35,000 kms of bike paths, almost around the world

My parents in the Netherlands sometimes send me articles about cycling, thinking that I can use it in my cycling advocacy efforts here in Maple Ridge. I just received the latest one, a big, 2-page article in one of the national newspapers, the Algemeen Dagblad, with an interview with Saskia Kluit of the Dutch Fietsersbond (the national cycling advocacy organization).

The Dutch rarely brag about their great cycling network. But it's something to be really proud of, and it makes so much sense for countries and cities around the world to follow in their footsteps, for so many reasons, whether it's global warming, oil dependence, livability, health....

Here's a summary of the article:

35,000 kms of bike paths, almost around the world

Nowhere in the world do as many people bike as much as in the Netherlands. Per resident they bike 900 kms annually. That's 15 billion kms per year.

Everybody in the Netherlands bikes, not only the the working poor, but also former Queen Juliana and the Prime Minister.

King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands cycling in Sochi

The French invented the bicycle (vélocipède), but the Dutch invented the bike path (fietspad), which was exclusively for the bicycle.

After World War II the car rapidly gained in popularity. The number of traffic deaths rose significantly to 3,000 annually, and many of them were cyclists. But in 2013 there were 650 traffic deaths, 200 of whom were cyclists. Due to the increase in cycling, the number of deaths among cyclists increased.

Many babyboomers like to cycle once they retire. E-bikes mean a lot for those over 60. They're a lot of fun, but they also help people with physical limitations to keep active. They offer freedom and independence. However, older people are more vulnerable and don't react as quickly as they used to, which leads to an increase in injuries.

The Netherlands boast almost 35,000 kms of bike path. Volunteers have developed an on-line cycle route planner which allows you to plan your trip from door to door. In the Netherlands you can bike just about anywhere. Drivers and cyclists understand eachother, since many drivers also bike.

The city bridge in Kampen has separated pedestrian and cycle paths.

But cycling has grown so much that the government has to think about the next step. Some bike paths are being used by thousands of cyclists every hour. In the big cities, but also in national parks on the weekends and during holidays. So bike paths need to be widened, and the cycling network needs to be refined. Sometimes you need to dare to say: the bicycle is #1 here.

Sometimes there's not enough support for the bicycle. Electric cars in the Netherlands presently number about 30,000, and are being subsidized by the government. Since 2009 1.2 million e-bikes have been sold, without any government subsidy.

Sometimes cyclists are being asked to be very patient during road construction projects that go on for years, and cyclists get temporary routes that are not great, such as the construction around the Central Station in Utrecht, which has already lasted for 10 years. Presently a large banner tells cyclists that "Change is gonna come - the station zone is building a car parking". And nobody tells cyclists: "thank you for being patient".

Lots of bike thefts are happening in the Netherlands: about 700,000 per year. Many people don't bike because they're afraid their bikes will be stolen. Saskia says: "Logistically, when the bikes of my two sons are stolen, it's a disaster. I have to drive them, give them money for transit, or let them use my own bike".

The average Dutch person will choose the bike for one third of his trips.

Saskia is on the Board of the Dutch Cycling Embassy, partners of which are the government, business and non-governmental organisations. They successfully promote the bicycle abroad, and there is so much interest that it's almost too much to handle all the requests for help.

Take for example Uganda. There it's not just about mobility, it's also about empowerment. You can walk 6 kms, but in that same hour you can also bike 20 kms. Your world gets bigger thanks to the bike. In Malawi, nurses have been given a bicycle, so that they can provide services more quickly.

The Dutch bike is special. You sit up straight. In many other countries people ride on more sporty bikes: mountain bikes, road bikes.

Somes things happen abroad that make Saskia jealous. For example China, which is the third-best cycle nation in the world, after the Netherlands and Denmark. Some cities in south-east Asia have bike shares with hundreds of thousands of  bikes. In Japan there's a system whereby your bike disappears into the ground; it's suspended in an underground storage area. When you pick up your bike two hours later, it's been nicely cleaned. In the Netherlands, we don't want to pay for that.

We still have to win over a world in the Netherlands. For example, immigrants bike less. Parents remember the danger from back home in Turkey or Morocco, and worry about their kids in traffic.

For immigrants, the car is often a status symbol. The bicycle isn't. So if you want to show your family that you're doing well, you need to put a big expensive car in front of your door.

Kids in the Netherlands are the happiest kids in the world. The difference is the bicycle. Saskia sometimes talks to parents who drive their kids to school. She says it takes away the opportunity for these kids to have more independence and to be proud of themselves.

Parents think that traffic used to be much safer. However, when today's parents were growing up, three times as many kids were killed in traffic. It's never been as safe as it is now. Bike accidents always make the news, but the media of course never write about all those millions of people who made it to home safely.

The advantages of cycling are well known. It's good for the environment, although only one in every 10 cyclists gives that as a reason for cycling. The bicycle is fast, cheap, comfortable and healthy.  Cycling is slightly riskier than driving, but for every day that you're statistically losing in life expectancy, you're gaining 9 days thanks to better health and less stress.  When you bike, you feel better mentally. Cycling as Medication, is the title of a booklet that the Fietsersbond has published. Don't take Prozac! Just go for a half-hour bike ride every day. That works just as well!

Separated bi-directional bike path in Leidscherijn, a suburb of Utrecht

Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

Here's a great article by BBC News Magazine reporter Anna Holligan, with a comparison between cycling in the Netherlands and the U.K.

Did you think the Dutch already have it all?

Well, think again. Forever searching for further possible improvements, the Dutch are considering installing heated bike paths. Every year during the winter months, thousands of cyclists are injured when they fall on slippery bike paths.

During the summer, asphalt collectors would be collecting heat which would be stored underground and used in the winter months to heat the bike paths. The cost of installing heated paths is estimated to be between 30,000 and 40,000 euros, which is the same cost as repaving a path.

Statistics show that between 5 and 10% of cyclist accidents are due to slippery paths, and the cost associated with these injuries is considerable. Money will be saved on hospital bills, no salt is required to prevent ice on the paths, more people will bike, and there will be less cars on the road.

What does bike helmet law really do?

The latest article by VACC Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows on helmets
Published: February 10, 2012


Having lived for a quarter of a century in the Netherlands – where nobody had ever told me I should wear a helmet when riding my bike – I have an opinion on this, and I’m quite happy to share it with you.
Like any Dutch kid in the ’60s and ’70s, I always just happily pedaled along helmetless, enjoying my freedom and independence, and totally oblivious to the dangers supposedly lurking around every turn in the road. Even now, with so much more traffic on the roads, most Dutch still ride their bikes without wearing helmets.  In fact, as long as you’re not a serious road cyclist going 40 km/h,  you’d look pretty silly wearing one. The Dutch obviously feel quite safe on a bike.
Read more...

Round the clock cycling in the Netherlands

Watch this video to get an impression of what cycling is like in the Netherlands. It's just a very normal way of getting around:

Did you notice the absence of car noise? Did you see any fat people?

Photos of cycling in Holland

My family and I recently made a trip to Holland to visit my folks. They live in Lelystad, a city in the Flevopolder, which is reclaimed land. Lelystad is only 45 years old. My family moved there in 1972, when there were probably about 5,000 inhabitants. Now the  population is about 80,000. After focussing on car traffic for several decades after the second World War, in the seventies governments at all levels in the Netherlands started to make cycling a priority. So in Lelystad cycling was an integral part of transportation planning right from the start. 4 Lane highways were built for cars only, with many cyclist/pedestrian bridges crossing these highways. Through the years some of the highways have disappeared, and the routes for cars have sometimes become less direct. A few traffic lights have been added here and there, quite a few roundabouts - I can't think of any stop signs in Lelystad, yield signs are actually more common - and Lelystad now has a railroad with frequent trains to Amsterdam. But the most impressive part of the transportation system is the bicycle network, much of it separated. Anyway, I won't bore you with all the details, but I thought I'd post some pictures of some of the cycling infrastructure and some of the rides we did. Come along for the ride:

These are pics I just took randomly around Lelystad.

We also did a bike route all around Lelystad, mapped and signed by the ANWB (the Dutch Automobile Association). Total distance about 40 km. Much of it on separated bike paths. Some of Lelystad's surroundings are not the most exciting: it's flat everywhere, endless agricultural fields, long straight roads. But it's great for biking, and the bike infrastructure is great! Here are the photos.

On another day we rented bikes from the Dutch Railways: "OV Fiets". If you have a membership (cost $21 per year if you don't have a Railway pass), you can rent 2 bikes per membership for 3 euros per bike per 24 hours. Great deal. We biked along the river IJssel between Kampen and Zwolle, a 32 km round trip, again an ANWB bike route. Click here to see the pictures.

There are many bike routes in Holland. There are hundreds of local/regional routes throughout the country, and also national routes. You can also put together your own route, using the "knooppuntennetwerk" (cycling node network), with signage throughout the country, and maps along the routes. The only problem: there's just too much to choose from!