Congo Bongo I apologize for my countrymen. I know it happens that way. Outside of Amsterdam its beautiful to cycle. Walk through the cities. That way you use most of your muscles...and finish it off by having a nice glass of Heineken!
as an italian living in a bordertown of belgium I do to (thank the protesters) still italy is stucked in the 60's no cycling infrastructure at all , what a shame specially for the beautiful landscapes and hills
@@215alessioI love Italy and it's beauties. (The landscapes, the monuments and and above all the ladies) but when you bike, you do not have the leisure to admire much the surroundings. You pay attention to your balance and all the dangers. To bike is to be vigilant. :)
I visited Utrecht last July, I was told by my Boss that He arranged Bike so that I can reach office. I woke up in the morning and got down to look at my bike, There are bicycles around and No Bike, I called the lady who arranged everything and she came and pointing at bicycles she told me that here is your bike. I was shocked as for Indians Bike is Motorbike. Then I started Journey to office and all around me, Kids, Ladies, Old People everyone is on bicycles... What a country.. I have immense Respect for Dutch People. and I enjoyed my Bike journey for Next two Weeks. I felt much healthier those two weeks because of compulsory Exercise Twice or thrice everyday. Most important riding on bicycles is not seen as low status symbol in Netherlands.
@@miles5600 they are small but they are also the 2nd largest exporter of food in all of Europe too! Not only are their roads amazing but they have some of the best farming techniques in the world.
And the Dutch aren't done developing either. There is non-stop room for improvements. The bicycling parking garages are really starting to pop up nowadays. And cycling tunnels underneath busy roads so the cyclist don't have to cross the roads at all. I can't wait to see what they come up with in the future to make it even more convenient to cycle.
Fun fact, *no amount* of space is enough for car traffic. Because as capacity becomes available; more people will use the car, filling it up and restoring the status quo. The best way to increase car flowthrough is giving the people a genuine choice of taking public transport and cycling.
Car is also incredibly space inefficient. Although a full car is fine, but with many cars carrying only the driver will consume unbelievably amount of road space.
@@metal87power They have smaller footprint per person, and requires less following distance than cars due to their low speed. While they can eventually reach that point, it takes far more bikes than cars of the same road space to reach that.
Paris is currently living this cycling revolution. It's amazing, the city's bike lanes have increased and been optimized so much during lockdown. The push is due to having a "green" mayor and from protests in the capital that blocked public transport and decreased the possibility of using vehicles
@@woutervanr No, The Mayor of Paris is really bad at about everything, really poor management of money (one of the worst city for debt and money management), really bad security, really dirty city with a municipality that doesn't do anything about it. The municipality also use huge amount of money to grow some tree (the green part) but it is after removing other trees (so basically they cut trees in order to put some new trees, and they count those new trees in their statistics)
this video is like alternate reality, not just for all the bike stuff, but for a government that actually respond to problems as they came up, not just put them off, for decades.
Poppy M he is right about the Dutch being docile. The Dutch citystates were used to being ruled over by other foreign powers. They just paid their taxes and were given a decent amount of atonomy to live their lives the way they wanted. Until Philip II came and burdened the dutch city states with heavy taxations to pay for his spanish wars and all the while prosecuting dutch protestants. Then the dutch with the help of willem of orange decided it was enough. The germans are docile towards their own goverment, but not towards foreign powers.
In 1973, the oil crisis turned the Netherlands to encourage cycling. In 1973, the USA forced the states to allow right turns on red, to "save on gasoline", and resulted in the doubling of pedestrian deaths.
Though it also was there before. A big part that kept cycling alive was the counter-culture movement of the 1960's. Bicycles were seen as the symbol of the anti-materialism of the youth and they became more and more associated as the vehicle of not just anti-material hippies but also the poor, foreigners and every other marginalized group. When the oil crisis hit that attitude was expanded where riding bicycles became an act of defiance against the oil embargo and seen as healthier as the 1970's also saw the explosion of the 'healthy' lifestyle. It's now standard to associate the Dutch with bicycles but before the 1970's the Dutch were not really that much more cycling happy than the Germans or French. However everything just kind of came together with the association of bicycles with rebellion and youth, a better surviving cycling tradition compared to other countries, a search for national identity, a drive for a healthier life style and increasing oil prices.
I went to the Netherlands for the first time last week and fell in love. Navigating on a bike, even in rush hour, is a delight. They are bikes, not cars, they do not go 60km/h, people stop. people look each other in the face and respect themselves. It was a life changing experience
Growing up in Holland I never considered that not every country has decent cycling paths. I hated cycling, I hated the rain, the snow, the wind, couldn't wait to get my first car. It was only when I went to live overseas that I realised life wasn't all that bad back home. lol.
while I did like cycling, it's pretty much the same for me. Growing up in the Netherlands I never realised how good things actually were for cyclists. Only when I moved to Germany I started realising what I had back in the Netherlands. Moved to Düsseldorf about 16 years ago and up til a few months ago I didn't even own a bike because it's so fucked up for cyclists with bikelanes only here and there and the car drivers not really giving a fuck about cyclists. Started getting a bit better a while ago which made me decide to finally get a bike. Still not all that comfy for a cyclist here but at least I can cycle without really having to worry for my life.
Cycling in America is a nightmare. Chicago is considered the most cycle-friendly city in the country, but I have two friends who were seriously injured. The American idea of a bike lane is to paint stripes in street, which are pretty much ignored by drivers and otherwise useless.
Avenged84 As German living in the Netherlands, I tend to agree. I think the north of Germany (Münster and up) has better cycling-infrastructure and -culture than what you see in Düsseldorf, but even that doesn't compare to anything here in the Netherlands. I can get anywhere by bike and rarely need to get close to other traffic!
The world always call the Dutch when there are problems with watermanagement. Never when there are problems with infrastructure/urban planning, which they shoold.
This should be required watching for any city councillor. A Toronto city councillor just this week remarked "This isn't Amsterdam, we are trying to retrofit our city".
YES!!!! I'm from Mississauga and pur huge roads are so ugly. Not to mention Mississauga's roads are empty of people and cars, thus lots of wasted space. Hopefully we can improve this.
Most Dutch cities changed their road requirements and when the road had to be replaced because of wear or the sewer needs work, they have to add cycling roads. In 20-30 years time you have an entire network without too much impact on budgeting because the road had to be redone either way. Tell your city councilor that.
The Netherlands literally would not work without cycling. About 50% of journeys are done by bike, imagine if these people used cars, the traffic would be a nightmare.
However, their example is not universal. Each country has a different geographic area with its specific means of transportation that are most suitable for its citizens. There's a place for bicycles everywhere but in different proportions.
@@metal87power most countries in Europe excluding maybe Russia has the potential to do this because they're usually small. Medium Larger/very distributed countries like Russia, The US, Brazil, Australia, Canada etc also have the potential but they'd first need to improve public transport, trains, bus and tram system at the same time or before they implement
@@irrelevance3859 Those countries you talk about have a population really concentrated, so it is feasible as well. Even though Russia is big, the population is concentrated around the Moscow and St Petersbourg région
What works in the Netherlands, probably only works in similar situations: -high population density -everything within cycling distance -people being prepared to pay for it through taxation It might be food for thought anyway even if you can't copy/paste the roadbuilding methods etc. perfectly
"High population density". That describes most cities. ""Everything within cycling distance" - That too. "People being prepared to pay for it through taxation" - The Dutch build cycle path because for every euro invested, there is a threefold return to the taxpayer, due to reduced congestion, pollution, improved healthcare & work productivity.
"The then Prime Minister told the people of the Netherlands that this crisis was life changing, that they would have to change their ways and be less dependent on energy, but that that was possible without a decrease in the quality of life" I wish we had policitians that could show that sort of leadership in Ireland 2023.
In Australia it's probably 50/50. Perhaps our tendency is to look abroad and say things like, "We're going to follow best practice," kinda waiting for someone to tell us what that means. My van broke down e few weeks ago and I've done at least double the amount of cycling in the meantime. I feel as though my quality of life has improved.
me too. German living in Australia here. Barely any cycling infrastructure here, public transport is a joke and in a lot of cases you can't even get to the "local" shops without a car.
I love Amsterdam so much. Visited there in November, rented a bicycle and just cycled around all day as if I was a Dutch person. The thing that struck me was the calmness with which the locals were able to navigate the city. No road rage, no pointless aggression, just people going about their business serenely. For me it was paradise. I would love to live there
s99bf0c8 oh man I just absolutely love Dutch cycling culture. I would love to cycle around tulip fields & orchards whenever i get the chance to goto Amsterdam or any other city. I wish I lived there as well.
+s99bf0c8 nah you just had a lucky day, cyclists in Amsterdam are aggressive fuckheads and a nightmare for pedestrians. I've been almost run over so many times, they just don't care, they dont care for pedestrians or crosswalks, all they care about is getting past you as fast as possible with 30-40 kmh
Bull. Yes you have to watch yourself in Amsterdam or the other big cities if you are not used to being around so much cycling traffic. Apparently you were not used to it and made mistakes which some cyclists did not appreciate and call you names? Of course there are always a few that are aggressive but most people are fine and friendly there.
In the comments it seems like people think you have to choose one kind of transport for all their travels or that in the Netherlands they take your car away and you can't drive a car anymore. That is not true. I live in the Netherlands and for every travel I choose the kind of transport that fits me best. Everybody does. And because we have a lot of options, not everybody chooses to drive a car for all their trips. That means there is more space on the road for people who choose to use a car (if it is faster of more convenient than other ways of transport). (I drove to work for years because it was much faster, and no-one ever told me that was wrong or something) But to make it work you have to make other changes too. If it is always more convenient to take the car the system won't work. You need shops and schools nearby, so people can cycle there, and good public transport that takes you faster to the city center, or other busy places, than a car does. If it is not possible in your place to cycle, maybe there is some other way to get people out of the cars, like having smaller shops/schools/... on walking distance instead of one big shop/school/.. far away, or you can build public transport that is clean and not stuck in traffic (faster than cars). And if you think there is no space for public transport or cycle paths: take away some space for cars. If it is faster to take public transport/bike there will be less cars, and less space needed for cars. If you want to change, I'm convinced there is a solution, but it's probably not exactly the same as 'our' solution, and that's fine. And if you don't want to change anything it's fine by me too...
I just went for a bike ride. I started out in Utrecht, went through Nieuwegein, followed the river a bit (Lek) and then meandered back home. Especially this last part is bike paths only! Sometimes not even a car in sight, sometimes "Bike lanes, cars are guests here". I am still amazed by what I find, and how easy it is to cycle for two hours, hardly any traffic lights to slow me down either. Bridges to get across canals (Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal, Merwedekanaal) but also across major highways around Utrecht. Bikes rule! (Yes, I have a car and it is very bored.)
Actually the Netherlands was behind the US as the US already faced this crisis in the 1920's but the cars won that battle and they even managed to put into law that the streets belong to cars. It actually is that delay that changed the outcome cause by the late 60's a lot of the novelty of cars had started to wear off and anti-materialism was on the rise.
To be honest, also in our country there are lot of dumb people. Only, we're inovative, we love to take initiative and be progressive. Be open-minded, every country could be as us.
I really respect the Dutch and I've never met a dumb Dutch person yet. I've been to the Netherlands five times and I've always found the Dutch to be honest, intelligent and friendly people.
The World can learn a lot from The Netherlands. Fresh air comes with less traffic and healthy people. No wonder the Dutch are taller healthy and its one of the happier countries on Earth.🥰
Though it's also important to acknowledge the social forces that came together. Cycling hang on in the 1950's and 60's largely due to the counter culture movement. This actually changed the image of the bicycles from something lame and outdated to something rebellious and cool. They also greatly made bicycles associated with the Netherlands and now bicycles are considered a core part of Dutch nationalism. This is quite a big thing though because it made national conservatives and progressive socialists allies rather than enemies when it came to cycling.
The link between cycling infrastructure and the happiness of people cannot be understated. For example children are able to be independent in getting around safely thanks to the cycling paths. This independence has a large influence on their happiness and character.
It’s so much nicer to live here than where I used to live (England). But, particularly since Brexit, the English leaders think they have nothing to learn from “foreigners”
Hi Mark, Last week I did use the video in a lessons for students for the minor Project management en processes..Just to show that a process which has let to the present situation in the Netherlands is not an overnight job but an ongoing process with a lot of programs and projects. They were are very impressed. Especially about the reduction of road casualties. See you.
Traffic accident fatalities in NL: outrage, protests, actual change Traffic accident fatalities in USA: eh, they should have looked both ways. Not my problem
Unfortunately not a US-only issue. Here in Germany I recently saw an argument between a city's official police twitter and a ped/bike activist who asked why a driver was able to run over a 4 year old that darted out between parked cars in a super narrow side-street. He was driving the allowed 30km/h and the police say there was nothing he could do. The activist said he should have been travelling slower because of the hazards. The entire argument ended with the officer in charge of social media saying "If you had to take into account that a child could run out from behind every parked car in a residential area, you couldn't drive there more than walking speed, or not at all!" Gives me /r/selfawarewolves vibes
@@severinkempf7819 There’s some truth to both sides. A driver can’t possibly avoid every situation which could cause a accident. Even driving 20 in 30 zone can still cause an accident. And even if the driver is removed a cyclist can still hit a child. It’s part of life, shift happens.
So true and for other places too. We should always prioritize the most vulnerable users on the road first. Unfortunately many have the attitude that people walking and biking need to get out of the way of their car. This is why I love Dutch infrastructure design. It purposefully slows cars down at conflict points and tells drivers they are in a bike or pedestrian zone rather than bikes/peds having to enter a car zone like is typical in so many places.
You're being very harsh to US authorities. In all fairness, you can't blame them because the entire focus on transportation has always been that cars outweigh pedestrians and bicycles. It takes quite some time and a lot of citizens to convince authorities that their cities would thrive if they banned cars and promoted more eco-friendly and more safe ways of transportation. Like bicycles.
Here in Germany, they continue to build cycling infrastructure which is known to be unsafe and there is little effort to make it a network. Then the cities boast about how many kilometers of cycling infrastructure, even though they decreased safety and none of it is connected.
Indeed you also need to do it well. How they do it in the Netherlands is by having 3 separate road networks. One for pedestrians, one for cyclists and one for cars. Sometimes there is a fourth for public transport as well. They overlap where possible to save cost but each one is a complete network in it's own right with places where people would like to go and since cyclists take up less space they can get routes that are considered too expensive for cars.
As a Singaporean. I'm pretty impressed by your people's progress. We're starting to improve ours too. Thank you Dutchmen and the Danish for making cycling great again!
Nice comment. Singapore is an impressive place. Lots of innovation there. I hope all countries can emulate the Dutch way of making cycling accessible and widespread. Cycling is so beneficial and the benefits are too great to ignore- improving quality of life for everyone- individuals in health, happiness, finances, and to society overall in reducing pollution, healthcare costs and the losses of vehicle accidents and deaths. Optimizing cycling infrastructure = winning.
What a beautiful thing! I visited Copenhagen last year and was amazed by all the cyclists, this lead me to buying a bicycle when I returned to the US. I hadn’t ridden a bicycle since I was a kid and now I commute regularly and for recreation. I really hope biking continues to be a trend in major cities around the world
Got much difficulty getting around safely? Do you have any bike amenities in your city at all, or are the roads only suited for the car? Curious to know!
Gerwin Bergsma I live in north Miami , USA it is not very bike friendly at all unfortunately. Along the beach there is a nice boardwalk but besides that all we have is “share the road” sign or a narrow lane with white stripes right along the traffic :(
I've watched this video way too many times because it is still a pipe dream where I am. However, optimism prevails as I work on a local project to restore a street back to a place for all the community.
What caught more my attention in this video was the people going to protest for a change because they didn't tolerate the high number of deaths. I just realized in Brazil people don't seem to really care that much to start massive protests asking for a change. Even though the number of accidents with fatal victims being way higher than in the Netherlands. This makes me sad...
That's because they have been told from a very young age that the US is the greatest country on earth, so they never look somewhere else for something better because they don't believe that there is something better.
@@brozius The sad part is that if you tell them that there is a better way they will immediately call you indoctrinated and brainwashed! They are so afraid of the truth they will bully and try to intimidate people who tells the truth. This is the American way nowadays. It is sad that a country that had such a big potential to be something really great have fallen to this.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 As an independent-thinking American, I deal with this EVERY time when I say things like, "I prefer shopping by bike" or "I refuse to own a car". It's not that they prefer to use a car for everything, but how they always judge me for choosing an alternative option...in so-called "land of opportunity" lmao
@@AssBlasster It is a sad state of affaire really. It is like independant, free, thinking is suddenly a bad thing in the US! You have my sincere sympathy, for what it´s worth. I live in one of those EU-countries that have "no freedom" with gun control and what not and I can choose without much judgement from my fellow men.
In the U.S. the automobile industry and oil & gas would lobby to prevent the government to invest in cycling infrastructure. Great for the Dutch people! Love the infrastructure. I hope to visit one day!
Wrong tense! In the United States, as growth in motorised traffic resulted in massive increase in road deaths, the fledgling automobile industry took over and subverted the emerging road safety campaigns: Rather than controlling automobile traffic for the safety of other road users, they instead eliminated more vulnerable road users from the streets. See "Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City" by Peter Norton. MIT Press, 2008: g.co/kgs/PPZ8hS
As is so clearly demonstrated by AASHTO's consistent inclusion of protected infrastructure in all versions of its new cycle infrastructure guide and the >600% increase in protected bike lanes in the US since NACTO published its first cycling infrastructure guidelines. The automobile industry in the US sees selling automobiles as a lost cause in the long term already. Ask Ford, who has come up with some really intelligent traffic analysis software that can analyze pedestrian traffic and presumably also bicycle traffic as well as motor traffic and parking, as well as dabbling in bikeshare systems. They've publicly stated that they no longer see their future as an automobile company. General Motors is in a similar situation, and they already sell e-bikes (unfortunately not yet in the US). They would likely prefer the US to follow global trends instead of making their lives more difficult and making them less competitive on a global scale. The oil industry is in relatively dire straights no matter what happens. There has already been a peak in US oil consumption (2005). Their future is with Vaseline, lubricants, plastics and other petrochemicals, and they already know that. As such, their political grip will weaken substantially, and they know holding up the progress is futile, as has been seen by the attempts of the coal industry to lobby Trump, with no success at all in stopping the decline of coal fired power plants in the US. Frankly, there are only a very few young teenagers I have met who are enthusiastic about driving. Only about six out of many hundreds that I have met are actually all that enthralled by it. It is true that many of them love the freedom it affords in a country that still has a lot of work to improve conditions for cycling and walking. But the actually act is joyless, not so different from using a fridge. Incidentally, of those I have met who like driving, as many of them are women as men. It's certainly not a guy's thing anymore. We still have a lot of work, but I see that with the way things have been going for more than a decade now, and seem to continue to be going, a future like this seems highly likely, even for the US. In fact, I would not be surprised if long term, we get known as the nation that terminated its love affair with the car.
Farhad, best of luck with your Kurdish endeavours. I've been rooting for your freedom for years. Once you get your free nation, make the streets bike-friendly! Show the world that the Dutch bike safety is not a fluke, and that anyone can achieve it, as long as they are willing to sacrifice some car flow, which is much safer for cars as well. Slightly related: 'Fahrrad' is German for 'bycicle'. It seems so close to your name and I found that oddly fitting.
I'm also from the Philippines! I get so jealous seeing the dedicated bike lanes in this video. I haven't even seen a single one in my lifetime. I could imagine going to school, malls, etc. on a bike and being able to save up money due to the decrease in travel fares.
Research shows that even in the US, you are MUCH more likely to get a head injury while driving a car (98% of head injuries), than you are while cycling (2%). Hence no bike helmets in Holland. Ironically, it would make a huge difference if the whole world made helmets mandatory for DRIVERS (of cars).
Bicycledutch The footage of traffic from decades earlier is surreal and sobering. Governments usually sell change as progress. Any problems that happen as a result need to be mitigated, but no one should stand in the way of progress. The people of the Netherlands realized the changes around them and rejected the problematic consequences. The majority made their opinions clear, and the government adapted. There is so much to admire about the Netherlands. The Dutch are lucky to have a responsive government, and the people are great for taking a stand and being a part of creating the bicycle infrastructure that you have. Could you please consider creating a video on how the system is modified and maintained? What drives and controls change in creating, modifying or cancelling a bicycle lane? Also, how is the road maintained, what triggers a maintenance work order for the cycle paths? Who is responsible for it? What are the standards and the limits? I'm just sharing some questions in my head, and this channel is the best for learning about Dutch bicycle infrastructure and traffic in the Netherlands. Sorry for the long message. :)
Love your message! The answer is that the Dutch are absolutely anal about perfect roads in general, not just for bikes. Not a single pothole or bump in the country. That's the one thing we've never had to protest for. The government has always kept a close eye on the quality of roads. Maybe because we have primarily imported and exported since the Middle Ages, combined with the fact that we are a small country? Something we've complained about over recent years, was parking facilities for bikes in the 4 largest cities. Now they are building parking lots. In my view the only real problem that remains is bicycle theft.
I have a colleague that came into the office twice a week by aircraft. It is not that easy to bike from NY to DC.. Things are changing however, but very slow. According to US DOT, the average commute (one-way) is about 15 miles. In the US it would actually be easier to start with the major cities like NYC or LA. They have huge traffic jams pretty much all day long, so they would benefit the most from a cycle infrastructure, also people that live in the city, usually also work in the city so commute distances relative small.. But it is not just cycle infrastructure that is needed. They also have to change (get rid of) the zoning laws. Zoning laws prevent that small businesses coexist in residential areas. It doesn't help if you have to bike 20 minutes to get the store for daily groceries.. But as federal government already have huge problems with maintaining the current infrastructure, I don't see them any time soon making a budget to implement cycle infrastructure..
@@2Fast4Mellow Finaly someone who understands, indeed zoning laws are the main reason the US and Canada are car dependent. Yes cycling infra cost money, but here in the Netherlands we improve or make big changes when maintenance is scheduled, it is basically never finished, what was a good road with cycling 15 years ago is now outdated. And realise that cycle lanes are good value for money, they last ... forever. Roads wear and tear because cars and trucks are heavy, cyclist less (maybe not in the US 😉). So more bikes less cars saves money on infra, less maintenance.
you can't change the whole country from one day to the next. It took the Netherlands 47 years to build a network totalling 273.000 km (170.000 miles). A good informative channel on city planning in this respect is: not just bikes they give a lot of information on why certain things work and why others don't with a clear focus on the USA and Canada.
@@hds66nl29 I wouldn't say they last "forever" especially not when next to tall trees with roots that sometimes lead to cracks/bumps, winters still do their thing and in rare other circumstances damage can occur as well. But if they are designed to hold up to the demands of the future location and width wise they definitely last a lot longer with lower maintenance costs and probably require less foundation work below it than roads for cars. My old school route which had a municipality boundary halfway to the city was always an interesting experience. The municipality where I lived was better maintained (quick to patch damage) and better at snow clearing/salt. Then passing the city municipality border and they prioritised the city bicycle infrastructure first then the main routes to/from the city, which isn't great commuting to school early due to the weather. It was also obvious that after a number of the harsher winters the city municipality parts of the path was getting more damaged bits that weren't always fixed timely. Three of those would become what I'd class as damage that could be dangerous (starting potholes/actual pothole). It wasn't until I was 34 years old when they finally filled in the holes and resurfaced the worst bits of that fietspad. It held up surprisingly well given how much they neglected some of the early signs of damage. Most of it as far as I'm aware is still the original surface from when I went to school there, the only thing my municipality seems to have done beyond the needed patches is redoing the lines when needed.
@@extrastuff9463 I agree, lasting forever was exaggerated, but they do give good value for money. Yes environmental conditions take a toll, but that is for every road. But weight is a main factor in wearing a road down, bikes weigh less than cars. Also you need narrower lanes for traffic. It is surprising how much traffic a cycle lane can handle compared to a road with cars with one person in it.
We've got plenty of those in Ottawa, Canada. As soon as you inconvenience motorists, residents or businesses get up in arms. This particular case was businesses and mayor blocking an initiative to close one lane having 19 parking spots to create more space for physical distancing for pedestrians: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mayor-motion-menard-glebe-traffic-1.5568857
One month later, just north of that spot, victory! 15 blocks get temporarily closed to increase pedestrian & cyclist space: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/bank-street-closure-covid-bia-1.5642234
I just want to say Thank You So Much for putting these videos out there. I'm a keen "365" cyclist and want us all to embrace cycling more. I often share your videos with others to give examples of what can be done. Keep up the good work and Happy Cycling !
@@YannickTG you mean because nobody is wearing masks which increases the amount of people getting sick. Where they keep saying, we will open up the country again but keep wearing masks because covid is still about. But people just go no masks everywhere because they don't care. Literally the only reason people don't wear masks or take vaccines is because of american fear mongering and complete incompetence in handling the outbreak. And somehow think The Netherlands is the same because they listen to a foreign country media sensationalism. And carefully nitpicked out of context news so they can win over voters in, again, America and not The Netherlands. So they close it all down again because the amount of people getting effected is way more then anticipated.
The funny thing is, we have a huge Dutch historical community in west Michigan. So much so that we have a fake Holland here. And you know what? They all drive around in pickup trucks and look at you angrily if you ride a bike on "their roads", which look exactly like typical American roads with giant parking lots and suburban big box stores. But I've heard people say the Michigan Dutch are the Dutch that were not wanted in the actual Holland. So I guess that makes sense.
@@mariadebake5483 The thing that annoys me the most about the Michigan Dutch is how they're only into quaint souvenir things like windmill cookies and wooden shoes, meanwhile they complain about the Netherland's strict guns laws and their European Union membership. It's like they prefer the Netherlands of 1800s or something. Seems like a weird fantasy.
@@michaelstratton5223 As I said, nothing like the real Dutch people. We are in favour of strict gun laws and love bikes. Our roads look totally different from American ones. We are on the whole very happy to be in the EU. And we are not into windmill cookies and wooden shoes. Those you'll only see in tourist centers, although some older farmers still wear wooden shoes. Which are amazingly comfortable to wear by the way.
Its not about the dutch people or any nationalities, its just a matter of infrastructure. I assume those dutch dont have the political leverage to change american car dependent infrastructure
For sure, these protesters were often being called 'too radical' back then. Protest and civil disobedience is now more necessary than ever. Thanks for this video!!
They would be called "woke" and "SJWs" in today's world. But it just proves left wing policies are the best for the people. The only people who "suffered" were rich scumbags who can't drive their Lamborghinis in the street
I was never aware that Cycling in The Netherlands expanded since the 70's and that The Hague and Tilburg has there first officially Cycle-path. Thanks for the information. Greeting Ad (Tilburg - The Netherlands)
For all those commenters asking why their country is so behind on this... It's a combination of a tolerant and open mindset, a low corruption government, high taxes, a national believe in humanity and the will to put in the work that creates a country like this... First fix those problems in your country and the material happiness will follow...
Paragon84 Do hills really matter that much if you have a geared bike?.. especially considering the low speed riding some of these people go at to begin with. Well maybe to some but hills making people become in better shape would only be better for them.
Sure does. The gears may multiply your torque, but you still have to work for longer. Speaking from my experience, I had to leave to work early, get to work sweating, stink for the rest of the day, then have to bike all the way home, struggle up hills while breathing in diesel fumes from trucks that pass by. No thanks, im over that. If the whole city is flat, then it would be quick and easy.
You're probably right and with the upright bikes with the relaxed style it probably is even worse now I think about it. I ride a fixed gear and with hills I can manage but the bike not being too heavy and the aggressive geometry probably helps a lot. The best solution for hilly areas then would probably be to have electric motors assist for the way up. The added weight wouldn't affect much riding on flats but downhill the brakes just need to be in good condition. Maybe regenerative braking can help a little with that. It would be more expensive and have a little more maintenance but still much less than a car.
peak income tax in the netherlands isn't substantially higher than in the USA (49% instead of 39% iirc). What's most likely different there is that the highest earners actually pay their dues as opposed to wriggling out of it the way that high-earning Americans are able to. In the USA the simple issue of fiscal ignorance keeps us subsidizing car ownership. Nobody ever went back to check the numbers on whether suburbia paid for itself (hint: it doesn't) so once you start talking cold fiscal figures it's very difficult for people to ignore without seeming reckless and wasteful with taxpayer dollars. Additionally, it's very possible that a large component of that tolerant mindset may be due to the way that the Dutch live. Whereas most Americans insulate themselves completely from the world outside their social circle, the bike/walk/transit lifestyle of the average Dutch citizen means they are brought into contact with many more people of different backgrounds on a regular basis. Diversity breeds tolerance.
Every Dutchy, even car owners, ride a bike for "short" distances. The average person owns 1.5 bikes. We start participating in traffic by bike at the age of 4 or 5, though supervised by parents the first years.
Lol that average is so true. When my brother and I still lived with our parents we had 6 or 7 bikes. A friend of mine in a family of 4 or 5 actually had 20 in total 😂
The Mayor of London encourages you to cycle. When you do find one cycling lane it is either interrupted by a bus stop, either blocked by an idiot who parked their car there. Sometimes you get a cycling lane for many km, sometimes for 10m. It is a constant struggle. The only good thing is to peddle faster than Death.
@@pebblepod30 In London maybe a warden would eventually give the car a ticket. In Amsterdam the Mayor would declare a state of emergency, call in the army to napalm the car, & the driver would be shot at dawn.
@@zivkovicable Sounds like a fun night of entertainment. Forget the cannabis shops and red light district, I want to see an illegally parked car get "dealt with". I'll be watching with an Amstel in one hand and a windmill cookie in the other.
the people stood up and the government took on the job despite how big of a change it would be i actually shed a tear cuz im so grateful to have been born and raised in this country, great storytelling!
Today we also have a law in The Netherlands stating: "If the pedestrian or cyclist at the time of the accident is not more than 13 years old, the motorist is always liable unless there is intentional or intentional recklessness, even if he is not at all to blame and the accident is entirely due to the pedestrian or cyclist." It is a form of risk liability. The rule is inspired by the idea that children of this age are more at risk in motorized traffic than others due to their impulsivity and incalculability. This rule has the exception that it does not apply if the traffic behavior of the young road user is to be classified as intent or as intentional recklessness. This makes car drivers think twice before driving reckless!
age of the pedestrian or cyclist does not matter, if a weak road user (pedestrian/cyclist) and a strong road user (car) have an accident, at a minimum it is 50% the fault of the strong road user* *unless the strong road user was not at fault for the accident, example: car was parked and cyclist tumbled over parked car.
I wish I knew how to share this to Facebook. Just want to yell that this film is TEN years old and we Brits are still no where near what you Dutch had achieved back then. I'd love to share this and your latest films about the improvements that have been made from early mistakes and changing needs. I have tried doing the obvious, clicking share, to news feed or to groups and nothing seems to happen... Any instructions for this tech illiterate person would be most welcome!
@@judebrown4103 Contrats ! There is a sharing option. You can click it and it will show you many other options, like Facebook, WhatsApp and so on. On whatever app you want to share this video, click the icon of that app,and it will automatically lead to you that app. I'm glad that you are trying to bring awareness, though I think urban people are too self-absorbed to pay heed to such wonderful things. I'm a bit disillusioned,haha :) All the best! Greetings from India.
I hope in the near future, a comprehensive video like this one will be made but with the title.. "How the Americans got their cycle paths".. Thanks for sharing
America is ironically behind when it comes to so many things. -Trains actually run slower than cars, and most are only for freight. Compare that to 120mph+ trains in Europe and east Asia. -Public transport in cities is not well maintained if it even exists. The London Underground is the oldest subway network but it isn't doing a bad job (British trains do have their own issues however) -Cycling infrastructure is non-existent outside the more progressive cities, and even then it's barely protected, and not owning a car is seen as a sign of poverty in many areas. In the Netherlands it's highly unusual to see a road that isn't safe for cycling. -The government is only just discovering the roundabout -Education standards are low and it's totally normal for students to lose sleep over mandatory assignments -Everyone in the country knows multiple racists and homophobes -Walking outside by yourself is considered highly dangerous because gun control laws barely exist -Owning a car is mandatory, and combined with the point above, it makes children unable to roam safely around by themselves outside a few hundred feet of their homes -Car companies make billions of dollars every year. They have lobbied and still do lobby the government to design cities for the car, by killing public transport and making things too far to walk and roads too dangerous to cycle. -Cities are polluted to hell, but pollution isn't seen as a serious issue, as oil and car companies try to spread misconceptions that benefit them financially (ie. 'climate change is only a theory, don't feel guilty for buying a car!'). That combined with low education standards leads to conspiracy theorist groups popping up due to those misconceptions circulating, and those groups gain mainstream attention. -Road deaths are common and hardly anyone cares as it's just seen as a fact of life ---in 2018 36,560 people died in car accidents. Imagine 9/11, then multiply the death count by 12. -There's a large group of people that keep insisting that America is the best country on Earth and there's nothing wrong with it Coming from a European perspective, I'd honestly advise Americans to get out of the country as soon as possible. You guys have a really horrible government that's in the paw of car and oil companies. Honestly I find Americans themselves to be great people, these problems I listed are systematic and only the government can really change them.
Probably after "How America put a limit on the amount you can spend as a party on advertising your presidential candidates", "How America became actually democratic by getting rid of the two party system" and "How America improved their educational system to finally get in the top half of the charts".
my respect to Netherlanders, wonderful and unique, that was one of the things i most wanted to see when i came here, wish many other countries would do the same.
New York is somehow exception, where there is better alternative to cars (metro system), and is planned more like space of short distances when it goes to daily needs, you could get most what you need in the same neighborhood within walking distance. But yes, NYC is still far away from Netherlands with cycling infrastructure
What a wonderful video. It brings tears of joy every time I see it - though I must have seen it over 20 times. When will other cities become like Amsterdam and Copenhagen in terms of traffic vision?
actually the traffic in Amsterdam is one of the worst in dutch cities... if you want examples of good traffic look to cities like Rotterdam, Den Haag or Utrecht. Or even my small town Houten, where all the main streets are bicycle streets, and cars have to take the ring road around the town.
Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht good traffic? Maybe you should watch the TomTom Traffic Index: www.tomtom.com/nl_nl/trafficindex/list And we're out of the crisis so the percentages are at least 12% higher now: www.anwb.nl/verkeer/nieuws/nederland/2016/december/filezwaarte-december-2016 . However, if you don't mean that kind of traffic then see the list of the Cyclist Union: fietsstad.fietsersbond.nl/over-de-verkiezing/genomineerden fietsstad.fietsersbond.nl/archief . Utrecht is great for cycling, but Rotterdam? Nah, still very car-orientated, although it seems that's gradually improving.
If only the US took "kindermoord" (child murder) as seriously as the Dutch. who mustered the political will to develop their cycling infrastructure after so many children were killed in unsafe traffic. Here, children routinely being slaughtered or injured by guns has had no effect on gun control policy.
We are starting to here and there. Unfortunately that's more on the state level. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands recently paid a visit to Austin Texas (of all places) to check out their Dutch style cycle paths.
Then please, either find or found a group that lobbies for these roads in your municipality. Find likeminded people and get involved. Print flyers and hand them out at primary schools to parents, who obviously want the safest roads for their kids. If the municipality tries to comply with a bike lane that's painted on the normal road, object. Anything without at least a curb separating the cyclists from motor vehicles is not enough, and London is a prime example of why. Tell this to your fellow lobbyists as well. You're Scottish. You don't wanna be like England's London, with the half assed cycling paths trying to please everybody while doing nothing. You're better than that! You want the freedom to cycle without fearing that a car might rear-end you. Separated bike lanes!
@@deldarel totally agree, i am going to speak to a couple of government officials i know as well, when you ask a traffic warden, to do something about cars parked in the cycling paths at the side of the road , they keep going on about they have the wrong signage up, when this pandemic is hopefully passed, I intend to push the subject 👍.
@@elizabethwilliams1523 i don't do the uk, my country badly needs out of that dictatorship, but I agree your country should adopt the Dutch system as well good luck with that all cyclists should not need to be in such danger just to enjoy a bicycle.
@@deldarel Yes and sign petitions. There's the UK parliament website and a Scottish one. If the petitions get enough signatures then the parliament WILL debate them and WILL respond here a link to two petitions but go and see more into it too. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/320918 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/334180/sponsors/new?token=d4wZ2-EkAbfGKdIo6HAU
Mexico is going through its most severe petrol prices, pollution and road fatalities crisis ever. Mexicans NEED to hear this. May I ask your premision to subtitle/translate your video and reproduce it on my channel? A link to suscribe to your channel and proper credit will be provided.
Canadian's too! People are dying on our streets at levels we've never seen before in our cities. The whole world needs a wake/shake up! Good luck to you in Mexico!
You'd be more likely to get a reply if you email them or contact them through their website.
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Javier, if you go to settings in the bottom right corner, you have subtitles in Spanish. You can force subtitles like this: czcams.com/video/XuBdf9jYj7o/video.html&hl=es&cc_load_policy=1
@@MustacheMerlin This. The USA prioritizes money over anything else, including the well-being of its citizens. This is visible in other very profitable areas as well, like the pharmaceutical and the weapons industries.
Just that you know that Amsterdam is the worst city to bike in the Netherlands. If you want to bike a city, go somewhere else. Old city, narrow infrastructure, mixed traffic, trams with slippery rails that you fall over, and the people are traffic anarchists (so you have to count on very unexpected behavior all the time).
I was always more interested in the smaller old cities like Utrecht and Gouda, and the "new cities" like Almere. I think cycling there would be ideal. Too many Americans are obsessed with the Amsterdam red-light district and "coffee houses". To me, that is the least interesting part of the Netherlands.
Robert Coates I'd love to recommend you my hometown, Haarlem. I've been to most of the major cities in the Netherlands, but none equals the beauty and atmosphere. One helluva bike-friendly city I tell you
See if you have a local bicycle advocacy group and join them! Many of these protests here were organised by such groups here so it might be the first step and at least like that you know of new developments :)
You do have a point, but theres not much space to make cycle paths and sidewalks, especially since 1.4 billion people live there, And since the Indian government cant really fund it anyways...
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During the COVID-19 pandemic Budapest started to implement some basic cycling infrastructure to encourage people to ride instead of driving, now that public transport is less attractive. The mayor also plans a general speed limit decrease. These measures caused outrage among the citizens preferring cars. Was it the same in the Netherlands? How did they finally accept the new policies?
I have been many times to Bpest to visit friends! Hope that the cycling infrastructure will further improve in your city, in order that I dare to cycle dare! In the Netherlands most cardrivers are also cyclists, so improving cycling infrastructure is a no-brainer here that doesn't cause protests here.
I think the problem in Budapest is that they’re doing it too fast. The Netherlands didn’t get their good cycling infrastructure over night. What you see now is literally the result of 30+ years of planning and refining
Anita, watch from 4:31 on - it gives a good summary of how the public reacted. Basically, the public was the driving force calling for those changes. The Netherlands are also in a unique situation - all jokes aside, the country is mostly flat. It doesn't take much power to travel by bike.
The call for a better cycling infrastructure was met with the "blij dat ik rij" (glad to be driving) counter movement, with the still very recognisable yellow bumperstickers. This was a shameless plug by the auto industry represented by BOVAG an RAI..
Actually it is a real shame, but the UK started to go down this same route and then abandoned it !! www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/may/09/how-80-forgotten-1930s-cycleways-could-transform-uk-cycling
Parking your bike is usually free. Parking cars in Dutch cities is inaffordable, even in front of your own home, which requires a special permit, which limits households to one car. Want your bike culture to boom? Start by insanely taxing parking.
@@grahepo Taxes only affect owners of cars. Our prime minister, Mark Rutte, cycles to work on his bike. But Femke Halsema, former head of the Green Party, used to drive a car to work, as she lived far from the Hague (where parliament is seated). She is now mayor of Amsterdam (where I can only assume she rides a bike. It's a complicated nightmare to drive through Amsterdam). Bare in mind that those who own cars also own bikes and use their bikes more often than their cars. Roughly, bikes are for everyday distances (supermarket, work, taking kids to school, visiting friends, going out for beers, etc) and cars are a long distance thing for rich people who dislike trains.
@@grahepo It varies. It's safe to presume that the vast majority of the officials that live outside of the Hague get to work by car (the lesser known ones might take a train, but the famous ones would draw too much attention in a train) except for certain members of the Green Party who try to make a statement by taking a train. But a lot of officials live in the Hague, close to work. Hard to name numbers.
@@TheJenniferKK it's good to know that your PM cycles himself, i hope the rest of his gov't does the same otherwise they'd be unjustly benefiting from their gov't positions
I guess that depends on the town/city. My roommate pays about 50 Euros (Goes) a year for his parking permit, which is hardly too expensive for him. A second car would cost double that amount, but is still not cost-prohibitive.
I'm Italian I've lived in the Netherlands for about a year, I thank all the persons that made this possible. One day I hope we have that also in our's cities. Tot ziens.
Very interesting video. I never knew our cycle paths were such a recent thing. Interesting to see also the old images of Amsterdam and I believe Utrecht
This is the best answer to the question if other citties in the world can change their traffic-infrastructure. They can!! That is the most important quality of the Netherlands, the will to change. This video explains very well from a historical standpoint how it all came about. Why we have this phenomenal cycling/infrastructure. For all civil engeneers and citty-planners from all over the world; this video should be shown to your respective city-counsels!
sadly in the UK, the motor industry has too much say in government and too much priority is given to motorised traffic. Clcyling infrastructure is always treated as an afterthought when planning takes place...
***** Well in America it's not so much an afterthought as a never thought, at least where I live. But it's a very small city, really more of a town. So probably, pretty safe by U.S. standards.
Watching this in Houston, oof. Wish we could find the will here. There are so many cyclists in Houston, most of them out of necessity - they deserve to be safe on the road
The big bug was motivation for many to start cycling. The upcoming gas crisis will literally be what led to dutch cyclepaths. May history be repeating itself. Every small step in the right direction is progress. And you guys won't have to invent the wheel...you can show them it works by pointing to other countries/cities. Just start small and it will spread. Good luck.
I share your wish, but I don't think there's any benefit to drawing a distinction between cyclists who need to cycle and cyclists who want to cycle. People like Nairo Quintana have taught us these categories are not mutually exclusive. And really, fitness riders and practical riders both deserve to be safe on the road.
Great video! Everywhere should be cycle and pedestrian friendly. History can teach us how to be safer. Hopefully, we don't have to repeat it. We can learn from near-misses as well. It's much better than waiting for a crash. That's why I upgraded my bike lights.
I keep hearing him say "psychopaths" instead of "cycle paths." Changes the meaning entirely: "high quality psychopaths...not entirely connected"! I do wish America moved in this direction, including walking paths across open spaces. Fascinating how income equality followed the paths in the Netherlands.
In general roads in the USA are so wide, there's plenty of room for high quality psychopaths on the shoulders. But you have to connect the psychopaths and make junctions safe. Put some weed between the psychopaths on the road and psychopaths like we do. But which psychopath politician has the guts to take away some space from cars?
I kinda wish we had bike lanes like this no matter where you go.....even in major cities in the states we barely have any bike lanes. There's a place for cars but we need more bikes and other transit...
Wonderful Dutch biking documentary! Inspired me to make "why cycle!: or go ride a bike. It's so practical to ride. Hoping more around the world get safe paths and live car free.
As just a dutch guy I have a couple bicycles in my shed. I kinda rediscovered my love for cycling through the high fuel prices. Which is now +1.71 Euro p/Liter? I do have a car but hardly use it. And as history tends to re-apply itself in our current economic crises. Got on a bicycle holiday for a second year now. Crossing trough most of The Netherlands and its been great! Build my own bike for it. Saw a lot more than I would cruising down the highways;-)
The UK is a conservative hellhole bent on sneering at anything European as 'socialism'. Its top heavy demographic pyramid of bitter boomers would never accept anything that's perceived to impinge upon their right to barrel their leased 2-ton, 4x4 status symbol through residential backstreets at 40mph.
@@rich_edwards79 Typical British doom and gloom. UK cities, like cities in general, are left-leaning and younger demographically. There is change happening in a lot of them. Too slowly, mind you, but it's clear where the momentum is. I agree that change won't happen in shitty conservative areas, but young people are fleeing them for a reason, and there's a lot happening in cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, many London boroughs, York, and some smaller cities. Bicycle activist groups are stronger than ever, and left-leaning city councils are becoming more receptive to their message.
![Systematic Safety: The Principles Behind Vision Zero. [522]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5aNtsWvNYKE/mqdefault.jpg)
As a Dutch person I'd like to thank those protesters that got us the healthy cycling infrastructure we have today.
Congo Bongo I apologize for my countrymen. I know it happens that way. Outside of Amsterdam its beautiful to cycle. Walk through the cities. That way you use most of your muscles...and finish it off by having a nice glass of Heineken!
as an italian living in a bordertown of belgium I do to (thank the protesters) still italy is stucked in the 60's no cycling infrastructure at all , what a shame specially for the beautiful landscapes and hills
@@215alessioI love Italy and it's beauties. (The landscapes, the monuments and and above all the ladies) but when you bike, you do not have the leisure to admire much the surroundings. You pay attention to your balance and all the dangers. To bike is to be vigilant. :)
Time to take actions, my friends💪
Ciao Alessio si la situazione non è cambiata ancora ,ci sono dei tratti ma come ciclista pendolare sono quotidianamente esposto alla morte👋🖖
I visited Utrecht last July, I was told by my Boss that He arranged Bike so that I can reach office. I woke up in the morning and got down to look at my bike, There are bicycles around and No Bike, I called the lady who arranged everything and she came and pointing at bicycles she told me that here is your bike. I was shocked as for Indians Bike is Motorbike. Then I started Journey to office and all around me, Kids, Ladies, Old People everyone is on bicycles... What a country.. I have immense Respect for Dutch People. and I enjoyed my Bike journey for Next two Weeks. I felt much healthier those two weeks because of compulsory Exercise Twice or thrice everyday. Most important riding on bicycles is not seen as low status symbol in Netherlands.
Even the Dutch Royal Family cycles: czcams.com/video/CI3RkICZn94/video.html
Cycling is a high status symbol for evolved countries. It's shameful that anywhere would deem it low. Pity.
This video is almost 10 years old now and it still describes futuristic vision for many cities around the world.
the netherlands is pretty small so it's been transformed really fast.
@@miles5600 yeah right. Go make excuses somewhere else.
@@miles5600 they are small but they are also the 2nd largest exporter of food in all of Europe too! Not only are their roads amazing but they have some of the best farming techniques in the world.
And the Dutch aren't done developing either. There is non-stop room for improvements. The bicycling parking garages are really starting to pop up nowadays. And cycling tunnels underneath busy roads so the cyclist don't have to cross the roads at all. I can't wait to see what they come up with in the future to make it even more convenient to cycle.
Fun fact, *no amount* of space is enough for car traffic. Because as capacity becomes available; more people will use the car, filling it up and restoring the status quo. The best way to increase car flowthrough is giving the people a genuine choice of taking public transport and cycling.
Car is also incredibly space inefficient. Although a full car is fine, but with many cars carrying only the driver will consume unbelievably amount of road space.
@@dbclass4075 True, most people take the car alone and yet even small cars take up more space than 4 and often 6 cyclists
@@tiaxanderson9725 There are microcars that can consume very little space. Toyota iRoad is an example.
And bike traffic is different how?
@@metal87power They have smaller footprint per person, and requires less following distance than cars due to their low speed.
While they can eventually reach that point, it takes far more bikes than cars of the same road space to reach that.
Paris is currently living this cycling revolution. It's amazing, the city's bike lanes have increased and been optimized so much during lockdown. The push is due to having a "green" mayor and from protests in the capital that blocked public transport and decreased the possibility of using vehicles
"Green" means realistic, aware of the rest of the world and not owned by carcompanies these days.
@@woutervanr No, The Mayor of Paris is really bad at about everything, really poor management of money (one of the worst city for debt and money management), really bad security, really dirty city with a municipality that doesn't do anything about it.
The municipality also use huge amount of money to grow some tree (the green part) but it is after removing other trees (so basically they cut trees in order to put some new trees, and they count those new trees in their statistics)
this video is like alternate reality, not just for all the bike stuff, but for a government that actually respond to problems as they came up, not just put them off, for decades.
Poppy M he is right about the Dutch being docile. The Dutch citystates were used to being ruled over by other foreign powers. They just paid their taxes and were given a decent amount of atonomy to live their lives the way they wanted. Until Philip II came and burdened the dutch city states with heavy taxations to pay for his spanish wars and all the while prosecuting dutch protestants. Then the dutch with the help of willem of orange decided it was enough.
The germans are docile towards their own goverment, but not towards foreign powers.
My country created bike paths. Then put benches, plants and concrete barriers ON them to stop cars parking.
In 1973, the oil crisis turned the Netherlands to encourage cycling. In 1973, the USA forced the states to allow right turns on red, to "save on gasoline", and resulted in the doubling of pedestrian deaths.
Though it also was there before. A big part that kept cycling alive was the counter-culture movement of the 1960's. Bicycles were seen as the symbol of the anti-materialism of the youth and they became more and more associated as the vehicle of not just anti-material hippies but also the poor, foreigners and every other marginalized group.
When the oil crisis hit that attitude was expanded where riding bicycles became an act of defiance against the oil embargo and seen as healthier as the 1970's also saw the explosion of the 'healthy' lifestyle.
It's now standard to associate the Dutch with bicycles but before the 1970's the Dutch were not really that much more cycling happy than the Germans or French. However everything just kind of came together with the association of bicycles with rebellion and youth, a better surviving cycling tradition compared to other countries, a search for national identity, a drive for a healthier life style and increasing oil prices.
I went to the Netherlands for the first time last week and fell in love. Navigating on a bike, even in rush hour, is a delight. They are bikes, not cars, they do not go 60km/h, people stop. people look each other in the face and respect themselves. It was a life changing experience
Growing up in Holland I never considered that not every country has decent cycling paths.
I hated cycling, I hated the rain, the snow, the wind, couldn't wait to get my first car.
It was only when I went to live overseas that I realised life wasn't all that bad back home. lol.
while I did like cycling, it's pretty much the same for me. Growing up in the Netherlands I never realised how good things actually were for cyclists. Only when I moved to Germany I started realising what I had back in the Netherlands. Moved to Düsseldorf about 16 years ago and up til a few months ago I didn't even own a bike because it's so fucked up for cyclists with bikelanes only here and there and the car drivers not really giving a fuck about cyclists. Started getting a bit better a while ago which made me decide to finally get a bike. Still not all that comfy for a cyclist here but at least I can cycle without really having to worry for my life.
Cycling in America is a nightmare. Chicago is considered the most cycle-friendly city in the country, but I have two friends who were seriously injured. The American idea of a bike lane is to paint stripes in street, which are pretty much ignored by drivers and otherwise useless.
Avenged84 As German living in the Netherlands, I tend to agree. I think the north of Germany (Münster and up) has better cycling-infrastructure and -culture than what you see in Düsseldorf, but even that doesn't compare to anything here in the Netherlands. I can get anywhere by bike and rarely need to get close to other traffic!
+Namewarvergeben
And one day...maybe...máybe..you guys can start trusting the traffic and stop wearing helmets in The Netherlands too :P
Abstract1984 I am American and want more cycle lanes in my city. Isn't funny that we always feel the grass is greener on the other side.
The world always call the Dutch when there are problems with watermanagement. Never when there are problems with infrastructure/urban planning, which they shoold.
This should be required watching for any city councillor. A Toronto city councillor just this week remarked "This isn't Amsterdam, we are trying to retrofit our city".
Amsterdam was retrofitted from the mid 1970's onwards. Before that cars dominated.
@@zivkovicable
Amsterdam was retrofitted from the mid 1970's onwards. Because at the time cars dominated.
@@wimahlers I think that is what I meant..
YES!!!! I'm from Mississauga and pur huge roads are so ugly. Not to mention Mississauga's roads are empty of people and cars, thus lots of wasted space. Hopefully we can improve this.
Most Dutch cities changed their road requirements and when the road had to be replaced because of wear or the sewer needs work, they have to add cycling roads. In 20-30 years time you have an entire network without too much impact on budgeting because the road had to be redone either way. Tell your city councilor that.
The Netherlands literally would not work without cycling. About 50% of journeys are done by bike, imagine if these people used cars, the traffic would be a nightmare.
However, their example is not universal. Each country has a different geographic area with its specific means of transportation that are most suitable for its citizens. There's a place for bicycles everywhere but in different proportions.
@@metal87power most countries in Europe excluding maybe Russia has the potential to do this because they're usually small. Medium Larger/very distributed countries like Russia, The US, Brazil, Australia, Canada etc also have the potential but they'd first need to improve public transport, trains, bus and tram system at the same time or before they implement
And I heard the Netherlands doesn't have school buses. Student who live further just bike. Makes sense
@@irrelevance3859 95% of all students in the Netherlands cycle, walk or get to school by train
@@irrelevance3859 Those countries you talk about have a population really concentrated, so it is feasible as well.
Even though Russia is big, the population is concentrated around the Moscow and St Petersbourg région
my deep respect to the Dutch and their beautiful and smart cities. We have a lot to learn from them.
What works in the Netherlands, probably only works in similar situations:
-high population density
-everything within cycling distance
-people being prepared to pay for it through taxation
It might be food for thought anyway even if you can't copy/paste the roadbuilding methods etc. perfectly
"High population density". That describes most cities.
""Everything within cycling distance" - That too.
"People being prepared to pay for it through taxation" - The Dutch build cycle path because for every euro invested, there is a threefold return to the taxpayer, due to reduced congestion, pollution, improved healthcare & work productivity.
Of course, that's why I wrote "learn from them", not "imitate" or "copy" them.
"The then Prime Minister told the people of the Netherlands that this crisis was life changing, that they would have to change their ways and be less dependent on energy, but that that was possible without a decrease in the quality of life" I wish we had policitians that could show that sort of leadership in Ireland 2023.
In Australia it's probably 50/50. Perhaps our tendency is to look abroad and say things like, "We're going to follow best practice," kinda waiting for someone to tell us what that means. My van broke down e few weeks ago and I've done at least double the amount of cycling in the meantime. I feel as though my quality of life has improved.
this actually brings tears to my eyes
me too. German living in Australia here. Barely any cycling infrastructure here, public transport is a joke and in a lot of cases you can't even get to the "local" shops without a car.
I love Amsterdam so much. Visited there in November, rented a bicycle and just cycled around all day as if I was a Dutch person. The thing that struck me was the calmness with which the locals were able to navigate the city. No road rage, no pointless aggression, just people going about their business serenely. For me it was paradise. I would love to live there
well, i guess that was a beautifull day then, cus normally people here rage quite a bit over anything that happens
s99bf0c8 oh man I just absolutely love Dutch cycling culture. I would love to cycle around tulip fields & orchards whenever i get the chance to goto Amsterdam or any other city. I wish I lived there as well.
***** Dublin
+s99bf0c8 nah you just had a lucky day, cyclists in Amsterdam are aggressive fuckheads and a nightmare for pedestrians. I've been almost run over so many times, they just don't care, they dont care for pedestrians or crosswalks, all they care about is getting past you as fast as possible with 30-40 kmh
Bull. Yes you have to watch yourself in Amsterdam or the other big cities if you are not used to being around so much cycling traffic. Apparently you were not used to it and made mistakes which some cyclists did not appreciate and call you names?
Of course there are always a few that are aggressive but most people are fine and friendly there.
This is how a country should be. I've been a few times and was blown away by the level of cycling infrastructure. Shame I don't live here.
you can always move here if ya want haha
Should be mandatory viewing for town planners everywhere.
In the comments it seems like people think you have to choose one kind of transport for all their travels or that in the Netherlands they take your car away and you can't drive a car anymore. That is not true. I live in the Netherlands and for every travel I choose the kind of transport that fits me best. Everybody does. And because we have a lot of options, not everybody chooses to drive a car for all their trips. That means there is more space on the road for people who choose to use a car (if it is faster of more convenient than other ways of transport). (I drove to work for years because it was much faster, and no-one ever told me that was wrong or something) But to make it work you have to make other changes too. If it is always more convenient to take the car the system won't work. You need shops and schools nearby, so people can cycle there, and good public transport that takes you faster to the city center, or other busy places, than a car does. If it is not possible in your place to cycle, maybe there is some other way to get people out of the cars, like having smaller shops/schools/... on walking distance instead of one big shop/school/.. far away, or you can build public transport that is clean and not stuck in traffic (faster than cars). And if you think there is no space for public transport or cycle paths: take away some space for cars. If it is faster to take public transport/bike there will be less cars, and less space needed for cars. If you want to change, I'm convinced there is a solution, but it's probably not exactly the same as 'our' solution, and that's fine. And if you don't want to change anything it's fine by me too...
I just went for a bike ride. I started out in Utrecht, went through Nieuwegein, followed the river a bit (Lek) and then meandered back home. Especially this last part is bike paths only! Sometimes not even a car in sight, sometimes "Bike lanes, cars are guests here".
I am still amazed by what I find, and how easy it is to cycle for two hours, hardly any traffic lights to slow me down either.
Bridges to get across canals (Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal, Merwedekanaal) but also across major highways around Utrecht.
Bikes rule! (Yes, I have a car and it is very bored.)
I'm in the U.S. and have been commuting by bicycle / car free for 9+ years now! If only our infrastructure was better it would be much easier!
Mobliz what type of place allows that to be possible. Definitely not where I live
You guys know what you have to do to get there : pressure you elected officials
Keep doing it though. You're the reason they might at some point improve the infra.
1975... Wow. To think North America is really almost 50 years behind this stuff.
Actually the Netherlands was behind the US as the US already faced this crisis in the 1920's but the cars won that battle and they even managed to put into law that the streets belong to cars. It actually is that delay that changed the outcome cause by the late 60's a lot of the novelty of cars had started to wear off and anti-materialism was on the rise.
Ik hou van Nederland !! The Dutch are such an intelligent people.
dankje ;p
To be honest, also in our country there are lot of dumb people. Only, we're inovative, we love to take initiative and be progressive. Be open-minded, every country could be as us.
I really respect the Dutch and I've never met a dumb Dutch person yet. I've been to the Netherlands five times and I've always found the Dutch to be honest, intelligent and friendly people.
We don't like to be told what to do, that's all. So we all want to be managing.
The World can learn a lot from The Netherlands. Fresh air comes with less traffic and healthy people. No wonder the Dutch are taller healthy and its one of the happier countries on Earth.🥰
Though it's also important to acknowledge the social forces that came together. Cycling hang on in the 1950's and 60's largely due to the counter culture movement. This actually changed the image of the bicycles from something lame and outdated to something rebellious and cool. They also greatly made bicycles associated with the Netherlands and now bicycles are considered a core part of Dutch nationalism.
This is quite a big thing though because it made national conservatives and progressive socialists allies rather than enemies when it came to cycling.
The link between cycling infrastructure and the happiness of people cannot be understated. For example children are able to be independent in getting around safely thanks to the cycling paths. This independence has a large influence on their happiness and character.
It’s so much nicer to live here than where I used to live (England). But, particularly since Brexit, the English leaders think they have nothing to learn from “foreigners”
Hi Mark,
Last week I did use the video in a lessons for students for the minor Project management en processes..Just to show that a process which has let to the present situation in the Netherlands is not an overnight job but an ongoing process with a lot of programs and projects.
They were are very impressed. Especially about the reduction of road casualties.
See you.
Traffic accident fatalities in NL: outrage, protests, actual change
Traffic accident fatalities in USA: eh, they should have looked both ways. Not my problem
Unfortunately not a US-only issue.
Here in Germany I recently saw an argument between a city's official police twitter and a ped/bike activist who asked why a driver was able to run over a 4 year old that darted out between parked cars in a super narrow side-street. He was driving the allowed 30km/h and the police say there was nothing he could do. The activist said he should have been travelling slower because of the hazards. The entire argument ended with the officer in charge of social media saying "If you had to take into account that a child could run out from behind every parked car in a residential area, you couldn't drive there more than walking speed, or not at all!"
Gives me /r/selfawarewolves vibes
yep, when ever there is a crash the police will figure out what happend and urban planners try to fix those problems
@@severinkempf7819 There’s some truth to both sides. A driver can’t possibly avoid every situation which could cause a accident. Even driving 20 in 30 zone can still cause an accident. And even if the driver is removed a cyclist can still hit a child. It’s part of life, shift happens.
So true and for other places too. We should always prioritize the most vulnerable users on the road first. Unfortunately many have the attitude that people walking and biking need to get out of the way of their car.
This is why I love Dutch infrastructure design. It purposefully slows cars down at conflict points and tells drivers they are in a bike or pedestrian zone rather than bikes/peds having to enter a car zone like is typical in so many places.
You're being very harsh to US authorities. In all fairness, you can't blame them because the entire focus on transportation has always been that cars outweigh pedestrians and bicycles. It takes quite some time and a lot of citizens to convince authorities that their cities would thrive if they banned cars and promoted more eco-friendly and more safe ways of transportation. Like bicycles.
Here in Germany, they continue to build cycling infrastructure which is known to be unsafe and there is little effort to make it a network. Then the cities boast about how many kilometers of cycling infrastructure, even though they decreased safety and none of it is connected.
Indeed you also need to do it well. How they do it in the Netherlands is by having 3 separate road networks. One for pedestrians, one for cyclists and one for cars. Sometimes there is a fourth for public transport as well. They overlap where possible to save cost but each one is a complete network in it's own right with places where people would like to go and since cyclists take up less space they can get routes that are considered too expensive for cars.
Exactly. First, they build unsafe infrastructure and then blame the cyclists if they get hurt: "Just wear a helmet!" or "don't pass a turning truck".
As a Singaporean. I'm pretty impressed by your people's progress. We're starting to improve ours too. Thank you Dutchmen and the Danish for making cycling great again!
Nice comment. Singapore is an impressive place. Lots of innovation there. I hope all countries can emulate the Dutch way of making cycling accessible and widespread. Cycling is so beneficial and the benefits are too great to ignore- improving quality of life for everyone- individuals in health, happiness, finances, and to society overall in reducing pollution, healthcare costs and the losses of vehicle accidents and deaths. Optimizing cycling infrastructure = winning.
What a beautiful thing! I visited Copenhagen last year and was amazed by all the cyclists, this lead me to buying a bicycle when I returned to the US. I hadn’t ridden a bicycle since I was a kid and now I commute regularly and for recreation. I really hope biking continues to be a trend in major cities around the world
Got much difficulty getting around safely? Do you have any bike amenities in your city at all, or are the roads only suited for the car?
Curious to know!
Gerwin Bergsma I live in north Miami , USA it is not very bike friendly at all unfortunately. Along the beach there is a nice boardwalk but besides that all we have is “share the road” sign or a narrow lane with white stripes right along the traffic :(
This should be shown at school
Yes, it should be shown in school in the Netherlands. But it should also be shown in school in India, USA, and Canada.
I've watched this video way too many times because it is still a pipe dream where I am. However, optimism prevails as I work on a local project to restore a street back to a place for all the community.
What caught more my attention in this video was the people going to protest for a change because they didn't tolerate the high number of deaths. I just realized in Brazil people don't seem to really care that much to start massive protests asking for a change. Even though the number of accidents with fatal victims being way higher than in the Netherlands. This makes me sad...
People in the United States viscerally oppose the idea that there is a better way of life than the one they currently live
That's because they have been told from a very young age that the US is the greatest country on earth, so they never look somewhere else for something better because they don't believe that there is something better.
@@brozius The sad part is that if you tell them that there is a better way they will immediately call you indoctrinated and brainwashed! They are so afraid of the truth they will bully and try to intimidate people who tells the truth. This is the American way nowadays. It is sad that a country that had such a big potential to be something really great have fallen to this.
They they they....
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 As an independent-thinking American, I deal with this EVERY time when I say things like, "I prefer shopping by bike" or "I refuse to own a car". It's not that they prefer to use a car for everything, but how they always judge me for choosing an alternative option...in so-called "land of opportunity" lmao
@@AssBlasster It is a sad state of affaire really. It is like independant, free, thinking is suddenly a bad thing in the US! You have my sincere sympathy, for what it´s worth. I live in one of those EU-countries that have "no freedom" with gun control and what not and I can choose without much judgement from my fellow men.
What the Dutch have done should be done everywhere.
YES!!!! Brilliant comment. I wholeheartedly agree.
...including 'stroopwafels'...
Ok, we're in the protesting stage in my country. I really hope we can achieve such a cycling paradise one day :)
Same here in the US.
Casimira26 I hope in my country as well. I love riding my bicycle but its dangerous because I'm side by side with cars and trucks.
In the U.S. the automobile industry and oil & gas would lobby to prevent the government to invest in cycling infrastructure.
Great for the Dutch people! Love the infrastructure. I hope to visit one day!
Wrong tense! In the United States, as growth in motorised traffic resulted in massive increase in road deaths, the fledgling automobile industry took over and subverted the emerging road safety campaigns: Rather than controlling automobile traffic for the safety of other road users, they instead eliminated more vulnerable road users from the streets. See "Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City" by Peter Norton. MIT Press, 2008: g.co/kgs/PPZ8hS
As is so clearly demonstrated by AASHTO's consistent inclusion of protected infrastructure in all versions of its new cycle infrastructure guide and the >600% increase in protected bike lanes in the US since NACTO published its first cycling infrastructure guidelines.
The automobile industry in the US sees selling automobiles as a lost cause in the long term already. Ask Ford, who has come up with some really intelligent traffic analysis software that can analyze pedestrian traffic and presumably also bicycle traffic as well as motor traffic and parking, as well as dabbling in bikeshare systems. They've publicly stated that they no longer see their future as an automobile company. General Motors is in a similar situation, and they already sell e-bikes (unfortunately not yet in the US). They would likely prefer the US to follow global trends instead of making their lives more difficult and making them less competitive on a global scale.
The oil industry is in relatively dire straights no matter what happens. There has already been a peak in US oil consumption (2005). Their future is with Vaseline, lubricants, plastics and other petrochemicals, and they already know that. As such, their political grip will weaken substantially, and they know holding up the progress is futile, as has been seen by the attempts of the coal industry to lobby Trump, with no success at all in stopping the decline of coal fired power plants in the US.
Frankly, there are only a very few young teenagers I have met who are enthusiastic about driving. Only about six out of many hundreds that I have met are actually all that enthralled by it. It is true that many of them love the freedom it affords in a country that still has a lot of work to improve conditions for cycling and walking. But the actually act is joyless, not so different from using a fridge. Incidentally, of those I have met who like driving, as many of them are women as men. It's certainly not a guy's thing anymore.
We still have a lot of work, but I see that with the way things have been going for more than a decade now, and seem to continue to be going, a future like this seems highly likely, even for the US. In fact, I would not be surprised if long term, we get known as the nation that terminated its love affair with the car.
@@Ring_Zero Well, that is a problem: those vulnerable road users may not have access to cars, but they still have to get somewhere.
Thank God finally the Kurdish subtitle I added is approved and added! Thanks
Farhad Ramadhan yes sorry! YT doesn’t notify me when subtitles are made. I saw it by chance now.
BicycleDutch thanks anyway! The video is incredible, I wish one day all the streets from all around the world to have cycle lanes.
Farhad, best of luck with your Kurdish endeavours. I've been rooting for your freedom for years. Once you get your free nation, make the streets bike-friendly! Show the world that the Dutch bike safety is not a fluke, and that anyone can achieve it, as long as they are willing to sacrifice some car flow, which is much safer for cars as well.
Slightly related: 'Fahrrad' is German for 'bycicle'. It seems so close to your name and I found that oddly fitting.
Envious of the Dutch cycling infrastructure. The UK is still definitely in the grips of car dominance.
so is every other country in the world. but we're changing really quick!
You almost made me cry about a youtube video about cycling, Well done😥🤣
@Mahima Bhat Same hahahah! Go look up highly sensitive people/person (HSP), i just found out that Im not the only one
He actually made me cry with the incredible luck the Dutch had from all those circumstances coming together to allow this
So to sum up:. Build it, and they will come
I want my country Philippines 🇵🇭 to adopt Dutch bike lanes infrastructure.
I'm also from the Philippines! I get so jealous seeing the dedicated bike lanes in this video. I haven't even seen a single one in my lifetime. I could imagine going to school, malls, etc. on a bike and being able to save up money due to the decrease in travel fares.
I think people all over the globe would love to have Dutch cycle path network in their respective country.
Research shows that even in the US, you are MUCH more likely to get a head injury while driving a car (98% of head injuries), than you are while cycling (2%). Hence no bike helmets in Holland. Ironically, it would make a huge difference if the whole world made helmets mandatory for DRIVERS (of cars).
Bicycledutch The footage of traffic from decades earlier is surreal and sobering. Governments usually sell change as progress. Any problems that happen as a result need to be mitigated, but no one should stand in the way of progress.
The people of the Netherlands realized the changes around them and rejected the problematic consequences. The majority made their opinions clear, and the government adapted.
There is so much to admire about the Netherlands. The Dutch are lucky to have a responsive government, and the people are great for taking a stand and being a part of creating the bicycle infrastructure that you have.
Could you please consider creating a video on how the system is modified and maintained? What drives and controls change in creating, modifying or cancelling a bicycle lane? Also, how is the road maintained, what triggers a maintenance work order for the cycle paths? Who is responsible for it? What are the standards and the limits? I'm just sharing some questions in my head, and this channel is the best for learning about Dutch bicycle infrastructure and traffic in the Netherlands.
Sorry for the long message. :)
It seems to me like we need to do the same for climate change.
Love your message! The answer is that the Dutch are absolutely anal about perfect roads in general, not just for bikes. Not a single pothole or bump in the country. That's the one thing we've never had to protest for. The government has always kept a close eye on the quality of roads. Maybe because we have primarily imported and exported since the Middle Ages, combined with the fact that we are a small country? Something we've complained about over recent years, was parking facilities for bikes in the 4 largest cities. Now they are building parking lots. In my view the only real problem that remains is bicycle theft.
I chose the Netherlands for an International Bike Tour years ago. It was fantastic, pleasant and not exhausting! Good for tourism.
As a native i was never aware of this, thanks for informing me. I just assumed it naturally evolved this way because we already preferred riding bikes
Man I wish the U.S. had better infrastructure more conducive to cycling
I have a colleague that came into the office twice a week by aircraft. It is not that easy to bike from NY to DC.. Things are changing however, but very slow.
According to US DOT, the average commute (one-way) is about 15 miles.
In the US it would actually be easier to start with the major cities like NYC or LA. They have huge traffic jams pretty much all day long, so they would benefit the most from a cycle infrastructure, also people that live in the city, usually also work in the city so commute distances relative small..
But it is not just cycle infrastructure that is needed. They also have to change (get rid of) the zoning laws. Zoning laws prevent that small businesses coexist in residential areas. It doesn't help if you have to bike 20 minutes to get the store for daily groceries..
But as federal government already have huge problems with maintaining the current infrastructure, I don't see them any time soon making a budget to implement cycle infrastructure..
@@2Fast4Mellow Finaly someone who understands, indeed zoning laws are the main reason the US and Canada are car dependent. Yes cycling infra cost money, but here in the Netherlands we improve or make big changes when maintenance is scheduled, it is basically never finished, what was a good road with cycling 15 years ago is now outdated. And realise that cycle lanes are good value for money, they last ... forever. Roads wear and tear because cars and trucks are heavy, cyclist less (maybe not in the US 😉). So more bikes less cars saves money on infra, less maintenance.
you can't change the whole country from one day to the next. It took the Netherlands 47 years to build a network totalling 273.000 km (170.000 miles).
A good informative channel on city planning in this respect is: not just bikes
they give a lot of information on why certain things work and why others don't with a clear focus on the USA and Canada.
@@hds66nl29 I wouldn't say they last "forever" especially not when next to tall trees with roots that sometimes lead to cracks/bumps, winters still do their thing and in rare other circumstances damage can occur as well. But if they are designed to hold up to the demands of the future location and width wise they definitely last a lot longer with lower maintenance costs and probably require less foundation work below it than roads for cars.
My old school route which had a municipality boundary halfway to the city was always an interesting experience. The municipality where I lived was better maintained (quick to patch damage) and better at snow clearing/salt. Then passing the city municipality border and they prioritised the city bicycle infrastructure first then the main routes to/from the city, which isn't great commuting to school early due to the weather.
It was also obvious that after a number of the harsher winters the city municipality parts of the path was getting more damaged bits that weren't always fixed timely. Three of those would become what I'd class as damage that could be dangerous (starting potholes/actual pothole). It wasn't until I was 34 years old when they finally filled in the holes and resurfaced the worst bits of that fietspad. It held up surprisingly well given how much they neglected some of the early signs of damage. Most of it as far as I'm aware is still the original surface from when I went to school there, the only thing my municipality seems to have done beyond the needed patches is redoing the lines when needed.
@@extrastuff9463 I agree, lasting forever was exaggerated, but they do give good value for money. Yes environmental conditions take a toll, but that is for every road. But weight is a main factor in wearing a road down, bikes weigh less than cars. Also you need narrower lanes for traffic. It is surprising how much traffic a cycle lane can handle compared to a road with cars with one person in it.
The Netherlands proves, once again, that it is within our power.
Only a Psychopath dislikes a Cycle-path!
We've got plenty of those in Ottawa, Canada. As soon as you inconvenience motorists, residents or businesses get up in arms. This particular case was businesses and mayor blocking an initiative to close one lane having 19 parking spots to create more space for physical distancing for pedestrians: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mayor-motion-menard-glebe-traffic-1.5568857
One month later, just north of that spot, victory! 15 blocks get temporarily closed to increase pedestrian & cyclist space: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/bank-street-closure-covid-bia-1.5642234
I just want to say Thank You So Much for putting these videos out there. I'm a keen "365" cyclist and want us all to embrace cycling more. I often share your videos with others to give examples of what can be done. Keep up the good work and Happy Cycling !
Having grown up in Holland and now living in the UK. I have to say that I did not appreciate the bliss I grew up in.
I am so proud to be dutch and living in Tilburg
must be nice to live somewhere that the governement responds to the citizens
It used to, it doesnt anymore.
@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 yeah, they are deaf now or something
@@YannickTG you mean because nobody is wearing masks which increases the amount of people getting sick.
Where they keep saying, we will open up the country again but keep wearing masks because covid is still about.
But people just go no masks everywhere because they don't care.
Literally the only reason people don't wear masks or take vaccines is because of american fear mongering and complete incompetence in handling the outbreak.
And somehow think The Netherlands is the same because they listen to a foreign country media sensationalism. And carefully nitpicked out of context news so they can win over voters in, again, America and not The Netherlands.
So they close it all down again because the amount of people getting effected is way more then anticipated.
America has no tole to play here. The fear-mongering is completely doen by out own anti-vaxx idiots.
The funny thing is, we have a huge Dutch historical community in west Michigan. So much so that we have a fake Holland here. And you know what? They all drive around in pickup trucks and look at you angrily if you ride a bike on "their roads", which look exactly like typical American roads with giant parking lots and suburban big box stores. But I've heard people say the Michigan Dutch are the Dutch that were not wanted in the actual Holland. So I guess that makes sense.
If the government there followed the real Dutch, those idiots would change and be smarter
They don't have much in common with the Dutch in the Netherlands
@@mariadebake5483 The thing that annoys me the most about the Michigan Dutch is how they're only into quaint souvenir things like windmill cookies and wooden shoes, meanwhile they complain about the Netherland's strict guns laws and their European Union membership. It's like they prefer the Netherlands of 1800s or something. Seems like a weird fantasy.
@@michaelstratton5223 As I said, nothing like the real Dutch people. We are in favour of strict gun laws and love bikes. Our roads look totally different from American ones. We are on the whole very happy to be in the EU. And we are not into windmill cookies and wooden shoes. Those you'll only see in tourist centers, although some older farmers still wear wooden shoes. Which are amazingly comfortable to wear by the way.
Its not about the dutch people or any nationalities, its just a matter of infrastructure. I assume those dutch dont have the political leverage to change american car dependent infrastructure
For sure, these protesters were often being called 'too radical' back then. Protest and civil disobedience is now more necessary than ever. Thanks for this video!!
They would be called "woke" and "SJWs" in today's world. But it just proves left wing policies are the best for the people. The only people who "suffered" were rich scumbags who can't drive their Lamborghinis in the street
I was never aware that Cycling in The Netherlands expanded since the 70's and that The Hague and Tilburg has there first officially Cycle-path. Thanks for the information. Greeting Ad (Tilburg - The Netherlands)
For all those commenters asking why their country is so behind on this... It's a combination of a tolerant and open mindset, a low corruption government, high taxes, a national believe in humanity and the will to put in the work that creates a country like this... First fix those problems in your country and the material happiness will follow...
It also helps that the whole country is flat. How can a country with lots of hills compete with that?
Paragon84 Do hills really matter that much if you have a geared bike?.. especially considering the low speed riding some of these people go at to begin with. Well maybe to some but hills making people become in better shape would only be better for them.
Sure does. The gears may multiply your torque, but you still have to work for longer.
Speaking from my experience, I had to leave to work early, get to work sweating, stink for the rest of the day, then have to bike all the way home, struggle up hills while breathing in diesel fumes from trucks that pass by. No thanks, im over that.
If the whole city is flat, then it would be quick and easy.
You're probably right and with the upright bikes with the relaxed style it probably is even worse now I think about it. I ride a fixed gear and with hills I can manage but the bike not being too heavy and the aggressive geometry probably helps a lot.
The best solution for hilly areas then would probably be to have electric motors assist for the way up. The added weight wouldn't affect much riding on flats but downhill the brakes just need to be in good condition. Maybe regenerative braking can help a little with that. It would be more expensive and have a little more maintenance but still much less than a car.
peak income tax in the netherlands isn't substantially higher than in the USA (49% instead of 39% iirc). What's most likely different there is that the highest earners actually pay their dues as opposed to wriggling out of it the way that high-earning Americans are able to. In the USA the simple issue of fiscal ignorance keeps us subsidizing car ownership. Nobody ever went back to check the numbers on whether suburbia paid for itself (hint: it doesn't) so once you start talking cold fiscal figures it's very difficult for people to ignore without seeming reckless and wasteful with taxpayer dollars. Additionally, it's very possible that a large component of that tolerant mindset may be due to the way that the Dutch live. Whereas most Americans insulate themselves completely from the world outside their social circle, the bike/walk/transit lifestyle of the average Dutch citizen means they are brought into contact with many more people of different backgrounds on a regular basis. Diversity breeds tolerance.
Every Dutchy, even car owners, ride a bike for "short" distances. The average person owns 1.5 bikes. We start participating in traffic by bike at the age of 4 or 5, though supervised by parents the first years.
Lol that average is so true. When my brother and I still lived with our parents we had 6 or 7 bikes. A friend of mine in a family of 4 or 5 actually had 20 in total 😂
The Mayor of London encourages you to cycle. When you do find one cycling lane it is either interrupted by a bus stop, either blocked by an idiot who parked their car there. Sometimes you get a cycling lane for many km, sometimes for 10m. It is a constant struggle. The only good thing is to peddle faster than Death.
Surely if you parked on s cycle lane, someone would call to impound or fine your car i would think.
@@pebblepod30 In London maybe a warden would eventually give the car a ticket. In Amsterdam the Mayor would declare a state of emergency, call in the army to napalm the car, & the driver would be shot at dawn.
@@zivkovicable Sounds like a fun night of entertainment. Forget the cannabis shops and red light district, I want to see an illegally parked car get "dealt with". I'll be watching with an Amstel in one hand and a windmill cookie in the other.
the people stood up and the government took on the job despite how big of a change it would be
i actually shed a tear cuz im so grateful to have been born and raised in this country, great storytelling!
So happy to be living in 🇳🇱
Today we also have a law in The Netherlands stating: "If the pedestrian or cyclist at the time of the accident is not more than 13 years old, the motorist is always liable unless there is intentional or intentional recklessness, even if he is not at all to blame and the accident is entirely due to the pedestrian or cyclist." It is a form of risk liability. The rule is inspired by the idea that children of this age are more at risk in motorized traffic than others due to their impulsivity and incalculability. This rule has the exception that it does not apply if the traffic behavior of the young road user is to be classified as intent or as intentional recklessness.
This makes car drivers think twice before driving reckless!
A very sensible approach.
And gives them more incentive to use their bike and leave the cars for only when it's absolutely necessary
And in the driving lessons (for cars to get your drivinglicense) the dutch also learn to always pay attention to bycicles
age of the pedestrian or cyclist does not matter, if a weak road user (pedestrian/cyclist) and a strong road user (car) have an accident, at a minimum it is 50% the fault of the strong road user*
*unless the strong road user was not at fault for the accident, example: car was parked and cyclist tumbled over parked car.
What a smart country. Maybe we can grow in that direction. From Canada. (... with studded bicycle tires, in winter, for sure. )
I wish I knew how to share this to Facebook. Just want to yell that this film is TEN years old and we Brits are still no where near what you Dutch had achieved back then. I'd love to share this and your latest films about the improvements that have been made from early mistakes and changing needs.
I have tried doing the obvious, clicking share, to news feed or to groups and nothing seems to happen... Any instructions for this tech illiterate person would be most welcome!
Download or post a link
@@dietbountyicecream1444 so I gather.... I wanted to post a link but haven't yet worked out how you do that 😂
Click on share, then copy link
@@ecopennylife yay! I did it, thank you. This is quite an achievement for this less than technical old bird, I'm quite chuffed. 😁👍
@@judebrown4103 Contrats !
There is a sharing option. You can click it and it will show you many other options, like Facebook, WhatsApp and so on. On whatever app you want to share this video, click the icon of that app,and it will automatically lead to you that app.
I'm glad that you are trying to bring awareness, though I think urban people are too self-absorbed to pay heed to such wonderful things. I'm a bit disillusioned,haha :)
All the best! Greetings from India.
I hope in the near future, a comprehensive video like this one will be made but with the title.. "How the Americans got their cycle paths"..
Thanks for sharing
same!!!!!
Italy too :/
America is ironically behind when it comes to so many things.
-Trains actually run slower than cars, and most are only for freight. Compare that to 120mph+ trains in Europe and east Asia.
-Public transport in cities is not well maintained if it even exists. The London Underground is the oldest subway network but it isn't doing a bad job (British trains do have their own issues however)
-Cycling infrastructure is non-existent outside the more progressive cities, and even then it's barely protected, and not owning a car is seen as a sign of poverty in many areas. In the Netherlands it's highly unusual to see a road that isn't safe for cycling.
-The government is only just discovering the roundabout
-Education standards are low and it's totally normal for students to lose sleep over mandatory assignments
-Everyone in the country knows multiple racists and homophobes
-Walking outside by yourself is considered highly dangerous because gun control laws barely exist
-Owning a car is mandatory, and combined with the point above, it makes children unable to roam safely around by themselves outside a few hundred feet of their homes
-Car companies make billions of dollars every year. They have lobbied and still do lobby the government to design cities for the car, by killing public transport and making things too far to walk and roads too dangerous to cycle.
-Cities are polluted to hell, but pollution isn't seen as a serious issue, as oil and car companies try to spread misconceptions that benefit them financially (ie. 'climate change is only a theory, don't feel guilty for buying a car!'). That combined with low education standards leads to conspiracy theorist groups popping up due to those misconceptions circulating, and those groups gain mainstream attention.
-Road deaths are common and hardly anyone cares as it's just seen as a fact of life
---in 2018 36,560 people died in car accidents. Imagine 9/11, then multiply the death count by 12.
-There's a large group of people that keep insisting that America is the best country on Earth and there's nothing wrong with it
Coming from a European perspective, I'd honestly advise Americans to get out of the country as soon as possible. You guys have a really horrible government that's in the paw of car and oil companies. Honestly I find Americans themselves to be great people, these problems I listed are systematic and only the government can really change them.
Probably after "How America put a limit on the amount you can spend as a party on advertising your presidential candidates", "How America became actually democratic by getting rid of the two party system" and "How America improved their educational system to finally get in the top half of the charts".
my respect to Netherlanders, wonderful and unique, that was one of the things i most wanted to see when i came here, wish many other countries would do the same.
Interestingly, cycling in the Netherlands is like driving in America: omnipresent and decisive for all cities!
New York is somehow exception, where there is better alternative to cars (metro system), and is planned more like space of short distances when it goes to daily needs, you could get most what you need in the same neighborhood within walking distance. But yes, NYC is still far away from Netherlands with cycling infrastructure
watch and learn Brits, watch and learn
British Petrol doesn't want Brits neither to watch nor learn.
These videos are inspirational, almost a decade old. Thank you
well done Netherlands. Simply, gracefully practical. Much admiration from Tirana Albania.
What a wonderful video. It brings tears of joy every time I see it - though I must have seen it over 20 times. When will other cities become like Amsterdam and Copenhagen in terms of traffic vision?
actually the traffic in Amsterdam is one of the worst in dutch cities... if you want examples of good traffic look to cities like Rotterdam, Den Haag or Utrecht. Or even my small town Houten, where all the main streets are bicycle streets, and cars have to take the ring road around the town.
Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht good traffic? Maybe you should watch the TomTom Traffic Index: www.tomtom.com/nl_nl/trafficindex/list And we're out of the crisis so the percentages are at least 12% higher now: www.anwb.nl/verkeer/nieuws/nederland/2016/december/filezwaarte-december-2016 .
However, if you don't mean that kind of traffic then see the list of the Cyclist Union: fietsstad.fietsersbond.nl/over-de-verkiezing/genomineerden fietsstad.fietsersbond.nl/archief . Utrecht is great for cycling, but Rotterdam? Nah, still very car-orientated, although it seems that's gradually improving.
i didn't say good, i said better than amsterdam
Sujit Patwardhan so you watched over 125 minutes of it.
If only the US took "kindermoord" (child murder) as seriously as the Dutch. who mustered the political will to develop their cycling infrastructure after so many children were killed in unsafe traffic. Here, children routinely being slaughtered or injured by guns has had no effect on gun control policy.
Many US people just pick the "buy more guns to defend our kids" policy.
Gun control = more profit for the black market
Today, this is something the US should do. Especially with the oil crisis caused by the multiple shocks.
The US are a bit slow on the uptake.
They fear the "Not Invented Here" syndrome and they suffer the consequences of the oil and car lobbies.
We are starting to here and there. Unfortunately that's more on the state level. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands recently paid a visit to Austin Texas (of all places) to check out their Dutch style cycle paths.
I want my country Scotland to adopt the Netherlands policy's on cycling.
Then please, either find or found a group that lobbies for these roads in your municipality. Find likeminded people and get involved. Print flyers and hand them out at primary schools to parents, who obviously want the safest roads for their kids. If the municipality tries to comply with a bike lane that's painted on the normal road, object. Anything without at least a curb separating the cyclists from motor vehicles is not enough, and London is a prime example of why. Tell this to your fellow lobbyists as well. You're Scottish. You don't wanna be like England's London, with the half assed cycling paths trying to please everybody while doing nothing. You're better than that! You want the freedom to cycle without fearing that a car might rear-end you. Separated bike lanes!
@@deldarel totally agree, i am going to speak to a couple of government officials i know as well, when you ask a traffic warden, to do something about cars parked in the cycling paths at the side of the road , they keep going on about they have the wrong signage up, when this pandemic is hopefully passed, I intend to push the subject 👍.
It would be good if all the UK had this cycle systemm.
@@elizabethwilliams1523 i don't do the uk, my country badly needs out of that dictatorship, but I agree your country should adopt the Dutch system as well good luck with that all cyclists should not need to be in such danger just to enjoy a bicycle.
@@deldarel Yes and sign petitions. There's the UK parliament website and a Scottish one. If the petitions get enough signatures then the parliament WILL debate them and WILL respond here a link to two petitions but go and see more into it too.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/320918
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/334180/sponsors/new?token=d4wZ2-EkAbfGKdIo6HAU
Mexico is going through its most severe petrol prices, pollution and road fatalities crisis ever. Mexicans NEED to hear this. May I ask your premision to subtitle/translate your video and reproduce it on my channel? A link to suscribe to your channel and proper credit will be provided.
Canadian's too! People are dying on our streets at levels we've never seen before in our cities. The whole world needs a wake/shake up! Good luck to you in Mexico!
You'd be more likely to get a reply if you email them or contact them through their website.
Javier, if you go to settings in the bottom right corner, you have subtitles in Spanish. You can force subtitles like this: czcams.com/video/XuBdf9jYj7o/video.html&hl=es&cc_load_policy=1
Imagine how much more space we'd have if we weren't so car dependent...🥲
At the same time imagine how little we'd have developed and gotten emancipated without them
@@anneeq008 lmao, nice development you got there, netherlands is so much worse right xD
@@BenjoCovers Grow a brain. You need it.
@@anneeq008 it wouldn't have inhibited development in the slightest lol
I reckon people is actually car-addicted: they have a compulsion to use it even if it’s bad for them in the long term.
I love cycling in the Netherlands. Germany is great, but Holland is another level. ❤
The last sentence, was just perfect.
How does a country (America) double down on using gas during an oil crisis...
they dont cus their citizens are too stupid, fat, and lazy to ever coordinate a public movement on this scale (I'm american btw)
A lot of us are really stubborn, and refuse to believe alternatives to car dependency exist
@@MustacheMerlin This. The USA prioritizes money over anything else, including the well-being of its citizens. This is visible in other very profitable areas as well, like the pharmaceutical and the weapons industries.
Because we are a profoundly stupid nation. We will fall on our swords before we learn anything from another country because "American exceptionalism."
And now I want to go to Amsterdam for the sole purpose of riding a bike around town...never thought I would say that about Amsterdam.
Just that you know that Amsterdam is the worst city to bike in the Netherlands. If you want to bike a city, go somewhere else. Old city, narrow infrastructure, mixed traffic, trams with slippery rails that you fall over, and the people are traffic anarchists (so you have to count on very unexpected behavior all the time).
I was always more interested in the smaller old cities like Utrecht and Gouda, and the "new cities" like Almere. I think cycling there would be ideal. Too many Americans are obsessed with the Amsterdam red-light district and "coffee houses". To me, that is the least interesting part of the Netherlands.
Robert Coates I'd love to recommend you my hometown, Haarlem. I've been to most of the major cities in the Netherlands, but none equals the beauty and atmosphere. One helluva bike-friendly city I tell you
+Ruben Wahab: Not only a bike friendly city! It is one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands!
Levi Sedlock i would recomend a less busy city with some baeutifull sightseeing
Indian cities need cycle path desperately but I don't think it will happen soon.
I use bicycle for office ...
We should focus on getting sidewalks/pavements first
@@muhilan8540 why not both at the same time? Less money spend and otherwise people will park on the pavements ;)
See if you have a local bicycle advocacy group and join them! Many of these protests here were organised by such groups here so it might be the first step and at least like that you know of new developments :)
You do have a point, but theres not much space to make cycle paths and sidewalks, especially since 1.4 billion people live there, And since the Indian government cant really fund it anyways...
During the COVID-19 pandemic Budapest started to implement some basic cycling infrastructure to encourage people to ride instead of driving, now that public transport is less attractive. The mayor also plans a general speed limit decrease. These measures caused outrage among the citizens preferring cars.
Was it the same in the Netherlands? How did they finally accept the new policies?
I have been many times to Bpest to visit friends! Hope that the cycling infrastructure will further improve in your city, in order that I dare to cycle dare! In the Netherlands most cardrivers are also cyclists, so improving cycling infrastructure is a no-brainer here that doesn't cause protests here.
I think the problem in Budapest is that they’re doing it too fast. The Netherlands didn’t get their good cycling infrastructure over night. What you see now is literally the result of 30+ years of planning and refining
Anita, watch from 4:31 on - it gives a good summary of how the public reacted. Basically, the public was the driving force calling for those changes. The Netherlands are also in a unique situation - all jokes aside, the country is mostly flat. It doesn't take much power to travel by bike.
The call for a better cycling infrastructure was met with the "blij dat ik rij" (glad to be driving) counter movement, with the still very recognisable yellow bumperstickers. This was a shameless plug by the auto industry represented by BOVAG an RAI..
The UK, in this perspective, is SO DAMN BACKWARD!
If you think the UK is backwards, you should see the pathetic bike culture out here in America.
Actually it is a real shame, but the UK started to go down this same route and then abandoned it !! www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/may/09/how-80-forgotten-1930s-cycleways-could-transform-uk-cycling
Yeah, In America bicycles are thought of as toys.
Parking your bike is usually free. Parking cars in Dutch cities is inaffordable, even in front of your own home, which requires a special permit, which limits households to one car. Want your bike culture to boom? Start by insanely taxing parking.
does taxes affect Dutch gov't officials? how many Dutch gov't officials own cars?
@@grahepo Taxes only affect owners of cars. Our prime minister, Mark Rutte, cycles to work on his bike. But Femke Halsema, former head of the Green Party, used to drive a car to work, as she lived far from the Hague (where parliament is seated). She is now mayor of Amsterdam (where I can only assume she rides a bike. It's a complicated nightmare to drive through Amsterdam). Bare in mind that those who own cars also own bikes and use their bikes more often than their cars. Roughly, bikes are for everyday distances (supermarket, work, taking kids to school, visiting friends, going out for beers, etc) and cars are a long distance thing for rich people who dislike trains.
@@grahepo It varies. It's safe to presume that the vast majority of the officials that live outside of the Hague get to work by car (the lesser known ones might take a train, but the famous ones would draw too much attention in a train) except for certain members of the Green Party who try to make a statement by taking a train. But a lot of officials live in the Hague, close to work. Hard to name numbers.
@@TheJenniferKK it's good to know that your PM cycles himself, i hope the rest of his gov't does the same otherwise they'd be unjustly benefiting from their gov't positions
I guess that depends on the town/city. My roommate pays about 50 Euros (Goes) a year for his parking permit, which is hardly too expensive for him. A second car would cost double that amount, but is still not cost-prohibitive.
I'm Italian I've lived in the Netherlands for about a year, I thank all the persons that made this possible. One day I hope we have that also in our's cities. Tot ziens.
Very interesting video. I never knew our cycle paths were such a recent thing. Interesting to see also the old images of Amsterdam and I believe Utrecht
This is absolutely INCREDIBLE!
the US has a lot to learn from the Netherlands when it comes to city design
And not just city design.
And a lot of other things!!
What is relatively unique is the Dutch pragmatic and common sense approach into many issues, including the commitment.
I visited the Netherlands and I was amazed by the bike lanes!
This is the best answer to the question if other citties in the world can change their traffic-infrastructure. They can!! That is the most important quality of the Netherlands, the will to change. This video explains very well from a historical standpoint how it all came about. Why we have this phenomenal cycling/infrastructure. For all civil engeneers and citty-planners from all over the world; this video should be shown to your respective city-counsels!
sadly in the UK, the motor industry has too much say in government and too much priority is given to motorised traffic. Clcyling infrastructure is always treated as an afterthought when planning takes place...
***** Well in America it's not so much an afterthought as a never thought, at least where I live. But it's a very small city, really more of a town. So probably, pretty safe by U.S. standards.
We have this very same problem in Canada too.
Watching this in Houston, oof. Wish we could find the will here. There are so many cyclists in Houston, most of them out of necessity - they deserve to be safe on the road
The big bug was motivation for many to start cycling. The upcoming gas crisis will literally be what led to dutch cyclepaths. May history be repeating itself. Every small step in the right direction is progress. And you guys won't have to invent the wheel...you can show them it works by pointing to other countries/cities. Just start small and it will spread. Good luck.
I share your wish, but I don't think there's any benefit to drawing a distinction between cyclists who need to cycle and cyclists who want to cycle. People like Nairo Quintana have taught us these categories are not mutually exclusive. And really, fitness riders and practical riders both deserve to be safe on the road.
@@michaelstratton5223 You're absolutely right
@@maaiker2977 Thank you - I've seen some recent progress here since initially commenting so I am heartened
Great video! Everywhere should be cycle and pedestrian friendly. History can teach us how to be safer. Hopefully, we don't have to repeat it. We can learn from near-misses as well. It's much better than waiting for a crash. That's why I upgraded my bike lights.
I keep hearing him say "psychopaths" instead of "cycle paths." Changes the meaning entirely: "high quality psychopaths...not entirely connected"!
I do wish America moved in this direction, including walking paths across open spaces. Fascinating how income equality followed the paths in the Netherlands.
In general roads in the USA are so wide, there's plenty of room for high quality psychopaths on the shoulders. But you have to connect the psychopaths and make junctions safe. Put some weed between the psychopaths on the road and psychopaths like we do. But which psychopath politician has the guts to take away some space from cars?
drie wiel Psychopaths????? Wrong translation .... !
You ment FIETSPADEN ???
lol, I heard that too.
E.C. Hansen The people in the Netherlands have plenty of cycle paths. The people in the US already have a more than adequate supply of the other.
I kinda wish we had bike lanes like this no matter where you go.....even in major cities in the states we barely have any bike lanes. There's a place for cars but we need more bikes and other transit...
Wonderful Dutch biking documentary! Inspired me to make "why cycle!: or go ride a bike.
It's so practical to ride. Hoping more around the world get safe paths and live car free.
As just a dutch guy I have a couple bicycles in my shed.
I kinda rediscovered my love for cycling through the high fuel prices.
Which is now +1.71 Euro p/Liter?
I do have a car but hardly use it.
And as history tends to re-apply itself in our current economic crises.
Got on a bicycle holiday for a second year now.
Crossing trough most of The Netherlands and its been great!
Build my own bike for it.
Saw a lot more than I would cruising down the highways;-)
This is wonderful
This is one of the few things that gives me hope that we humans can still solve the absolute mess we're making of the planet.
This channel is so good, I'm learning so much!
UK population desperately needs this, not just for congestion reasons
Right. The UK is too small for cars anyway. This is necessary the government needs to make it priority though
Government is too shit for it to happen.
The UK is a conservative hellhole bent on sneering at anything European as 'socialism'. Its top heavy demographic pyramid of bitter boomers would never accept anything that's perceived to impinge upon their right to barrel their leased 2-ton, 4x4 status symbol through residential backstreets at 40mph.
@@rich_edwards79 Typical British doom and gloom. UK cities, like cities in general, are left-leaning and younger demographically. There is change happening in a lot of them. Too slowly, mind you, but it's clear where the momentum is. I agree that change won't happen in shitty conservative areas, but young people are fleeing them for a reason, and there's a lot happening in cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, many London boroughs, York, and some smaller cities. Bicycle activist groups are stronger than ever, and left-leaning city councils are becoming more receptive to their message.