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As a Norwegian i am considering moving to the Netherlands, biking here is becoming impossible due to the surge of big SUVs and general boom in bigger cars that do not fit many of our roads, and in the spring and summer period we're infiltrated by huge caravans making things even worse, it's getting to the point now where i often debate whether i want to go cycle anywhere at all, our road network is designed for cars that do not exist anymore, gone are the small european compact car and in with the snobbery American way of driving, everything needs to be huge, while the Netherlands went in the right direction Norway is becoming the new America, our people are becoming lazier and obesity is on the rise while people crave bigger and bigger cars, it's honestly making me want to leave.
Yeah, man, it’s mostly about cars nearby, not really about elevations in most cities - except in the flat areas like the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of any other countries. I’ve watched tons of videos like this, and I just can’t believe no one mentions how much the geography or geology actually matters. Like, it’s not just about city planning or culture-the terrain makes a huge difference. Not every city can just switch to bikes as the main way to get around, and it’s definitely not for everyone, especially in places with hills or mountains. And if you think about it, a lot of cities were built along rivers or near shores, so they end up with terrain that’s just not comfortable for biking. Like, you’ve got steep hills, valleys, or weird elevations that make cycling way less practical compared to flatter areas. I feel like people ignore this when they talk about why bikes work so well in some places but not others.
As a result of this network of cycle paths, local destinations can be reached more quickly by bike than by car. A daily example for me is the cycle path between our house and my child's primary school. It is 1 km by bike or 3.2 km by car. On the cycle path you only meet other cyclists and pedestrians, no cars. Both my children got a balance bike (bike without pedals) when they were 2 years old and their first normal bike when they were 3.5 years old.
Cycle 200km to visit family on the other side of the country and measured roughly 20 km of shared road space with motorized traffic. Most of which slow town centers and occasionally the required crossing of roads, the Ketelbrug and the Hollandse Brug, although most motorists opt to cross those on the highway. That leaves 90% of the journey cycling at my leisure without bothering other traffic and without traffic bothering me. (Least of all also saves me over 120 euro’s a trip)
For illustration: Normal biking speed = 10 hrs, e-bike full support = 8 hrs, speed e-bike (pedelec) = 4.5 hrs and finally race bike, driven by a professional bike racer, around 3.5 to 4 hrs (full speed) So a considerable amount of time, not accounted for breaks and traffic lights
Almere - Hilversum - Almere was my training round by mountainbike when I was a teenager. Nice route. 😊 At 3:20 you can see the ruïnes of a castle by the way, which is weird because Almere was reclaimed from the sea only 50 years ago, but someone really wanted to build a castle and ran out of money and it has been standing dilapidated for 20+ years now.
Awesome video, I’m a tour guide in Amsterdam and I always tell this story to the guests. You definitely taught me some interesting things to add to the story!
Your reaction to your first e-bike ride was the same as mine! "Oh! Ooooh!! This is great!!!" Mine was a Paris city bike (Vélib') e-bike, so it wasn't even a very good one, but I was hooked haha. Anyway, I love visiting the Netherlands partly because it's so great cycling there. Grüße aus den USA!
I bike around a whole bunch in a for Sweden large city. Usually the infrastructure is quite alright, but there are two large intersections that you encounter regularly if you bike around in the city center. These have a painted bicycle path along the road, but then another lane merges onto to it so the bike path is sandwiched in the middle of the road. It feels absolutely terrifying going between two cars. And this is intentional and something they've done twice! I don't bike in that part of town anymore.
Note that there are a bit more to it than just bike lane network and history. Car total-cost-of-ownership is relatively expensive in the NL. . Bikes are often also the last mile of public transport., and this combination reduces specially the second car of households.
Because of those huge bike lanes which are separate from the street, is the reason why they don't have to wear helmets in the Netherlands. They built safe infrastructure so that helmets are not necessary. Everywhere else where bikes have to ride along side trucks and cars, a helmet is necessary. I live in the US and I always loved riding my bike as a kid and teenager to the point where when all of my friends were trying to get a car I was happy with my bike. I was like a weirdo that liked to bike ride over driving a car. Then I gave into the pressure and bought a car and drove that for a while and ended up no longer bicycling. Well fast forward to today with this crazy economy and the price of gas, car insurance, car sticker, car maintenance on top of rent. I've decided to go back to bicycling everywhere now. It's cheaper, healthier and feels better. It relieves stress too. The only down side is the infrastructure and lack of bike lanes in some areas. Some areas don't even have side walks, let alone bike lanes! If cycling became more popular here, it would solve a whole lot of problems!
11:25 I do realize I'm saying this from my own perspective, but I find it very interesting to learn how such things are perceived in different ways by people with different backgrounds etc. What might play an important role here is Dutch people on average are quite confident cyclists, often learning to cycle at a very young age (as you mentioned as well). If I try to picture my own cycling behavior, I like to be very fluent and focussed on what happens around me, estimating future situations given my speed and that of other people / vehicles, the overall experience going quite "automatically", not resulting in too much cognitive load. In some situations I see the need to slow down, which tend to do as gently as the situation allows. And in any case I try to anticipate and make clear what my intentions are, aiming to avoid surprises. How well this works in the end depends for an important part on how well everybody involved is able to "read" each other. Best case, it has the benefits of better predictability if people keep in a relatively consistent flow, but worst case I can imagine it could be intimidating or difficult to process if you don't have much experience with these kind of traffic situations and as a result both have a hard time predicting each other's actions.
About the (lack of) benches, this might differ quite a lot in different places. When I'm cycling in the region where I live (Rotterdam), I encounter plenty of places to take a seat. Although you'll probably find them especially on the more "recreational" routes, while a fair share of paths are mainly used to go from A to B, reducing the need for places to take a break :D
Im Dutch and i drive an electric moped (an Iva E-go S4, allowed on the bicycle lanes) to and from work. I get 21 cent per kilometer from my employer at 54 km per day, this is 11.34 per day. I charge the batteries at home from my solar panels. Over the last year (including days with lilttle or no sun) i have spend 0.40 cent per 100 kilometer traveled. This is without taking the 11.34 per day into account. Basicly i make about 300 bucks a months for sitting on a scooter instead of in a car lol. (with rainy or freezing weather i still gladly take my car though, im not some die-hard)
One little correction. The oil crisis of 1973 didn't hit The Netherlands harder than other European countries like you seem to suggest. Not even close. The oil crisis was wide spread all over Europe and hit many European countries exactly the same!!! Only The Netherlands reacted VERY DIFFERENT to that crisis than any other country did. The Netehrlands has always been unique in many ways. Also in political views on cannabis and gay marriage etc. The Netehrlands have always been far more free, pragmatic and democratic than other countries surrounding them. The cycling culture that gives people freedom to choose safely between modes of transport is just one of many ways this liberal attitude became implemented in Dutch everyday life.
Good analysis and nice video.👍👍I guess the movement started early in the NL due to the crowed cities and dense population. Other countries are facing that situation/problem. later.
Well, it does help that riding a bicycle isn't an excessively taxing experience physically in the Netherlands because of that country's mostly flat topography (the same applies for Denmark). Mind you, I'd like to know how well are bicycles accommodated on Nederlandse Spoorwagen and Arriva Netherlands, the two largest passenger rail operators in the country.
@@reineh3477most people live in urban areas, and most urban areas are relatively flat. Deprioritizing walking, biking and public transit is mainly a political choice.
But the rain goes horizontal and blows in your face. Real hard. And when you cycle back, the wind automatically changes direction to happily blow in your face again.
Quick explanation why we have more bikes than people: I have 2 bikes at home, my main tour bike, a secondary bike that is low enough for my girlfriend to ride if she comes to visit, then I have a bike at my parents place in a different town so I can get around there easily, and then I usually buy a bike from a local bike shop whenever I get a new job so I can bike around that area as well. So thats 4 bikes just for me. There are people who prefer owning multiple cars as well, but even people with cars (and children) usually have multiple bikes, for example an electric bike with a lot of storage for driving kids around or doing grocery shopping and then a regular bike for other trips.
Why did we do this has a very short answer, kids where dying, over 400 a year.. (1970's), sadly last year it seems 14 kids lost their lives in traffic but it is a far cry from those 400+ Edit ah.... you literally mention it at 5:55 lol I remember the oil crisis very well. We had "Autoloze Zondagen" (Carless Sundays), days when it was possible to bike and rollerskate on the highways. Dutch of my age (let's say 50+) probably also remember Farce Mamjeur's song Kiele Kiele Koeweit that was about said oil crisis
As a tourist for a few days during the summer of 1978 in Amsterdam I’ll never forget the women commuting to work on bicycles in long summer dresses. A Russian woman recently explained to me how difficult it is to ride a bicycle in a long dress. They made it look easy and cycling look lovely.
As a Dutchy living in the US I have collected a lot of spittle in my face over the years (since '82) for suggesting that. Glad to see I am no longer alone on that.
you then add good public transport too . Perhaps European style driving exams for car drivers might be a very good idea. Get rid of those silly trucks.
The Netherlands has an excellent cycling infra structure, and cycling culture. De cycling culture did never really disappear after the 50's. Everyone had to go to secondary school by bike. Distances up to 15 km were not exceptional. The Netherlands is a very flat country, so when you are young 15 km is doable. So cycling became a normal way of transport and even a way of recreation. This is why the cycling infrastructure immediately became a succes. In other countries there are more hills and distances between communities are bigger. Now we have e-bikes and even cargo-bikes it is much easier to cycle up a hill or a bigger distance. More and more cities and even countries have discovered the bicycle and e-bike as a convenient way of transport and there is a demand for a save infrastructure. In the border region with the Netherlands there are created more and more separate bike lanes. The Dutch "Fietsknooppunten netwerk" (bicycle point-to-point network) is extended well into Germany. Even in some other regions point-to-point networks are created. Germany is just at the beginning of creating a cycling culture. The Netherlands are just 50 years ahead. The Netherlands in not the only country with a good infrastructure for cyclists. Denmark, parts of Finland and Sweden have it too.
@@alexderpyracc4053 An electric bicycle is nof a scooter. In the Netherlands scooters shout ride on bicycle paths outside the city-limits. Within the city limits scooters are banned from the bicycle paths. Looks confusing, but within the city limits the scooters ar nearly as fast as cars. outside the city limits cars are much faster and the speed of a scooter is closer to a bicycle.
@@wilsistermans1118 escooters are smaller than a bike and you can fold them to take in the bus or train those you mention are mopeds which are heavy and I agree are dangerous for usage on bike roads but escooters are safe lot of people drive them on the roads despite them being illegal in the Netherlands in all other countries escooters are allowed and equal to bike laws you can even buy them at the mediamarkt like Xiaomi pro 2
@@alexderpyracc4053 Foldable e-bikes are legal in the Netherlands to, as long they respect the rules of e-bikes. In the Netherlands we call what you call an e-scooter an electric moped, which are allowed to (even available for rent in many cities). Only most FAT-bikes are not allowed, but that is because they do not comply with any rule.
Great video thanks for sharing your journey in Holland, the Netherlands yes it is safe to ride your bike 🚴 I am from Canada 🍁 Immigrant in 1971 from Holland I love biking I have a E bike
3,000 people killed in auto accidents, 1971. The Dutch: Let's make our streets safer for bikes and pedestrians. 42,500 killed in auto accidents EVERY year. The Americans: Let's buy bigger SUVs and pickup trucks, build more lanes, and increase speed. 1,800 killed every year in auto accidents. The Canadians: Let's buy bigger SUVs and pickup trucks, build more lanes, and increase speed. Oh and put up signs asking drivers to be nicer to cyclists... You know.. I think the Dutch are just smarter than the rest of us over here in North America.
This was an amazing video. I would love to also ride the same route. Can you perhaps share the route details somehow? And may we know which company you used for the bike hire?
Yeah .. me owning 3 bikes contributing. One for work one for rec, and the other i have no idea .. think someone left it at my place. Gooimeer, spring, white t-shirt .. hahaha. At least you are wearing glasses. (hate those bugs) Almere - Hilversum 90 minutes ? Depends on route ... and pace .. 30 kms, good pace on a regular bicycle is about 60 minutes.
I don't know what you call a "regular bike" but an average speed of 30km/h is quite fast, especially as E-bikes are capped at 25km/h. Also, when in doubt, ask Google: 1 hr 23 min (25,6 km) from Almere to Hilversum by bike.
Hast du ein sehr schöne Video gemacht von Holland natürlich und dein Englisch ist auch sehr gut. Ich wohne in den Süden von Limburg es stimmt aber sind nicht soviel Couch ist für unterwegs aber das heißt dass du vom Punkt A nach . B wenn wir irgendwo unterwegs wegen zu Urlaub oder so etwas besitzen dann die mehren Decke mit viel Spaß nächstes Mal in Holland😊😊😊 probier mal ein faltfahrrad bromton 😂
OK , there is a main reason : it is flat , had family there, my place have hills, worked there , and here , as kids, we could easily run a 60km errand in the day without much noticing , 12km to work by the canal was nothing; student in a place with deep valleys tried to cycle to university sometimes , barely 20km ride , and it would kill me for the day , needing a shower on arrival... electric bikes are wonderful for that , they make it like everything has gone flat , but they have a huge headstart , and btw automobiles have become much wider
I am so happy I was born in the NL and not the U.S. I absolutely hate cars, and hell for me is being stuck in a place that is entirely designed around cars.
Comparing a street in a city centre with a route in a rural area seems a bit silly. There are quite some crossings in Dutch cities that look quite a lot like the German ones you showed. Still some work to do to omprove city cycling infrastructure
0:28 oh man, it's like that in the US too. We have some really dangerous bike lanes with no consideration to the riders at all. It doesn't help that US drivers don't know how to act to pedestrians and cyclists. The biggest issue I feel like, is the lack of training drivers. Everyones always in a rush here for some reason, so they make dangerous decisions and honk at you for following the law.
Hey, don't forget Denmark. Our biking culture is very like that of the Netherlands (though I will admit that the Dutch bike infrastructure outside citites is better).
Been to Denmark several times now as a greenhousebuilder and love Aarhus above Copenhagen haha. You guys have a great infractructure but you not come even close to the Netherlands and it hurts for me to say it because i love Denmark
Culture is a big word, it's more just a bunch of right decisions been made throughout the decades. Other places can decide to do the same at any time 🙂
it really isn't witout public support these good idée's just die on some random desk and building that public support req changing how people think about infrastructure and transportation which is a pretty big cultural change yes you can do this anywhere but if in your citie this change is only starting it can easely take 20 years before you start seing the results
it is kind of true and not at the same time. Cycling is mainstream part of dutch culture, but at the same time it is not really a culture like cycling is in the US, which is much more hardcore.
You did not cover what I wanted to know. With all of those bicycles everywhere, how secure is your bike when you leave it? In Albuquerque where I live bike theft is very common. I am in my late 60s and I ride a bike all the time for everything - I wear a backpack for my groceries when I go shopping. But, I don't have a side-stand as no mater where I park it I always use a thick lock to attach it to something - and I never leave it out overnight. Some of that is just common sense as with the old saying, "Trust in Allah, but tie your camel." Meaning, you generally lock your car and you lock you front door so why not also lock you bike? But, do people lock their bikes in the Netherlands, or Germany? How high is the theft rate? Just curious. I do love it when a city figures out that good bike trails are necessary. Thanks for exploring the topic. I ride a bike for fun, relaxation, health and freedom.
Of course, you have to lock the bike. If you look in the big cities, you often see that people ride very old bicycles because the chance that your good bike will be stolen is very high. In Almere, where I live, I do almost everything by bike. Here you also have free guarded covered bicycle sheds. I love my bike. Cheap and healthy.
Nag. Nag a lot and often. Nag loudly. Harrass your politicians. Again and again. And your shop owners, your managers and your pastors, priests, imams, mobeds whatever. And on social media. And get together with others to tyranize the streets.
5 Major things we are doing wrong here in Australia to encourage more cycling, the first is unlike the Netherlands, Australia is not always flat and even Cities can have big hills especially near beach locations, much of Holland looks rather flat so easier to cycle, even for non E bikes. Secondly, Our Governments (State Governments) in Australia made wearing a Helmet Mandatory and a person not wearing a suitable helmet will be fined over $300 for non=compliance so if you like wearing your thick jackets with warm hoods, it's difficult to wear them over helmets. Thirdly, Overall Motorist attitude towards bikes, men in particular seem to grow really agro if they spot a sports cyclist in Lycra lights, it sends them ballistic but some women go troppo at the sight of sports cyclists, it's crazy that no other sport will attract so much ire than what a cyclist does and because many fast cycists don't want to use paths due to slower bikes and pedestrians, they always seem to go into a rant about cyclists being licensed to use the roads.....well Der!! 98% of those cyclists own cars too and have licenses so the argument is invalid. Commuters cyclists are treated a little better if they don't get in the way of cars and they wear normal clothes, not lycra lol. Forthly, the Police do not take seriously enough when cyclists being menaced or hit by a car, motor Vehicles used as weapons purposely are not taken in the same line as someone using a knife, gun or baseball bat so if a bicycle rider gets knocked off, the cops usually blame the rider not the car...... And Fifth, whilst cycle paths are better than 20 years ago, they are not always maintained and they have many gaps from where they finish to where they start again often with no signage or warning. We do not have infrastructure anywhere near that of Europe yet our Governments are hell bent to go carbon Neutral and to follow the EU plan for electric vehicles but they are not taking in consideration that cycling has always been carbon Neutral way back in the late 1800s.
Nice video, but it does not seem fair to compare "streets like these" (-shots from the busy crossroads somewhere in urban area) with "streets" like "these" (-shots from a bike path going through nature, or in other words, not in the city).
Not every road has a cycle path next to it. Not every cycle path has a road next to. No benches,? They do exist, maybe not on your route. I felt at home cycling lane wise in Berlin. Only having to get of the bicycle at some junctions and having to walk is odd. Germany is improving and obviously Münster has been an example for years
The authority is responsible for the safety of the people on the road. I can sue them if I crash because of a lose stone or pothole. Designing the road system is part of that responsibility.
I believe our proportional representation election systems are at the core of many differences between the Netherlands and many other countries. Our politicians are more beholden to the desires of the voters. We are not any different, but our system is.
This is why escooters are banned there is downsides about being a bike culture country with good infrastructure escooters are a threat to bike culture according to the bike union which is also in the government
It's not motorised traffic that worries me in the Netherlands, it's the canals. If there's trouble, my instinct is to pull over to the side. Unfortunately, if I stop, and put my feet down, there might be nothing there, just a drop into the water. I mention this to Dutch folk I meet, and I get told all sorts of stories, especially about when people are coming home from the pub.
Matthias, you showed us not the biggest towns and their cycling infrastructure. Amsterdam has cycling paths next to roads and there the busiest crossing is at Mr. Vissersplein near Waterlooplein just before the Municipality Building and Opera and Ballet House. Lots of car traffic and lots of bicycles. But also the Law is adjusted. A car-driver is automatically responsible when a bicycle or pedestrian is part of an accident. Burden of proof is with the driver of the car. This to protect the weaker parties (flesh against steel). There is a directive how the roads should look like, from highways (upto 130 km) , roads transporting large volumes of cars into cities (50 km), acces roads to neighbourhoods and smaller neighbourhood-roads (30 km). Car-roads are black asphalt, bike-lanes are red asphalt or bricks and sidewalks for pedestians are grey-tiles. So everybody knows on what kind of "road" they are. Also as most car-owners also have a bicycle they know what to encounter on the road.
"Other countries don't"?! Come on, you've never been in Denmark, then... (note: I'm not a Dane). Please check your facts before posting incorrect allegations.
Many other places are flat, not all have high bike usage. Safe infrastructure has a much higher correlation with the number of bikes than if a place is flat. (It does help tho)
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Done it )) I watched your videos for a hour))) nice work !
as a Dutch person I think ive never sat on a bench next to a bike lane in my life?
when you rest, you die 😂
As a Norwegian i am considering moving to the Netherlands, biking here is becoming impossible due to the surge of big SUVs and general boom in bigger cars that do not fit many of our roads, and in the spring and summer period we're infiltrated by huge caravans making things even worse, it's getting to the point now where i often debate whether i want to go cycle anywhere at all, our road network is designed for cars that do not exist anymore, gone are the small european compact car and in with the snobbery American way of driving, everything needs to be huge, while the Netherlands went in the right direction Norway is becoming the new America, our people are becoming lazier and obesity is on the rise while people crave bigger and bigger cars, it's honestly making me want to leave.
@@HansensUniverseT-A France is the same unfortunately...
Yeah, man, it’s mostly about cars nearby, not really about elevations in most cities - except in the flat areas like the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of any other countries. I’ve watched tons of videos like this, and I just can’t believe no one mentions how much the geography or geology actually matters. Like, it’s not just about city planning or culture-the terrain makes a huge difference. Not every city can just switch to bikes as the main way to get around, and it’s definitely not for everyone, especially in places with hills or mountains.
And if you think about it, a lot of cities were built along rivers or near shores, so they end up with terrain that’s just not comfortable for biking. Like, you’ve got steep hills, valleys, or weird elevations that make cycling way less practical compared to flatter areas. I feel like people ignore this when they talk about why bikes work so well in some places but not others.
As a result of this network of cycle paths, local destinations can be reached more quickly by bike than by car. A daily example for me is the cycle path between our house and my child's primary school. It is 1 km by bike or 3.2 km by car. On the cycle path you only meet other cyclists and pedestrians, no cars. Both my children got a balance bike (bike without pedals) when they were 2 years old and their first normal bike when they were 3.5 years old.
Cycle 200km to visit family on the other side of the country and measured roughly 20 km of shared road space with motorized traffic. Most of which slow town centers and occasionally the required crossing of roads, the Ketelbrug and the Hollandse Brug, although most motorists opt to cross those on the highway. That leaves 90% of the journey cycling at my leisure without bothering other traffic and without traffic bothering me. (Least of all also saves me over 120 euro’s a trip)
Cycling 200 km is a lot, even by Dutch standards!
For illustration: Normal biking speed = 10 hrs, e-bike full support = 8 hrs, speed e-bike (pedelec) = 4.5 hrs and finally race bike, driven by a professional bike racer, around 3.5 to 4 hrs (full speed)
So a considerable amount of time, not accounted for breaks and traffic lights
Almere - Hilversum - Almere was my training round by mountainbike when I was a teenager. Nice route. 😊 At 3:20 you can see the ruïnes of a castle by the way, which is weird because Almere was reclaimed from the sea only 50 years ago, but someone really wanted to build a castle and ran out of money and it has been standing dilapidated for 20+ years now.
Awesome video, I’m a tour guide in Amsterdam and I always tell this story to the guests. You definitely taught me some interesting things to add to the story!
It takes a German to think that speed limits on the highway are something special.
Your reaction to your first e-bike ride was the same as mine! "Oh! Ooooh!! This is great!!!" Mine was a Paris city bike (Vélib') e-bike, so it wasn't even a very good one, but I was hooked haha. Anyway, I love visiting the Netherlands partly because it's so great cycling there. Grüße aus den USA!
I bike around a whole bunch in a for Sweden large city. Usually the infrastructure is quite alright, but there are two large intersections that you encounter regularly if you bike around in the city center. These have a painted bicycle path along the road, but then another lane merges onto to it so the bike path is sandwiched in the middle of the road. It feels absolutely terrifying going between two cars. And this is intentional and something they've done twice! I don't bike in that part of town anymore.
I see painted bicycle gutters in the USA
Not cycling there, will solve the problem for one person. Advocating a change might be harder, but it could solve the problem for everyone.
Gbg?
Note that there are a bit more to it than just bike lane network and history. Car total-cost-of-ownership is relatively expensive in the NL. . Bikes are often also the last mile of public transport., and this combination reduces specially the second car of households.
Because of those huge bike lanes which are separate from the street, is the reason why they don't have to wear helmets in the Netherlands. They built safe infrastructure so that helmets are not necessary. Everywhere else where bikes have to ride along side trucks and cars, a helmet is necessary. I live in the US and I always loved riding my bike as a kid and teenager to the point where when all of my friends were trying to get a car I was happy with my bike. I was like a weirdo that liked to bike ride over driving a car. Then I gave into the pressure and bought a car and drove that for a while and ended up no longer bicycling. Well fast forward to today with this crazy economy and the price of gas, car insurance, car sticker, car maintenance on top of rent. I've decided to go back to bicycling everywhere now. It's cheaper, healthier and feels better. It relieves stress too. The only down side is the infrastructure and lack of bike lanes in some areas. Some areas don't even have side walks, let alone bike lanes! If cycling became more popular here, it would solve a whole lot of problems!
11:25 I do realize I'm saying this from my own perspective, but I find it very interesting to learn how such things are perceived in different ways by people with different backgrounds etc. What might play an important role here is Dutch people on average are quite confident cyclists, often learning to cycle at a very young age (as you mentioned as well). If I try to picture my own cycling behavior, I like to be very fluent and focussed on what happens around me, estimating future situations given my speed and that of other people / vehicles, the overall experience going quite "automatically", not resulting in too much cognitive load.
In some situations I see the need to slow down, which tend to do as gently as the situation allows. And in any case I try to anticipate and make clear what my intentions are, aiming to avoid surprises. How well this works in the end depends for an important part on how well everybody involved is able to "read" each other. Best case, it has the benefits of better predictability if people keep in a relatively consistent flow, but worst case I can imagine it could be intimidating or difficult to process if you don't have much experience with these kind of traffic situations and as a result both have a hard time predicting each other's actions.
About the (lack of) benches, this might differ quite a lot in different places. When I'm cycling in the region where I live (Rotterdam), I encounter plenty of places to take a seat. Although you'll probably find them especially on the more "recreational" routes, while a fair share of paths are mainly used to go from A to B, reducing the need for places to take a break :D
00:12 There are more bikes in the Netherlands than grains of sand on the Earth and stars in the Milky way.
5:06 that is the beach near my home. weoften go there for a beer and some sun. its called: Stichtse strand
Im Dutch and i drive an electric moped (an Iva E-go S4, allowed on the bicycle lanes) to and from work.
I get 21 cent per kilometer from my employer at 54 km per day, this is 11.34 per day.
I charge the batteries at home from my solar panels.
Over the last year (including days with lilttle or no sun) i have spend 0.40 cent per 100 kilometer traveled.
This is without taking the 11.34 per day into account.
Basicly i make about 300 bucks a months for sitting on a scooter instead of in a car lol.
(with rainy or freezing weather i still gladly take my car though, im not some die-hard)
Yo this is a really well made video!
One little correction. The oil crisis of 1973 didn't hit The Netherlands harder than other European countries like you seem to suggest. Not even close. The oil crisis was wide spread all over Europe and hit many European countries exactly the same!!! Only The Netherlands reacted VERY DIFFERENT to that crisis than any other country did. The Netehrlands has always been unique in many ways. Also in political views on cannabis and gay marriage etc. The Netehrlands have always been far more free, pragmatic and democratic than other countries surrounding them. The cycling culture that gives people freedom to choose safely between modes of transport is just one of many ways this liberal attitude became implemented in Dutch everyday life.
Good analysis and nice video.👍👍I guess the movement started early in the NL due to the crowed cities and dense population. Other countries are facing that situation/problem. later.
90 miniutes is a car distance in the nestherlands. We use the bike mainly for short distance, if you have tp 30+km but alwats rather lower.
Well, it does help that riding a bicycle isn't an excessively taxing experience physically in the Netherlands because of that country's mostly flat topography (the same applies for Denmark). Mind you, I'd like to know how well are bicycles accommodated on Nederlandse Spoorwagen and Arriva Netherlands, the two largest passenger rail operators in the country.
I was about to write the same thing. Cykling is most popular in Netherlands and Denmark. They also come 3 and 4 on flattest countries in the world.
@@reineh3477most people live in urban areas, and most urban areas are relatively flat. Deprioritizing walking, biking and public transit is mainly a political choice.
But the rain goes horizontal and blows in your face. Real hard. And when you cycle back, the wind automatically changes direction to happily blow in your face again.
@@jaapfolmer7791 it do be like that.
But I live in the Netherlands, which sees plenty of rain, and we manage to do just fine.
Great video! Liked the way you stated the dutch cycling culture.
Quick explanation why we have more bikes than people: I have 2 bikes at home, my main tour bike, a secondary bike that is low enough for my girlfriend to ride if she comes to visit, then I have a bike at my parents place in a different town so I can get around there easily, and then I usually buy a bike from a local bike shop whenever I get a new job so I can bike around that area as well.
So thats 4 bikes just for me.
There are people who prefer owning multiple cars as well, but even people with cars (and children) usually have multiple bikes, for example an electric bike with a lot of storage for driving kids around or doing grocery shopping and then a regular bike for other trips.
not only is the bike more fun and less tressfull then a car it also good for your health!
One of the best videos on this topic. Compliments!
Why did we do this has a very short answer, kids where dying, over 400 a year.. (1970's), sadly last year it seems 14 kids lost their lives in traffic but it is a far cry from those 400+
Edit ah.... you literally mention it at 5:55 lol
I remember the oil crisis very well. We had "Autoloze Zondagen" (Carless Sundays), days when it was possible to bike and rollerskate on the highways. Dutch of my age (let's say 50+) probably also remember Farce Mamjeur's song Kiele Kiele Koeweit that was about said oil crisis
As a tourist for a few days during the summer of 1978 in Amsterdam I’ll never forget the women commuting to work on bicycles in long summer dresses. A Russian woman recently explained to me how difficult it is to ride a bicycle in a long dress. They made it look easy and cycling look lovely.
Here in the U.S. we should model after Holland. So the air can be cleaner to breathe per se.
As a Dutchy living in the US I have collected a lot of spittle in my face over the years (since '82) for suggesting that. Glad to see I am no longer alone on that.
you then add good public transport too . Perhaps European style driving exams for car drivers might be a very good idea.
Get rid of those silly trucks.
good video man, and for some reason your face is very charismatic
The Netherlands has an excellent cycling infra structure, and cycling culture. De cycling culture did never really disappear after the 50's. Everyone had to go to secondary school by bike. Distances up to 15 km were not exceptional. The Netherlands is a very flat country, so when you are young 15 km is doable. So cycling became a normal way of transport and even a way of recreation. This is why the cycling infrastructure immediately became a succes.
In other countries there are more hills and distances between communities are bigger. Now we have e-bikes and even cargo-bikes it is much easier to cycle up a hill or a bigger distance. More and more cities and even countries have discovered the bicycle and e-bike as a convenient way of transport and there is a demand for a save infrastructure. In the border region with the Netherlands there are created more and more separate bike lanes. The Dutch "Fietsknooppunten netwerk" (bicycle point-to-point network) is extended well into Germany. Even in some other regions point-to-point networks are created. Germany is just at the beginning of creating a cycling culture. The Netherlands are just 50 years ahead.
The Netherlands in not the only country with a good infrastructure for cyclists. Denmark, parts of Finland and Sweden have it too.
But escooters are banned 😔
@@alexderpyracc4053 An electric bicycle is nof a scooter. In the Netherlands scooters shout ride on bicycle paths outside the city-limits. Within the city limits scooters are banned from the bicycle paths. Looks confusing, but within the city limits the scooters ar nearly as fast as cars. outside the city limits cars are much faster and the speed of a scooter is closer to a bicycle.
@@wilsistermans1118 escooters are smaller than a bike and you can fold them to take in the bus or train those you mention are mopeds which are heavy and I agree are dangerous for usage on bike roads but escooters are safe lot of people drive them on the roads despite them being illegal in the Netherlands in all other countries escooters are allowed and equal to bike laws you can even buy them at the mediamarkt like Xiaomi pro 2
@@alexderpyracc4053 Foldable e-bikes are legal in the Netherlands to, as long they respect the rules of e-bikes.
In the Netherlands we call what you call an e-scooter an electric moped, which are allowed to (even available for rent in many cities). Only most FAT-bikes are not allowed, but that is because they do not comply with any rule.
@@wilsistermans1118 250w yeah
Great video thanks for sharing your journey in Holland, the Netherlands yes it is safe to ride your bike 🚴 I am from Canada 🍁
Immigrant in 1971 from Holland I love biking I have a E bike
Germany also has a powerful car lobby and very bad laws against corruption in politics. Thats how they prevent changes
You will find the bench three hundred meter after you took the break at the grass because there was no bench for kilometers.
its so funny how foreigners always try to explain how the Netherlands works
And very educational for me, even as a local. Not Just Bikes! was such an eye opener.
it is nice to see, how foreign people see our country, it makes you see it in a different perspective also
@@QnA22 yer .. sometimes we forget how well everything is done here … and still complaining about it 😂
Yeah its a great reminder of whats great about our Country.. and how bad other countries compared to what we find normal.
3,000 people killed in auto accidents, 1971. The Dutch: Let's make our streets safer for bikes and pedestrians.
42,500 killed in auto accidents EVERY year. The Americans: Let's buy bigger SUVs and pickup trucks, build more lanes, and increase speed.
1,800 killed every year in auto accidents. The Canadians: Let's buy bigger SUVs and pickup trucks, build more lanes, and increase speed. Oh and put up signs asking drivers to be nicer to cyclists...
You know.. I think the Dutch are just smarter than the rest of us over here in North America.
I love the way you pronounce Hilversum 😊
"There are basically no benches, .... I need my MITTAGSPAUSE" and few seconds later 12:05 there is a bench xD
This was an awesome video. The one thing I found hard to understand is why a German would need to rent a bike in the Netherlands.
Is this a reupload? I know I remember this.
Yes, this was an upload on my German RUclips channel. From now in I will publish all English videos here on my new international channel.
@@MatthiasSchwarzerEnglish Well, this way you have gotten 2 views from me ^^
Keep up the good work! :D
@@MatthiasSchwarzerEnglish Ah, that explains why it sounded so familiar.
This was an amazing video. I would love to also ride the same route. Can you perhaps share the route details somehow? And may we know which company you used for the bike hire?
Yeah .. me owning 3 bikes contributing. One for work one for rec, and the other i have no idea .. think someone left it at my place.
Gooimeer, spring, white t-shirt .. hahaha. At least you are wearing glasses. (hate those bugs)
Almere - Hilversum 90 minutes ? Depends on route ... and pace .. 30 kms, good pace on a regular bicycle is about 60 minutes.
I don't know what you call a "regular bike" but an average speed of 30km/h is quite fast, especially as E-bikes are capped at 25km/h. Also, when in doubt, ask Google: 1 hr 23 min (25,6 km) from Almere to Hilversum by bike.
Hast du ein sehr schöne Video gemacht von Holland natürlich und dein Englisch ist auch sehr gut. Ich wohne in den Süden von Limburg es stimmt aber sind nicht soviel Couch ist für unterwegs aber das heißt dass du vom Punkt A nach . B wenn wir irgendwo unterwegs wegen zu Urlaub oder so etwas besitzen dann die mehren Decke mit viel Spaß nächstes Mal in Holland😊😊😊 probier mal ein faltfahrrad bromton 😂
OK , there is a main reason : it is flat , had family there, my place have hills, worked there , and here , as kids, we could easily run a 60km errand in the day without much noticing , 12km to work by the canal was nothing; student in a place with deep valleys tried to cycle to university sometimes , barely 20km ride , and it would kill me for the day , needing a shower on arrival...
electric bikes are wonderful for that , they make it like everything has gone flat , but they have a huge headstart , and btw automobiles have become much wider
I am so happy I was born in the NL and not the U.S. I absolutely hate cars, and hell for me is being stuck in a place that is entirely designed around cars.
Comparing a street in a city centre with a route in a rural area seems a bit silly. There are quite some crossings in Dutch cities that look quite a lot like the German ones you showed. Still some work to do to omprove city cycling infrastructure
@MatthiasSchwartzerEnglish Did you have to return the bike to the place you picked it up?
0:28 oh man, it's like that in the US too. We have some really dangerous bike lanes with no consideration to the riders at all. It doesn't help that US drivers don't know how to act to pedestrians and cyclists.
The biggest issue I feel like, is the lack of training drivers. Everyones always in a rush here for some reason, so they make dangerous decisions and honk at you for following the law.
Hey, don't forget Denmark. Our biking culture is very like that of the Netherlands
(though I will admit that the Dutch bike infrastructure outside citites is better).
Been to Denmark several times now as a greenhousebuilder and love Aarhus above Copenhagen haha.
You guys have a great infractructure but you not come even close to the Netherlands and it hurts for me to say it because i love Denmark
Culture is a big word, it's more just a bunch of right decisions been made throughout the decades. Other places can decide to do the same at any time 🙂
it really isn't
witout public support these good idée's just die on some random desk and building that public support req changing how people think about infrastructure and transportation which is a pretty big cultural change
yes you can do this anywhere but if in your citie this change is only starting it can easely take 20 years before you start seing the results
it is kind of true and not at the same time. Cycling is mainstream part of dutch culture, but at the same time it is not really a culture like cycling is in the US, which is much more hardcore.
You are literally describing the meaning of culture....
How many k did you manage?
Ich (aus Niederlande) finde es auch Schade das da so wenig Banken (benches) sind.
Excellent vid by the legendary Matthias "Passion" Schwarzer --- PS I love Germany!
You did not cover what I wanted to know. With all of those bicycles everywhere, how secure is your bike when you leave it? In Albuquerque where I live bike theft is very common. I am in my late 60s and I ride a bike all the time for everything - I wear a backpack for my groceries when I go shopping. But, I don't have a side-stand as no mater where I park it I always use a thick lock to attach it to something - and I never leave it out overnight. Some of that is just common sense as with the old saying, "Trust in Allah, but tie your camel." Meaning, you generally lock your car and you lock you front door so why not also lock you bike? But, do people lock their bikes in the Netherlands, or Germany? How high is the theft rate? Just curious. I do love it when a city figures out that good bike trails are necessary. Thanks for exploring the topic. I ride a bike for fun, relaxation, health and freedom.
Of course, you have to lock the bike. If you look in the big cities, you often see that people ride very old bicycles because the chance that your good bike will be stolen is very high. In Almere, where I live, I do almost everything by bike. Here you also have free guarded covered bicycle sheds. I love my bike. Cheap and healthy.
I hope you didn’t got a strike of YT because of singing that song I want to ride my bike 🚴 😂.
You biked past my house in Almere! Haha 😂
Ok but how do I start a bike culture?
Nag. Nag a lot and often. Nag loudly. Harrass your politicians. Again and again. And your shop owners, your managers and your pastors, priests, imams, mobeds whatever. And on social media. And get together with others to tyranize the streets.
Isnt this a repost? I am like 99% sure it is and has been posted about a year or so ago.
5 Major things we are doing wrong here in Australia to encourage more cycling, the first is unlike the Netherlands, Australia is not always flat and even Cities can have big hills especially near beach locations, much of Holland looks rather flat so easier to cycle, even for non E bikes.
Secondly, Our Governments (State Governments) in Australia made wearing a Helmet Mandatory and a person not wearing a suitable helmet will be fined over $300 for non=compliance so if you like wearing your thick jackets with warm hoods, it's difficult to wear them over helmets.
Thirdly, Overall Motorist attitude towards bikes, men in particular seem to grow really agro if they spot a sports cyclist in Lycra lights, it sends them ballistic but some women go troppo at the sight of sports cyclists, it's crazy that no other sport will attract so much ire than what a cyclist does and because many fast cycists don't want to use paths due to slower bikes and pedestrians, they always seem to go into a rant about cyclists being licensed to use the roads.....well Der!! 98% of those cyclists own cars too and have licenses so the argument is invalid. Commuters cyclists are treated a little better if they don't get in the way of cars and they wear normal clothes, not lycra lol.
Forthly, the Police do not take seriously enough when cyclists being menaced or hit by a car, motor Vehicles used as weapons purposely are not taken in the same line as someone using a knife, gun or baseball bat so if a bicycle rider gets knocked off, the cops usually blame the rider not the car......
And Fifth, whilst cycle paths are better than 20 years ago, they are not always maintained and they have many gaps from where they finish to where they start again often with no signage or warning. We do not have infrastructure anywhere near that of Europe yet our Governments are hell bent to go carbon Neutral and to follow the EU plan for electric vehicles but they are not taking in consideration that cycling has always been carbon Neutral way back in the late 1800s.
Nice video, but it does not seem fair to compare "streets like these" (-shots from the busy crossroads somewhere in urban area) with "streets" like "these" (-shots from a bike path going through nature, or in other words, not in the city).
It is "the motor", Matthias 😎 The electric drive is "motor" in English.
Nice Video I Create Cycling Videos in the Netherlands since this year the Netherlands is just easy and beautiful🚲🚲🚲
ha ha sorry for the flies 🙂 Great video and glad you liked (cycling in) the Netherlands
Dankjewel
Not every road has a cycle path next to it. Not every cycle path has a road next to.
No benches,? They do exist, maybe not on your route.
I felt at home cycling lane wise in Berlin. Only having to get of the bicycle at some junctions and having to walk is odd. Germany is improving and obviously Münster has been an example for years
I've just seen a video about Freiburg....
Even in Germany, there are about as many bikes as people - we just use them less.
There are no benches, people usually want to go to their destination asap. If you really want to rest just improvise and sit in the gras
The authority is responsible for the safety of the people on the road.
I can sue them if I crash because of a lose stone or pothole.
Designing the road system is part of that responsibility.
I need my mittag pauze 😂!!!
I was actually the 999 thumbs up person Wow ,I suppose I will not get the 1000 pennies/cent 😅!
I was like what, here is he going??....oh Hilversum.....Wait I Live there D:
I hope you don't cycle that much coz you will ruin your knees with the saddle that low. It also ruduces your speed with about 16%.
I believe our proportional representation election systems are at the core of many differences between the Netherlands and many other countries.
Our politicians are more beholden to the desires of the voters.
We are not any different, but our system is.
This is why escooters are banned there is downsides about being a bike culture country with good infrastructure escooters are a threat to bike culture according to the bike union which is also in the government
Elderly people on E-bikes are also a danger. For them it would be better to reduce the max.speed from 25 to 18km/h.
It's not motorised traffic that worries me in the Netherlands, it's the canals. If there's trouble, my instinct is to pull over to the side. Unfortunately, if I stop, and put my feet down, there might be nothing there, just a drop into the water. I mention this to Dutch folk I meet, and I get told all sorts of stories, especially about when people are coming home from the pub.
Matthias, you showed us not the biggest towns and their cycling infrastructure.
Amsterdam has cycling paths next to roads and there the busiest crossing is at Mr. Vissersplein near Waterlooplein just before the Municipality Building and Opera and Ballet House.
Lots of car traffic and lots of bicycles.
But also the Law is adjusted. A car-driver is automatically responsible when a bicycle or pedestrian is part of an accident. Burden of proof is with the driver of the car. This to protect the weaker parties (flesh against steel).
There is a directive how the roads should look like, from highways (upto 130 km) , roads transporting large volumes of cars into cities (50 km), acces roads to neighbourhoods and smaller neighbourhood-roads (30 km).
Car-roads are black asphalt, bike-lanes are red asphalt or bricks and sidewalks for pedestians are grey-tiles. So everybody knows on what kind of "road" they are.
Also as most car-owners also have a bicycle they know what to encounter on the road.
I thought That’s what you were doing
I have 4 bikes
You cycle on a bench all the time
The Dutch have some religious attitude towards bikes 😀
The short answer would be
Cuz the country is flat and tiny.
Easy...it's flat...very, very flat!!!!
"Other countries don't"?! Come on, you've never been in Denmark, then... (note: I'm not a Dane). Please check your facts before posting incorrect allegations.
Because it's flat and tiny.
Many other places are flat, not all have high bike usage. Safe infrastructure has a much higher correlation with the number of bikes than if a place is flat. (It does help tho)
@@Hugo-in9jt It's really really really flat. The other place like that is copenhague in Danemark.
@@Sombre____ There's plenty of cities around the world that are mostly flat. It's all about the safe cycling infrastructure.
Try and cycle in this easy flat country with head or side wind speed 8.
But with a lot of wind. And with an e-bike, hills are not a problem anymore.