Tip for Natalia to not have that dilemma with cheese separators any more (it’s not paper; better be safe and go for “rest” (miscellaneous) with those) is to get yourself a good cheese slicer (not that Blokker junk) and buy cheese by the block. Saves a lot on packaging and price.
I am from Poland as well. It was a pleasure to listen to a perspective by a compatriot. Unfortunately Poland is getting car-centric. In way too many areas outside cities cars are only way to go as there is no public transit. To make matters worse, even in cities like Warsaw people are car-centric and drive everywhere and kids are driven to school even if bus or tram is there every 10 minutes. It is sad and contribute to overweight / obesity pandemic. Way too many has mentality "we don't need a bus from our town to Warsaw as everyone has bus". I am from city of 130,000 city and there are only extremely small, stinky and horrible buses as regular, public transit bus to Warsaw is 3 times per day. There is no train to Warsaw. Car is unfortunately the best option. I currently live in Switzerland, country with the best public transport system in a planet. Even in small towns there is option to be car free for those who want such option. In major cities like Basel or Zurich public transit is superior to car in most options. I don't bike so don't know about cycling infrastructure but cyclists I know seem satisfied.
So sorry to hear that about your homeland. Yeah, I hear what you are saying about Switzerland; during my visit, I used my Brompton folding travel bike facilitated by transit. It really worked quite well. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your perspective. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. I'll be having Dr. Barbour back on the Channel soon. Cheers! John
Good morning John (sorry I called you David yesterday) This morning, before I got up I came across this video. Living in Rotterdam, that neighbours Delft, I know Delft a little. I come there sometimes. My American relatives (visited at the end 2022) loved Delft very much! The historical center is beautiful. I grew up in a village (now incorporated into Rotterdam) near Delft. You can bike to Delft and to The Hague easily. As a matter of fact, a friend biked every day from Rotterdam to The Hague to his work. Interesting to hear the experiences of this assistant professor (or maybe she became a professor meanwhile?) One of my best friends is a professor at the TU Delft, worldwide renowned for his work in architecture. He is a third generation knighted architect (his father and grandfather were also knighted architects for their work for Rotterdam). Saturday I dined with him and coincidentally I was telling him about your - and other Americans' videos on our bike culture. Yesterday I wrote that I share your videos with friends. Well, he's one of them.
No worries, it's all good. Yeah, Delft is probably the Dutch city I know best. You'll see many videos, including my most recent release, from there. btw If you'd like an update, my follow-up interview with Dr. Natalia Barbour, PhD is here: czcams.com/video/LWxLz-qOcqY/video.html Thanks again for tuning in and sharing my content. I really do appreciate it a great deal. Cheers! John
I like your interview and the discussion that came up. For Natalia I have a tip, take a look in the history of the campus, 20 to 30 years backwards, there she can find how the whole infrastructure (main road) of the campus is improved from a car to a bicycle and pedestrian area. This campus is a compact area where you can walk easily from one faculty to the other. To get a view from above over the whole area, go to the 19th floor in the “electrical
Thanks so much for watching, Hans. I will make sure she sees this comment. Funny the history of the Delft network in general was a topic of conversation in my video with Mark of BicycleDutch: czcams.com/video/3zrwO3EQM40/video.html Cheers! John
As a greenhousebuilder i met a lot of Polish people and made a lot of friends also and that is because they are hard workers just like us and i love that from the people of Poland
Such a great and inspiring story. It makes me wish I had worked harder in school. My half-brother and cousin both graduated from TU Delft, department of Aerospace Engineering, and are now both pilots - something I always wanted to be. I've spent a lot of time in Poland - my mother is from Opole. From a young age every summer vacation I would spend with my grandparents, for which I'm very grateful. They were very enjoyable summers and I learned a lot, including the language.
Delft has been one of the front runners in trying to curb car traffic in the city center; and it's made a real difference. More cities are following suit, which is great. But with that said, for the vast majority of people, the car is still the best way to commute due to distance. Even our dense and efficient public transport system often does not beat the car for convenience and travel time, even with traffic jams. And the simple truth is that many people simply cannot afford to relocate to within biking distance of their place of work. I remember when I had an easy 20 minute bike ride to work, and my colleages were all really jealous. No one had to convince them to take a bike to work instead of driving there, it simply wasn't an option for them.
@Kaasmeester, You are so true that no amount of convincing will convert trips if the distances are great and driving is easy. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your perspective. Cheers! John
@@Ardyvee well, the point is really that if it is made more efficient for people who are able to ride bikes or take transit to also actually do so, it takes away so much car trafic from the road that driving a car for people who need to drive also becomes a pleasant and efficient experience. Like kaasmeter says, how it is more efficient to take the car for certain journeys. The only reason that is the case is because so so many other people do take their bike or transit to get where they are going instead of a car. If all those people also used cars it would be gridlock around the clock. Things tend to find a balance. As cycling infra becomes more efficient it automaticly also makes driving more efficient because it takes so many cars off the road.
An important advantage of the underground container trash collection system is that there is no inadvertent feeding of rats and other vermin - NY take note.
It would be great to hear also from Professor John Whitelegg, an expert on mobility, particularly in regard to levels of independent, active travel and social justice. This is a great interview and I'm really enjoying the channel . Thank you.
Oh, cool! I'll look up the Professor. Thanks, so much for watching and for the recommendation. Delighted to hear you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
As a biker in Boston, thanks for the admiration! haha. We’ve got a long long way to go but we’re definitely moving in the right direction. Great interview btw.
Thanks so much! I'm bummed that I could not attend the NACTO conference there in Boston/Cambridge this past year - I really wanted to see some of the progress. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
I lived in Medford for 4 years and biked around Boston a lot. I actually thought it was quite good, I generally felt the drivers were conscientious of bike riders and were less aggressive. It was interesting how cities like Cambridge and Sommerville in particular took the opportunity of the pandemic to put in a lot of cycling supportive infrastructure. Mostly just road markings and plastic barrier poles, but an indication of the changing mindset. I'm now living in the Netherlands and have become truly spoiled with the cycling infrastructure and community led mindset.
Nice and interesting interview. What struck me most is that Dr. Barbour said of what a positive influence the EU had on her hometown. I find that interesting because the relationship between Poland and the EU is quite tense at the moment. Especially because the "old EU countries" such as the Netherlands are terribly disappointed in Poland's attitude towards the EU. That attitude hits us like: get what you can get and then don't participate anymore. And yes, I also liked what was said about the Netherlands. I am always amazed at how well the Netherlands has apparently organized everything regarding transport. And we are still grumbling about it :-)
@Bert Kassing, Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of complexities to the relationship and opinions. Hopefully these positive changes will help. Cheers! John
You know EU does not only bring good things.. that's like the old USA paradigm.. Like everything USA is good. Saying the word EU like disney land. many countries are on the brink of bankruptcy because of forced EU rules. Poland's attitude is a quite healthy one. They want to retain more sovereignty instead of doing what UNELECTED bureaucrats are forcing .
@@shrike6259 You know Poland does not only bring good things. The containment of the impartial judiciary system (Constitutional Court, High Courts and Judiciary Council) in Poland and the mingling of the government in the judiciary system are against EU rules, directives and treaties. And all containment measures are done without elections. Every new member of a Polish court was appointed and unelected, and are affiliated to the government parties. That is not impartial. So of course the EU Commission (unelected, but approved by EU parliament) and EU Parliament (elected) are against the mingling of the Polish government in the Polish judiciary system.
@@shrike6259 Nobody forced Poland into the EU,..If you join a club, you accept the rules. That simple. Accepting the money but don't want to accept the rules is just hypocrite,. Btw, are there no elected Polish MEP's? Think that you must stop listing to that PiS shit and start to read more about the real world....
Great interview. What I did Miss is that in most cities cycling is mostly the faster and more efficient option. Groningen is a city is (re)planned purposely to be faster on a bike then by car. (I assume the same is the case In Delft.) I life abroad and cycle about 20km per day when I am in the office. Even here I am faster then I would be by car. My current city is more bike friendly then most, but still very car centric. Personally I had this discussion many times with colleagues why I prefer bike over car. For me it is simple it saves time, it’s gives nice bookends to a working day and it is a good workout. Beside that when I travel for business I drive allot (last year 6000km per month on average). So using the bike feels simply good after that.
Yes, all excellent points. In my recent chat with Jason Slaughter, czcams.com/video/sBRS4Mqg7To/video.html we talk about this a fair amount. For me, even if riding is not faster, I feel as if I'm getting time back as I enjoy the journey so much more, experiencing my surroundings in a much richer, more meaningful way while also making subtle connections with others, especially if they too are not trapped in a big metal box. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns that is the point is it not…. Cycling is a good way to multitask…. Active, resetting your mind and commuting. All in one. I always find it surprising when I speak with people outside of the NL that they all love doing cycling and walking when they are in NL. However as soon the arrival back they seem to need a car.
Very nice interview , remembers when we did not had those underground containers in my town people got to the mayor and complain about when do we get those underground containers !!!and we got them very fast in months! so its important to make your self herd in the local politics to try to get thinks that improves your live and environment!!.
Natalie is definitely using an excellent smartphone-holder. About flat tires: buy the BEST "anti-lek"(anti-leak?) tires you can get and also the best rain-clothes you can get. Makes biking a lot more enjoyable in the Netherlands.
Nonsense. Just learn to fix your tires and have a small kit and pump on your bike. If it happens to me, it takes less than 10 minutes to get going again.
@@AndreSomers you are NOT the measurement of all things and not all bikes are the same. Moreover, fixing a tire in the streaming rain, in the dark with a lot of wind can be really annoying and difficult.
@@AndreSomers Your comment here reminds me of a couple points. The first is that many people do not know how to or feel confident in fixing a flat tire, so having initiatives in place (or a friend/loved one) to help support those who don't have that skill can be quite empowering. The second is that sometimes the journey might be on the "short side" and just not worth messing with the flat, potentially getting one's hand dirty, etc. so a nice stroll could be a delightful "change of pace", which seemed to be the case in Natalia's situation. Thanks as always for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
This lady went to an American university my god her student loan debt must be extremely high. Never go to an American university way to expensive. Greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱 best country ever period. Other than that a great video keep it up👍
@didier wierdsma, Good point about our education and university systems, especially at the undergraduate level. Sometimes research oriented graduate programs can be less financially taxing, but that depends on many factors. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
Just a simple suggestion, please do not embed subtitles, that is where the CC option is for. They can't have called it pink tax !!! Pink Tax is and imho was a sexist Tax in the US, that basically created higher prices for female items by comparison to male items. (Yes there is a gender division in products, same product but it is pink and sold in the "Womans" section of the store the product price being higher. Also think one use shaving systems etc etc. There is decent research done on this, check youtube or google.)
@FacelessJanus, Yeah, I'm not going to do the embedded subtitles anymore... they take way too much time and only a handful people really want them. Thanks for watching and the suggestion. Cheers! John
There is road rage on cycle paths, but it is usually only directed at inline skaters and disabled people on tricycles. Some people (typically men with too much testosterone) think it is ok to hurl abuse at skaters or impaired people, because they use up a bit more space than a regular cyclist. It even happens that you get shoved off the bike path. It happened to me three times in the past 6 years, and I've actually seen someone push a disabled person over. I get sick just think about it. I am 35 and lived all my life in Utrecht and this is just the stuff you experience if you are out on the bike path every day for decades. Everyone cycles here, also a**holes. As a cyclist you are also vulnerable from attacks by pedestrians. I've been kicked off of my bike by two drunk frat boys, was struck on the head by a flying full beer can from behind, and someone pulled my handlebar for no reason. Not that I am saying children shouldn't start cycling as early as possible. I graduated on the topic of child friendly urban design at TU Delft.
Thanks so much for watching and for this insightful addition to the conversation. Yes, such a good point. People being impatient and behaving poorly can be anywhere, including in the cycle paths. It is a less than attractive part of human nature. My personal and professional approach is to first strive not to be that impatient, aggressive person while working to exude positivity, attentiveness to my surroundings, and to call out bad behavior tactfully when I observe it. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I can't handle bad behavior as well as I would like to. I have PTSD due to a traffic accident in which a small child died. It wasn't my fault, as my cab driver wasn't paying attention. But I still feel responsible in some way for choosing the driver, who only had one eye... I have trouble regulating my emotions when I see people driving or cycling in an aggressive or irresponsible way. And I am disappointed and frustrated with the Utrecht municipality, who has not heeded my advise on traffic calming and addition of cycling infrastructure on a specific set of dangerous roads. In the years since I have been advocating action on these roads, two more cyclists have died there, one 15, the other 18 years old. The 15 year old died on my street, only a few weeks after I had warned him about the carelessness of car drivers on our road, as I saw him recklessly cross the street on his electric delivery bike. Due to his age, officially he wasn't allowed to do delivery work late in the evening - when the accident happened - but such laws are hardly enforced in the Netherlands. I love what you are doing in the US. You can learn a lot from the Netherlands. But unfortunately our success has also led to complacency, and the number of cyclists who die in traffic accidents has dramatically increased over the last years.
@@i.k.8868 I feel for you. Your reactions are understandable given what you've been through - and thank you so much for speaking up for safer conditions in your neighborhood. If there is one thing that I learned in 30 plus years of doing this work, is that there is always room for improvement and yes, it is human nature to get complacent. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am hopeful that my work on the Active Towns channel will inspire other cities around the world to adapt to a more people-oriented approach to urban design. In good health, John 🤗
@pete smitt, Yes it can and that is really quite disturbing. In North Amaerica we became reliant on off-shoring our waste to China and other countries until they stopped wanting it, now we are way behind on the ability to process the recycling locally, which is just plain stupid. Thanks for watching and addiing to the conversation. Cheers! John
Parking a car is a pain in the ass in Delft. You can't park on the streets like in other Dutch cities you have to go to an expensive parking carage if you don't have a permit.
@AvariceUntied, Thanks so much for watching. This is a very important design feature and not a flaw, as is outlined in Donald Shoup's fabulous book the High Cost of Free Parking - for a very brief master's class in why this is so, give my interview with Professor Shoup a listen here: www.activetowns.org/2020/09/11/parking-policy-reforms/ Cheers! John
I imagine most people listen to the audio version, but having watched a few of the video versions, a small request would be to move about a foot farther away from the camera for a less in-your-face feeling.
@Drew M. Snyder, Thanks so much for this suggestion... yes, that was an unintended technical mistake on my part, hehe. Actually, the video audience is typically much, much bigger, which was a surprise to me, hence I produced audio-only episodes for over a year assuming nobody would watch a video of people talking. Granted I still find that concept boring so I do try to mix things up with engaging visuals whenever I can. Cheers! John
Hehe, :-) Probably both. I typically walk at about 3 mph (5km/hr) which is brisk and ride in the neighborhood at 9-15 mph (roughly 15km/hr to just under 30km/hr). So yeah in the neighborhood of 3x to 5x faster. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
Is it funny ?, how dr. Barbour got her degrees in the USA (MIT no less), where they have some of the worst urban infrastructure in the world. They teach it, and don't apply. BTW, that cup holder on the handlebars ("oh, I couldn't live without") is one of the most non-Dutch thing I've ever seen. This USA-TO-GO culture. Next, a Tosti-ebike and a BBQ-bakfiets ? By now (2022), Natalia will have learned about Dutch coffee culture, NOBODY drinks coffee on a bike, there's coffee at arrival. And after work, beware the Dutch police will/can/might stop you when you've replaced the beverage for one containing alcohol.
@Patrick Hilhorst, Hehe... yeah, sometimes I spell it out - O - R - G and sometimes it comes out .org. Thanks so much for watching, I hope you enjoyed the conversation. Cheers! John
Hehe... I totally got what she meant though when I lived in Kona it had about 15-20,000 people and it seemed like I knew pretty much everyone. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@saevius1, Thanks for watching and the comment. I know every place has its challenges, but when it comes to mobility, y'all have a lot figured out. Cheers! John
Tip for Natalia to not have that dilemma with cheese separators any more (it’s not paper; better be safe and go for “rest” (miscellaneous) with those) is to get yourself a good cheese slicer (not that Blokker junk) and buy cheese by the block. Saves a lot on packaging and price.
You had me at "cheese by the block". Hehe :-) Excellent suggestion. Cheers! John
I am from Poland as well. It was a pleasure to listen to a perspective by a compatriot. Unfortunately Poland is getting car-centric. In way too many areas outside cities cars are only way to go as there is no public transit. To make matters worse, even in cities like Warsaw people are car-centric and drive everywhere and kids are driven to school even if bus or tram is there every 10 minutes. It is sad and contribute to overweight / obesity pandemic. Way too many has mentality "we don't need a bus from our town to Warsaw as everyone has bus". I am from city of 130,000 city and there are only extremely small, stinky and horrible buses as regular, public transit bus to Warsaw is 3 times per day. There is no train to Warsaw. Car is unfortunately the best option. I currently live in Switzerland, country with the best public transport system in a planet. Even in small towns there is option to be car free for those who want such option. In major cities like Basel or Zurich public transit is superior to car in most options. I don't bike so don't know about cycling infrastructure but cyclists I know seem satisfied.
So sorry to hear that about your homeland. Yeah, I hear what you are saying about Switzerland; during my visit, I used my Brompton folding travel bike facilitated by transit. It really worked quite well. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your perspective. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. I'll be having Dr. Barbour back on the Channel soon. Cheers! John
I love the comment about the kid calling the Netherlands: "Neverland"... Priceless 🤣
@Jan N., Yes quite cute. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
Good morning John (sorry I called you David yesterday)
This morning, before I got up I came across this video.
Living in Rotterdam, that neighbours Delft, I know Delft a little. I come there sometimes.
My American relatives (visited at the end 2022) loved Delft very much! The historical center is beautiful.
I grew up in a village (now incorporated into Rotterdam) near Delft. You can bike to Delft and to The Hague easily. As a matter of fact, a friend biked every day from Rotterdam to The Hague to his work.
Interesting to hear the experiences of this assistant professor (or maybe she became a professor meanwhile?)
One of my best friends is a professor at the TU Delft, worldwide renowned for his work in architecture. He is a third generation knighted architect (his father and grandfather were also knighted architects for their work for Rotterdam).
Saturday I dined with him and coincidentally I was telling him about your - and other Americans' videos on our bike culture. Yesterday I wrote that I share your videos with friends. Well, he's one of them.
No worries, it's all good.
Yeah, Delft is probably the Dutch city I know best. You'll see many videos, including my most recent release, from there. btw If you'd like an update, my follow-up interview with Dr. Natalia Barbour, PhD is here: czcams.com/video/LWxLz-qOcqY/video.html
Thanks again for tuning in and sharing my content.
I really do appreciate it a great deal.
Cheers!
John
I like your interview and the discussion that came up. For Natalia I have a tip, take a look in the history of the campus, 20 to 30 years backwards, there she can find how the whole infrastructure (main road) of the campus is improved from a car to a bicycle and pedestrian area. This campus is a compact area where you can walk easily from one faculty to the other. To get a view from above over the whole area, go to the 19th floor in the “electrical
Thanks so much for watching, Hans. I will make sure she sees this comment. Funny the history of the Delft network in general was a topic of conversation in my video with Mark of BicycleDutch: czcams.com/video/3zrwO3EQM40/video.html Cheers! John
As a greenhousebuilder i met a lot of Polish people and made a lot of friends also and that is because they are hard workers just like us and i love that from the people of Poland
Cool! Natalia is definitely a hard worker and a very nice person 😀
@@ActiveTowns Ofcourse shes Polish ;p
Such a great and inspiring story. It makes me wish I had worked harder in school.
My half-brother and cousin both graduated from TU Delft, department of Aerospace Engineering, and are now both pilots - something I always wanted to be.
I've spent a lot of time in Poland - my mother is from Opole. From a young age every summer vacation I would spend with my grandparents, for which I'm very grateful. They were very enjoyable summers and I learned a lot, including the language.
@Joy L , Oh wow! Natalia will love to see this. As always, thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
Hi @Joy L, thank you so much for sharing your story (and so great to hear you got to experience Polish summers:)
Delft has been one of the front runners in trying to curb car traffic in the city center; and it's made a real difference. More cities are following suit, which is great. But with that said, for the vast majority of people, the car is still the best way to commute due to distance. Even our dense and efficient public transport system often does not beat the car for convenience and travel time, even with traffic jams. And the simple truth is that many people simply cannot afford to relocate to within biking distance of their place of work. I remember when I had an easy 20 minute bike ride to work, and my colleages were all really jealous. No one had to convince them to take a bike to work instead of driving there, it simply wasn't an option for them.
@Kaasmeester, You are so true that no amount of convincing will convert trips if the distances are great and driving is easy. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your perspective. Cheers! John
Hopefully it's something that gets worked on and gets better with time!
@@Ardyvee Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. It is getting better... slowly. Cheers! John
@@Ardyvee well, the point is really that if it is made more efficient for people who are able to ride bikes or take transit to also actually do so, it takes away so much car trafic from the road that driving a car for people who need to drive also becomes a pleasant and efficient experience.
Like kaasmeter says, how it is more efficient to take the car for certain journeys. The only reason that is the case is because so so many other people do take their bike or transit to get where they are going instead of a car.
If all those people also used cars it would be gridlock around the clock.
Things tend to find a balance. As cycling infra becomes more efficient it automaticly also makes driving more efficient because it takes so many cars off the road.
An important advantage of the underground container trash collection system is that there is no inadvertent feeding of rats and other vermin - NY take note.
@Cor Kamstra, Yes! Such a good point. Thanks for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
It would be great to hear also from Professor John Whitelegg, an expert on mobility, particularly in regard to levels of independent, active travel and social justice. This is a great interview and I'm really enjoying the channel . Thank you.
Oh, cool! I'll look up the Professor. Thanks, so much for watching and for the recommendation. Delighted to hear you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
As a biker in Boston, thanks for the admiration! haha. We’ve got a long long way to go but we’re definitely moving in the right direction. Great interview btw.
Thanks so much! I'm bummed that I could not attend the NACTO conference there in Boston/Cambridge this past year - I really wanted to see some of the progress. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
I lived in Medford for 4 years and biked around Boston a lot. I actually thought it was quite good, I generally felt the drivers were conscientious of bike riders and were less aggressive. It was interesting how cities like Cambridge and Sommerville in particular took the opportunity of the pandemic to put in a lot of cycling supportive infrastructure. Mostly just road markings and plastic barrier poles, but an indication of the changing mindset.
I'm now living in the Netherlands and have become truly spoiled with the cycling infrastructure and community led mindset.
Enjoyable content!
Thanks so much, Pat. Glad you liked it. Looking forward to having Natalia back on the channel soon for some big updates. Cheers! John 😀
Nice and interesting interview. What struck me most is that Dr. Barbour said of what a positive influence the EU had on her hometown. I find that interesting because the relationship between Poland and the EU is quite tense at the moment. Especially because the "old EU countries" such as the Netherlands are terribly disappointed in Poland's attitude towards the EU. That attitude hits us like: get what you can get and then don't participate anymore.
And yes, I also liked what was said about the Netherlands. I am always amazed at how well the Netherlands has apparently organized everything regarding transport. And we are still grumbling about it :-)
@Bert Kassing, Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of complexities to the relationship and opinions. Hopefully these positive changes will help. Cheers! John
You know EU does not only bring good things.. that's like the old USA paradigm.. Like everything USA is good.
Saying the word EU like disney land.
many countries are on the brink of bankruptcy because of forced EU rules.
Poland's attitude is a quite healthy one. They want to retain more sovereignty instead of doing what UNELECTED bureaucrats are forcing .
@@shrike6259 Let's agree that we disagree :-)
@@shrike6259 You know Poland does not only bring good things. The containment of the impartial judiciary system (Constitutional Court, High Courts and Judiciary Council) in Poland and the mingling of the government in the judiciary system are against EU rules, directives and treaties. And all containment measures are done without elections. Every new member of a Polish court was appointed and unelected, and are affiliated to the government parties. That is not impartial. So of course the EU Commission (unelected, but approved by EU parliament) and EU Parliament (elected) are against the mingling of the Polish government in the Polish judiciary system.
@@shrike6259 Nobody forced Poland into the EU,..If you join a club, you accept the rules. That simple. Accepting the money but don't want to accept the rules is just hypocrite,. Btw, are there no elected Polish MEP's? Think that you must stop listing to that PiS shit and start to read more about the real world....
Thanks for uploading this, a really interesting interview!
@Jan Thijs, You are quite welcome... Thank you for watching. Cheers! John
Great interview.
What I did Miss is that in most cities cycling is mostly the faster and more efficient option.
Groningen is a city is (re)planned purposely to be faster on a bike then by car. (I assume the same is the case In Delft.)
I life abroad and cycle about 20km per day when I am in the office. Even here I am faster then I would be by car.
My current city is more bike friendly then most, but still very car centric.
Personally I had this discussion many times with colleagues why I prefer bike over car. For me it is simple it saves time, it’s gives nice bookends to a working day and it is a good workout.
Beside that when I travel for business I drive allot (last year 6000km per month on average). So using the bike feels simply good after that.
Yes, all excellent points. In my recent chat with Jason Slaughter, czcams.com/video/sBRS4Mqg7To/video.html we talk about this a fair amount. For me, even if riding is not faster, I feel as if I'm getting time back as I enjoy the journey so much more, experiencing my surroundings in a much richer, more meaningful way while also making subtle connections with others, especially if they too are not trapped in a big metal box. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns that is the point is it not…. Cycling is a good way to multitask…. Active, resetting your mind and commuting. All in one.
I always find it surprising when I speak with people outside of the NL that they all love doing cycling and walking when they are in NL. However as soon the arrival back they seem to need a car.
buy a mopped muppet its not tour the france
Lovely post again... I really enjoyed it !
Thank you for watching and letting me know you enjoyed it. This means so much to me. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTownsDutch bike facility design w/ Lennart Nout ... another one ! Of course... cheers... and good luck
Very nice interview , remembers when we did not had those underground containers in my town people got to the mayor and complain about when do we get those underground containers !!!and we got them very fast in months! so its important to make your self herd in the local politics to try to get thinks that improves your live and environment!!.
@John Spillner, Thanks so much for watching… good point. Cheers! John
Nice to see people actually have lives. ❤️✌️
@SCALITY, Thanks for watching. SC as in USC? If so, Cheers and Fight On! John✌️
@@ActiveTowns SC? USC?
@@scality4309 Yes, class of '88
24:57 Thank you!!!
Inspiring words. Thanks for watching!
Natalie is definitely using an excellent smartphone-holder. About flat tires: buy the BEST "anti-lek"(anti-leak?) tires you can get and also the best rain-clothes you can get. Makes biking a lot more enjoyable in the Netherlands.
@Schokland2007+, Excellent advice. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John
Bike expenses go in order: the lock, the tires, the rain gear, and then the rest of the bike.
Nonsense. Just learn to fix your tires and have a small kit and pump on your bike. If it happens to me, it takes less than 10 minutes to get going again.
@@AndreSomers you are NOT the measurement of all things and not all bikes are the same. Moreover, fixing a tire in the streaming rain, in the dark with a lot of wind can be really annoying and difficult.
@@AndreSomers Your comment here reminds me of a couple points. The first is that many people do not know how to or feel confident in fixing a flat tire, so having initiatives in place (or a friend/loved one) to help support those who don't have that skill can be quite empowering. The second is that sometimes the journey might be on the "short side" and just not worth messing with the flat, potentially getting one's hand dirty, etc. so a nice stroll could be a delightful "change of pace", which seemed to be the case in Natalia's situation. Thanks as always for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
This lady went to an American university my god her student loan debt must be extremely high.
Never go to an American university way to expensive.
Greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱 best country ever period.
Other than that a great video keep it up👍
@didier wierdsma, Good point about our education and university systems, especially at the undergraduate level. Sometimes research oriented graduate programs can be less financially taxing, but that depends on many factors. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
If you're realy bright... you can get a scolarschip like she did. The part you didni't get
@@roelkomduur8073 the USA actually scores really poor on eductaion. Seems that went over your head.
Just a simple suggestion, please do not embed subtitles, that is where the CC option is for. They can't have called it pink tax !!! Pink Tax is and imho was a sexist Tax in the US, that basically created higher prices for female items by comparison to male items. (Yes there is a gender division in products, same product but it is pink and sold in the "Womans" section of the store the product price being higher. Also think one use shaving systems etc etc. There is decent research done on this, check youtube or google.)
@FacelessJanus, Yeah, I'm not going to do the embedded subtitles anymore... they take way too much time and only a handful people really want them. Thanks for watching and the suggestion. Cheers! John
There is road rage on cycle paths, but it is usually only directed at inline skaters and disabled people on tricycles. Some people (typically men with too much testosterone) think it is ok to hurl abuse at skaters or impaired people, because they use up a bit more space than a regular cyclist. It even happens that you get shoved off the bike path. It happened to me three times in the past 6 years, and I've actually seen someone push a disabled person over. I get sick just think about it. I am 35 and lived all my life in Utrecht and this is just the stuff you experience if you are out on the bike path every day for decades. Everyone cycles here, also a**holes. As a cyclist you are also vulnerable from attacks by pedestrians. I've been kicked off of my bike by two drunk frat boys, was struck on the head by a flying full beer can from behind, and someone pulled my handlebar for no reason. Not that I am saying children shouldn't start cycling as early as possible. I graduated on the topic of child friendly urban design at TU Delft.
Thanks so much for watching and for this insightful addition to the conversation. Yes, such a good point. People being impatient and behaving poorly can be anywhere, including in the cycle paths. It is a less than attractive part of human nature. My personal and professional approach is to first strive not to be that impatient, aggressive person while working to exude positivity, attentiveness to my surroundings, and to call out bad behavior tactfully when I observe it. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTowns I can't handle bad behavior as well as I would like to. I have PTSD due to a traffic accident in which a small child died. It wasn't my fault, as my cab driver wasn't paying attention. But I still feel responsible in some way for choosing the driver, who only had one eye... I have trouble regulating my emotions when I see people driving or cycling in an aggressive or irresponsible way. And I am disappointed and frustrated with the Utrecht municipality, who has not heeded my advise on traffic calming and addition of cycling infrastructure on a specific set of dangerous roads. In the years since I have been advocating action on these roads, two more cyclists have died there, one 15, the other 18 years old. The 15 year old died on my street, only a few weeks after I had warned him about the carelessness of car drivers on our road, as I saw him recklessly cross the street on his electric delivery bike. Due to his age, officially he wasn't allowed to do delivery work late in the evening - when the accident happened - but such laws are hardly enforced in the Netherlands. I love what you are doing in the US. You can learn a lot from the Netherlands. But unfortunately our success has also led to complacency, and the number of cyclists who die in traffic accidents has dramatically increased over the last years.
@@i.k.8868 I feel for you. Your reactions are understandable given what you've been through - and thank you so much for speaking up for safer conditions in your neighborhood. If there is one thing that I learned in 30 plus years of doing this work, is that there is always room for improvement and yes, it is human nature to get complacent. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am hopeful that my work on the Active Towns channel will inspire other cities around the world to adapt to a more people-oriented approach to urban design. In good health, John 🤗
Recycling can be a con.. often, the material collected is sent to landfill in some countries.
@pete smitt, Yes it can and that is really quite disturbing. In North Amaerica we became reliant on off-shoring our waste to China and other countries until they stopped wanting it, now we are way behind on the ability to process the recycling locally, which is just plain stupid. Thanks for watching and addiing to the conversation. Cheers! John
6:46 Nether nether land :-)
Such a sweet moment. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
Parking a car is a pain in the ass in Delft. You can't park on the streets like in other Dutch cities you have to go to an expensive parking carage if you don't have a permit.
@AvariceUntied, Thanks so much for watching. This is a very important design feature and not a flaw, as is outlined in Donald Shoup's fabulous book the High Cost of Free Parking - for a very brief master's class in why this is so, give my interview with Professor Shoup a listen here: www.activetowns.org/2020/09/11/parking-policy-reforms/ Cheers! John
I imagine most people listen to the audio version, but having watched a few of the video versions, a small request would be to move about a foot farther away from the camera for a less in-your-face feeling.
@Drew M. Snyder, Thanks so much for this suggestion... yes, that was an unintended technical mistake on my part, hehe. Actually, the video audience is typically much, much bigger, which was a surprise to me, hence I produced audio-only episodes for over a year assuming nobody would watch a video of people talking. Granted I still find that concept boring so I do try to mix things up with engaging visuals whenever I can. Cheers! John
biking 300% faster than walking?
Either you are walking very fast or biking very slow....
Hehe, :-) Probably both. I typically walk at about 3 mph (5km/hr) which is brisk and ride in the neighborhood at 9-15 mph (roughly 15km/hr to just under 30km/hr). So yeah in the neighborhood of 3x to 5x faster. Thanks so much for watching and contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John
Is it funny ?, how dr. Barbour got her degrees in the USA (MIT no less), where they have some of the worst urban infrastructure in the world. They teach it, and don't apply.
BTW, that cup holder on the handlebars ("oh, I couldn't live without") is one of the most non-Dutch thing I've ever seen. This USA-TO-GO culture. Next, a Tosti-ebike and a BBQ-bakfiets ?
By now (2022), Natalia will have learned about Dutch coffee culture, NOBODY drinks coffee on a bike, there's coffee at arrival. And after work, beware the Dutch police will/can/might stop you when you've replaced the beverage for one containing alcohol.
Hehe 🤣 I'll have to ask her about that when I have her back on the Pod. Thanks for watching. Cheers! John
I don't think I've ever heard anyone pronounce '.org' so... Unfortunately
@Patrick Hilhorst, Hehe... yeah, sometimes I spell it out - O - R - G and sometimes it comes out .org. Thanks so much for watching, I hope you enjoyed the conversation. Cheers! John
A town of 30,000 people and everyone knows everyone? I live in a town with about 25,000 people in it and no way does everyone know everyone.
Hehe... I totally got what she meant though when I lived in Kona it had about 15-20,000 people and it seemed like I knew pretty much everyone. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
Our country is a few inches away from heaven . More and more people discover this. Hilarious
@saevius1, Thanks for watching and the comment. I know every place has its challenges, but when it comes to mobility, y'all have a lot figured out. Cheers! John
And Jordan Peterson already has his next hysteria pitch ready for you "And now they're coming for your cars!"
No doubt 😂