the snow is slushy, it's possible to ride with a skinny tire. On cold days, my bike (with standard mountain bike tires 2.1 inches wide) can handle up to about 10cm (about four inches) of fresh snow. However, when the snow is this deep the rear tire will really start to fishtail and biking long distances is dangerous and impractical. A standard mountain size bike tire with spikes may be able to handle deeper snow. I don't own a Fat Bike, but they have giant tires and can handle deeper snow. In Winnipeg, Canada the snow clearing is pretty decent, so once the worst of the snow is ploughed, bikes with thinner tires will be okay to ride. Also, it gets so cold here in mid-winter, that any bit of snow that doesn't get ploughed, gets pounded (by car and truck tires) into a hard two to three inch sheet of snow/ice that covers most of the roads. As long as no new snow falls, the coating is so hard even skinnier tires can handle it. It actually makes for an amazing low-impact surface to run on if you're a jogger who doesn't mind colder temperatures.
This was 8 years ago... now we have electric bicycles and speed pedelecs to commute and our country is expanding the network of bicycle highways that connects cities. A real alternative for the car: faster (no traffic jams), healthier (daily work out) and much cheaper. We sold our second car that wasn't needed anymore. Me 12000 km/year (Stromer ST5) and she 6000 km/year (Flyer T8)... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IjbqEdw66o4.html
(Too) often overlooked: the tandem: this time, bike-pooling by tandem: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r-aS-1Unjfc.html (despite in Dutch, the scenes are great!)
"Women cycle slightly more often then men". That is very interesting. Here in Australia, by far the majority of cyclists are male. Most trips are for recreation or sport. It is just moronic here. Only 1% of trips are by bike. I wish I lived there and not here.
That is not that strange as it looks.. It is said that women are more reluctant to start driving after having their license. And they prefer to let their partner do the driving, or travel by public transport or by bike... Men start driving directly after having their license and keep doing that. That is at least a general story, and as there are more men driving here it is logical that more women cycle...
Im Lactose Intolerant and I detest bikes as i have broken my arm 3 times on a bike were i now have metal platungs in it..... I live in the Netherlands now... when I got here from America I realized... I fuked up...
? is that from lactose intolerance ?? There has got to be something else with that, right? How would that be in Finland, where 20%=lactose intolerant, or in East Asia (70-100%) . They don't all break their bones like pottery ?
I'm surprised most Dutch just go by the basic local bike model instead of some flashy or colorful ones. Same as our clothing, our bikes represent part of who we are. Wouldn't you want to stand out with style a little bit? But no, everyone has the pretty much the same looking bikes. Btw, do most Dutch park their bikes at home?
In my family bikes get passed on. Grandpa/ma get electicbikes and I get their old but well mentained bike. My experiance is a bike that stands out.. usually gets stolen faster xD especially at parking areas near train stations. I did spraypaint my first adult bike baby blue, but i did it so i could find my bike faster between hundreds of bikes at schoolparking :D Most people keep their bikes in a little shed/ garage.
wow a bike passed on by grandpa! That speaks a lot on how well maintained and durable it is. well, in another comment i saw someone say people in Holland do not steal bikes lol. Okay, maybe the steal rate is lower than other countries anyway. If a bike is parked outdoor, rain water will make it rusty in a year or two. So shed and garage make perfect sense. But then, when u go to school or work, you still have to park them outdoor without a roof i guess?
Doesnt happen often. Happened to me for the first time last year, first day at work, left my bike near the local train station, came back later and only found the lock cut up into pieces D: Best bike i'd ever had. 5 years old but looked brand new, good lighting, sturdy frame that could carry plenty of weight. It just feels less risky for me to go for the old standard ones that everyone else has :p Yeah outdoors is tricky. Where i live there are very few places that offer protection from the wheather. But it doesnt seem to be a big problem. Just make sure the bike can dry in a shed when you get home. Never had any rust problems. I have to admit that the old grandpa bike is like a tank :p just unbreakeble. its a bit the same with some older cars i guess. With some basic maintenance they just keep on going.
Bikes getting passed on by parents and grandparents is pretty normal in most families I think, at least it also is in mine. I think a big different to most countries is that bikes aren't seen as a stylish object but as something practical that needs to be durable as it is used daily. All houses have a bikeshed in the garden or a garage to keep the families bicyles. Apartments have these underneath the building or next to it, a small bikeshed per apartment or in some buildings one large bikeshed for everyone inside the car parking garage. A lot of business offer (indoor) parking for bikes too.
Considering the number of vehicle users, those on bikes are being short changed and forced to use narrow, circuitous, stop/start lanes. if the Dutch government are really pro cycling why are they always building cycle lanes that are too narrow as per the scene at circa 1 minute in? There is simply no space here for those who want to get from A-B faster than 8-10mph, if you want to have safe segregated lanes then they must be wide enough for multi speed users, so that the young and old, or those wanting to simply go at a steady pace have that space for when faster riders want to get past. It's clear that whilst the segregated lanes are great in many ways, you've also constricted the group that you want to get out of cars, that being men in their 30 and 40s who probably ride on sports bikes at the weekend but won't use the bike during the week because having to sit behind everyone else pootling around is not how you want to travel, so they use the car instead! You say most people cycle and come up with xx million people cycling making xx number trips, yet that isn't true is it. Explain how your figures are correct when the, modal share for cycling is 26%, that's 74% of people who get about other than by bik! Whilst this is the highest modal share in the Western world, by having congested lanes that aren't wide enough and aren't direct you do make it unattractive to certain types of road user. Why not remove one motor lane and use that instead, direct to destinations, wide enough so that all types of rider have enough space to be safe. After all ignoring that the Dutch have over 60 deaths annually at junctions like those in the first minute where segregated meets a road is always ignored, this is yet another downfall of segregated infra! Rising death toll of cyclists with no modal share increase (hence the Dutch government pushing to get more people cycling ... AND FAILING!)
Perfect is the enemy of good. The Dutch have it quite good, but not perfect. I admit there is room for improvement, but you are extremely negative about the best in the world.
I wish that the UK was more like this. You wouldn't believe some of the pathetic and lazy excuses people think of here for not cycling, and the amount of anti-cycling abuse we get from brainless mutants in cars.
That is just a cyclitst's hell. Thousands of slow rolling pedestrians on a bicycle. No chance to cycle when everybody rides like a turtle. That is not cyclist friendly. Only commuter friendly.
Thats like saying, damn those cars commuting to work its really hindering my ability to streetrace. Guess what thats not what the road is made for. Infrastructure is for daily us not someone's anti social hobby.
If you want to take your expensive hobby seriously you should rent a private track to race around on. All other racing sports have their own tracks, why do you think your racing doesn't require one?
FRODO LAD you made a logical point. But to be fair, these guys have biked for years from their childhood and the infrastructure for bike is good. I'm sure getting their faces planted against the pavement or smashing their heads against a car windshield would be the least of their worry. :)
Vid from 2011. Meanwhile the riding a bike with a helmet lobby is conquering The Netherlands causing - besides some local exeptions- the number of active cyclists dropping rapidly. The Netherlands are becoming car-centric again, and the Max Verstappen hysteria is a part of it.
![Round the clock cycling in the Netherlands [112]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
