As a dutch woman watching the reasons for not cycling is making me laugh. "Got a kid with me, its windy and cold, got groceries"...well put a kid stool on your bike, toughen up we're cycling in freezing weather when its snowing, that's why we have bags on our bikes to carry it in. 😂🤣
As a Norwegian I cringe at the whole "it's cold" thing, the best and most known saying in Norway is "there are no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing".
PuroYO Exactly. And in The Netherlands our parents would tell us "you are not made of sugar you won't melt" when a kid doesn't want to go out in the rain/cold. It toughens you up. When the weather is bad you put on a rainsuite or mittens and you grow a pair and go out there.
Maaike R As an Australian, I would say you don't understand how bad the bicycle infrastructure is here, or how aggressive and complacent the traffic has become here, we all jokingly call them "asian drivers". Bicycle riders are definitely the minority and easily marginalised, and the anti-bicycle culture is really strong here, people will spit on you and try and run you down, and the government will actually rip up cycle paths. Australia is a lot bigger than the Netherlands so everything is spaced out much further, so you kinda need a car to get anywhere. I have a mountain bike but I keep it in the back of my van for when I need it. How many of you have ridden in 45 degree heat? It gets to 80 degrees in the desert. Australia is a dry hot climate and getting worse thanks to climate change. So yeah we get cold easily. I'm a stagehand and we get backpackers including northern Europeans that work with us, my workmates will call them wimps because they can't handle the heat. Nobody is perfect!
Peter Knagge They are talking about trips of the same distance so the "its further apart" argument I'm not buying...the vid actually proved that. But yeah your infrastructure and the attitude towards cycling is something thats holding you back. But thats up to you to change just like it was done by the dutch people to demand it from our goverment.
Thanks for your comment Maaike R. With all due respect the video showed a small sample and I'm talking about more locations than just supermarkets, so don't believe everything you read on the Internet. The car culture is very strong here, so they get all the money. Please appreciate your people's attitude and government is a huge inspiration to more regressive places like Australia, America and the rest of the world.
It's really funny for me to see this. Because I am a 14 year old girl from dronten, that is a small village in the Netherlands. I cycle everyday 2 km to school and 2km back. And almost every day 2km to my sport and 2km back. Also I cycle to the villages that are in 10 or 20 km from my village. I like to ride a bicycle and it's funny to see that they don't cycle just because it's freezing.....I cycle even when there is snow on the groun so whats the problem guys!?!?!?
Yeah, do you really need to move 1500+kg of steel and pastic to in order to transport, what? 2kg of groceries? Note that being Dutch myself, we *do* use the car too for our weekly shopping trips. Not all supermarkets have a lack of parking space like the one you filmed in the city center of Utrecht has. We do use our cargo bike for these as well at times, but I'll be honest: we can be lazy too...
I was born and raised in the Netherlands, I took cycling for granted, really. Nowadays I spend many months a year in Australia, and I know what for Dutch people is normal, isn't that normal at all. Mainly because of the mandatory helmet I rarely ride my bike in Melbourne. The helmet cooks my brains, really, it's incredibly unpleasant. And I don't think it adds to safety at all. Apart from that it can be dangerous to cycle in this traffic. But Melbourne seems to have good intentions, with bike paths. I'm afraid it will take decades though before car driver's attitude gets adjusted. We need more volume in cyclists, and a helmet ban! Thank you for this great film!!
Marina M - I worked with the TAC (Transport Accident Comission) for a while and I can tell you I met people who were alive because of the helmet. I cycle to shops as much as I can and I hate the helmet but, after seeing a few thing in my work, I can tell you it is worth having.
pyrogld... ja, natuurlijk, en hoeveel mensen rijden er nou echt meer dan 50 km per uur op de fiets als ze boodschappen gaan doen, naar hun werk gaan of de kinderen naar school brengen?
20+ years I had a car in uk and west australia. NOW I HATE CARS. My honda accord has broken down recently. Car industry is expensive and devious. With my bike I can do shopping outside supermarket door carry food for my family back home up the hills. winter or summer in uk. I can fix bike myself, new tyre no problem, new bearing no problem. exercise reduces depression. heart disease, cancer etc etc. ALL CITIES IN THE WORLD SHOULD HAVE A CYCLE CULTURE TO INCREASE PUBLIC COOPERATION. In a car you can swear and should at your fellow human no so much on a bike. Park 10 bike in one car space. Traffic jams = stress and wasted time.
I live in a town in the north of the UK where cycling is still seen as a bit of fun and exercise, but car drivers hate cyclists. I've had to use footpaths to stay safe but then get shouted at by people including those who have parked their cars all over the footpath but see that as OK. It's totally bonkers. Currently I use an electric cargo cycle that has heavy duty panniers (Ortlieb) on the back rack and shop maybe 3 times a week. Cycling is total freedom once you get passed the idiot driver problem.
I live in the states and always go to the store by bike. Depending on the store it's between 2-4km. It's just so much simpler than having a car. Problems are generally quick and cheap to fix compare to a car. Then assuming no mechanical problems I can get around for free without worrying about gas. All on a dutch bike.
Not sure where in America you lived, but you got balls. In 95% of America, you got to share the road with F-150s , Silverados and RAM. That's basically a death wish.
I lived in Sydney for six months and found cycling there to be even worse than here in The U.K. The majority of drivers I experienced passed too close and were very impatient. They made it very clear that I wasn't welcome on the road with my bike.
I'm German and I just returned from a short trip to Maastricht, Hollland...a real eye opener to what is still missing here in Germany in 2017: an understanding that bike-friendly cities unstead of car-friendly ones will mean an increase in life quality for everybody, cyclists and motorists alike. For the motorists and their children also breathe the polluted air in our urban centers that drives diseases of the respiratory system up. Politics are just too closely connected to economic interests of the car and oil indstry, as the VW-scandal in Germany is clearly revealing right now.
I'm an Aussie living in Utrecht NL and most of the time I'm glad I no longer need a car but for the times I do I use a car share program called green wheels like the Go get cars back home. In Sydney I would never live car free but here it's easy
I loved the video such a eye opener ,... i am gonna buy a bike ,..... be kind to mother earth and ride your bike ,.. maybe we could save this planet we call home !
It''s cool that the Australian people are open to riding more bike if they're given the opportunity. As a Dutch person it's so easy to feel good about ourselves because we ride our bikes so much compared to other Western countries but it's really only like this because we were lucky enough to have a government who supports and promotes a biking culture. (And our country being flat af certainly helps too) I'm sure I would've ride the car for a short trip to the supermarket and not given it a second thought if I was raised in Australia just like all the Australians interviewed in this video.
I'm in North America and believe me, most of us would bike if it was viable. Our roads are FRIGGIN WIDE and you have another 100 feet of green space on the side, where we could EASILY pave 10-12 feet of bike ways, but our municipal politicians are more concerned with votes and pleasing Unions, meaning we're BROKE. The city of Costa Mesa in CA, had to "Lease out" its own roads to some hedge fund and pay rent on them, to get money to pay pension obligations. Dutch people are BLESSED!!!!
Holanda é o paraíso das bicicletas :-) adorava viver lá! Aqui em Portugal é muito difícil andar de bicicleta, mas uso a minha para ir às compras ;-) e adoooooro ;-)
My mother and brother are in Portugal for a time now, in Olhao, and people there cycle and seem to enjoy it, but it`s true there is nowhere as great as Holland for cyclists. lt is my passion but l can`t cycle like l would like to in the uk, it`s very restricting and the uk " culture" is dead set against cyclists, car drivers hate them and say stupid things like " they don`t pay road tax which was actually abolished !! so you can see the mentality there !!! Eu gosto Portugal e aprender la lingua mas Holland e melhoras por bicicleta !
I live in 'Hilly' Wales. I'm 73 year's old and DO NOT OWN A CAR. I have an eBike and do all my shopping on it. I see 'car owner's' in my street getting Delivery's from the Supermaket's . "They have car's but get their shopping delivered" ! LOL Where I only have a bike and DO ALL MY SHOPPING with it. 2 Pannier's, Basket on front & Sterdy shopping bag to sit on rear pannier stand.
the secret in living long is to cycle its better than car ....cycle good for your whole body . its make your heart muscles veins get stronger to fight germs and keep fat away .it also make your lungs more strong to fight infections away...it also make your mind relax .
Paul this is a great video, I must say in Perth we seem to be slowly getting on with it these days a bit more but progress is slow. I have a $200 reid bike I ride 2-3 times a week to work and back in a full suit, the road bike is just too much effort for a 6km trip.
I will take my bike any day to work or grocery shopping as long as weather permitting although I have my cars insured both at the same time.Nothing can be better than riding a bike to work especially when the weather is nice and you're all pumped-up before working.
I am currently trying to cycle everywhere as I feel better riding my E bike Here in Bundaberg they are slowly starting to put in more facilities and lanes for cyclists. Not as good as Holland but it is getting better. It is nearly 2020 and the government is starting to see the benefits for cycling. It's slow but it is getting better!
@Dan Drory It is a shame you can’t cycle due to unsafe roads. You are absolutely right but most people won’t believe you until the changes are made. I feel in many countries they also see cyclists and car-drivers as different people. As if you can not drive a car one day and a bicycle the next 🤣.. And they talk about cycling and car driving as if it’s a battle between the two. And cars win that battle cause cycling is supposed to be less important. However with more cycling infrastructure people will start cycling and that will make roads less congested for cars too. And once more car drivers cycle, their driving becomes safer for cyclists (because they understand them better). It is a win for both.... People only believe it once the changes are made. It takes very brave politicians to make changes. In Ghent in Belgium they recently changed very successfully to a cycle friendly city. A lot of protests beforehand, but now they love it. I hope you can convince enough people in Sydney 💪🏻
Just curious... why do have non Dutch their Saddle so low? Don't you guys know that it is important to have it high enough to avoid knee problems? If you put your heel on the pedal then your leg must be totally straight.
Because then you can't stand on the ground, so you need to (partially) get off your bike every time you stop. You will have no knee problems if you cycle at a pleasant speed, knee problems only occur with high speed racing cyclists who are constantly going over their body's limit. Comfort over speed will get you there in exactly as many kilometers, and with a lot less sweat.
@@bramvanduijn8086 I am a regular every day biker to work, shoppings, things like that. I was biking with my saddle low, bought special a bike with a smaller frame so I could reach the ground because of I had my child in a front seat. I got pain in one knee for more than a year ,I could not bench my knee in the morning coming downstairs. The problem slowly disappeared I when started to use my other bike again. It is really important to have the saddle high enough also for every day cyclists. It is no fun to have a knee problem and it can take a long time to heal.
The ride to my local Woolworths and back : Nett Total height change = 98metres; Total dist = 6.8kilometres. Bad infrastructure makes it worse than it should be ; dist & height would be smaller but there is only one crossing of the train-line ; on a hill further away [and the next crossing is 1.8kilometres down the line]. The crossing is a bridge with barriers at both ends : signs tell me to dismount. And the shortest/flatest route is still a dog-leg because the only way to get to the train-line is an easement that has steel-barriers at both ends that I have to get off and reverse the bike or lift-over. So yes , in the round-trip I have to traverse EIGHT barriers [2 x 2 x both-ways]. When I get to Woolworths I have to chance the mindlessly reversed-Cars to reach the bike-rack in the middle that has No-protection to stop cars crushing your bike.
As for distances, it's more complex than this: You have to take into account _all the trips_ people make during their day (about four on average.) Even with NL-grade bike infras, they won't ride their bike to the supermarket 1-2km from their home if, before this, they had to drive from work 10-30km with no good public transit available. They won't 1) park at home and 2) ride their bike to the supermarket: They'll just drive straight and go home. Peak Oil will hit countrie like OZ or North America even harder because urban sprawl is even worse there than in Europe. Not much to do with lazyness, and plenty to do with the context.
I kinda missed one question. How many times do Australians do groceries per week? Because they don’t waste a lot of food per household, compared to other “rich” countries.
My lazy next door neighbour will drive to the shops that are 300 metres down the road! If I can cycle or walk to a destination, I'll always choose that over driving.
In the Netherlands driving a car is a privilage, not a necessity. Even though they filmed inside a busy city centre like Utrecht, virtually all towns and villages have great cycling infrastucture. It's even possible to ride your bike across the entire country on dedicated cyclist roads. It's watching clips like these to make me realise how special my country is on this front. What they didn't mention is the crazy expenses us Dutchies have to make just to own a car in taxes, insurance, petrol price and parking costs. And since we are pretty frugal most of us just prefer going by bike.
I moved from Australia to Canada and in comparison Australia's walking/biking infrastructure is great. Last place I lives was Ellenbrook in Perth and it was even better than most parts of Australia. But Australia is still decades behind the Netherlands
And then they complain it is too dangerous for the kids to walk to school, because of all the cars. If no parents dropped of their kids by car, there would not be cars to be a danger to the kids. When I walked to school no parents drove their kids but the traffic was still quite bad as several factories in the area used the roads past our school with their freight. Now all of those are away from the town and the kids can not walk to school anymore.
In the UK it is similar to Australia, people drive their cars everywhere. I ride my bike mainly for commuting and would use it for shopping if there was an easy way to carry everything. I presume in the Netherlands you purchase shopping in smaller quantities and shop more often, rather than shopping once or twice a week. Cycling is getting better in the UK, but there's a room for much improvement. I would like to know that my children can cycle safely and not end up in a collision with a car. We have some combined pedestrian and bicycle lanes, but pedestrians don't look where they are walking and they are often deafened by the music in their headphones.
UK driving/cycling culture varies a lot by place. In Cambridge it's nearly 30% cycling, middle of London or Bristol 20%, most of the rest of the country: 2%. The culture is shifting in a pro-bike way, but it's slow; very slow in some places. I use a bike trailer for weekly shop - it can take a whole trolley-full. It's great, and cost me about 20 quid to build 15 years ago.
l agree and l live in the UK too but l use a carrier bag that l tie securely to the back of the bike, behind the saddle and another bag goes in the front basket. l would get cycle paniers but am concerned that as some cars come too close they could knock them ! Where we live, in Westcliff, it is terrible for bikes, there is one seafront route and another a bit way out but no direct route along the london road for shopping. l have contacted my local council many times but nothing happens, they just waffle on and on about what might happen, which never materialises and they have the cheek to call out town a bike friendly city, talk about delusional !
@@papje nope, the Dutch from the border region drive to Belgium to fill up and shop there too. And the Germans fill up and go to the Netherlands to get coffee.
We have a lot of Dutch Freddy's here that want to ride their bicycle. It works for us. The rest of the world is free to like what they like too. Aussie and NL are hard to compare I think. But yeah, for under 5km, you may save some money to spend on other stuff. Like a brandnew bicycle? Cheers! 😉👍🏻
In the netherlands the supermarkets are mostly located in the citycenter. I believe thats a policy to keep the cities lively Thats why there is no room for cars. The concequence is that large polluting-diesel-lorries have to drive into the city center to store the supermarket.
I wish NYC was like that ... there are way too much vehicles on the road it's insane. Most people rather take public transportation than owning a vehicle. I mostly cycle around town, there are a few bike lanes but most motorist don't know or even respect cyclist commuters. As well having bike theft going absurd.
Hmm, I though that New York had relatively good bike infrastructure, and improving? I was there in 2010 and cycled from Columbia Uni to Coney Island - there were some pretty nice bike routes round the edges, but a big section with no facilities at all. I guess 'realtively good' in the US is a low bar.
xxwookey For Dutch standards a bike route around the edge is shit. We expect you are able to (safely!) go anywhere on a bike, often you actually can't get to the old center with a car while you can with a bike.
When you interview netherlands people, they smile, warm, health and looks happy. When i see you interview australian people, they looks so busy and looks not healthy. Maybe cycling make your days is better. Sorry for my english
Exercise makes the body release endorphins in your blood, the heroin the body itself makes. People that move their bodies are more happy than those that don't if the rest is the same. And that's just the short term effect on happiness.
In NZ car is king the attitudes of drivers towards cyclists needs to change. Things are improving re: infrastructure with cycle only lanes but it's the behaviour of drivers that is the biggest hurdle.
There's one pretty big difference.Population in the netherlands is not much different then that of australia, but we live in a place about as big as 2/3rd's of the island of tasmania.If everyone had a car here, a lack of parking space would be the least of our problems :)
Our population density in the places where people actually live (the cities in Australia) is not different from Holland....in fact in many areas our density is larger. 99% of Australia is uninhabited.
@@aleksandrmakedonsky4892 I'd like to see you cycle to school/work/shopping center/grocery store with windchill of -15 to -20 degrees Celsius, like the winters we've had the past couple of years.
Well 2 saddle bags at your rear wheel, 1 basket at your front wheel, several bags hanging from the handle bars, a box placed on the carrier above the rear wheel. All at the same time of course
To put things into perspective: there are also 8,000,000 cars over here in this very small country. Yes, there's a lot of cylcing, but there's also a lot of car driving, and that's what most of these vids don't go into. Many many people waste hours and hours of their lives in traffic jams here too. But look on the bright side, it could have been worse... Personally, I chose to live close to where I work, so I can commute by bicycle. I do have a car, and I do about 10,000 km anually, but that's mostly for recreational purposes.
The Australian supermarket looks like it's a more out of town or suburban centre than the Dutch supermarket. Or minimarket? And the people arriving in Australia probably may have travelled several other places too than the city centre Dutch? Apart from that, I'm in Ireland and I'm going to take my bike tomorrow along with a pretty large bike trailer the 6.5km to my local town with absolutely no bike paths, lanes or any other infrastructure and do a full weeks shopping and come home with between 40-60kg of shopping. Occasionally even more. It actually will be quicker and easier to take my car but I try to use my bike which also has a variety of racks, bags and baskets for carrying almost anything for the vast majority of all of my local trips within a 10km distance and as often as I can up to 20+ km when it's practical. Absolutely no lycra used, I ride as I intend to arrive at my destination.
Also in the Netherlands they are all speaking a second language. Some inner city supermarkets do have alot of us cyclists in Australia! Or people on public transport! But even those supermarkets provide free parking.
The thing is, the shops and Malls are not bicycle friendly. They don't allow bicycles to park there, and lack of Cycling paths that is safe to get there.
This doesnt mean that every Duchie goes on the bike to a super.Because there are cheaper supermarkets but they are usually out of town.But if you have to go near anyway everybody goes to THAT supermarket with the car if he can afford it.
The cycling infrastructure in England is just not good enough. Dedicated cycle lanes are quite rare. We are very jealous of the Dutch people where cyclists are first class citizens.
Indeed, it's the Twijnstraat in Utrecht. Not the average supermarket by the way, since it doesn't even have a parking lot. Supermarkets in suburbs or smaller villages do have a parking lot.
The Dutch FIRST had a cycling culture, THEN demanded decent infrastructure. If we hadn't had the culture already, the government never would have redesigned Holland to meet future needs. That's not how governments work. If you want this, you gotta start cycling.
Come here and try to cycle in Au. I guarantee once you see a LandCruiser 70 series with a 5 poster bullbar (Google some images) coming up behind you... You will stay off the road for good. Unless you get a 5k bike and join the fearless Lycra crew. I cycle a lot in Syd but dare not to go on the road. Different culture here.
No uneven taxes needed (those make people angry and then they dig their heels in). Build bicycle paths that don't intersect with car roads, reduce car parking at the shops and other destinations, and increase bicylce parking. This means voluntary cycling which always lasts longer.
Here in Milton Keynes, the 1970's transport ideal was embodied into the design, with cycleways - which we call Redways, due to the red tarmac topping - linking all areas by traffic free routes incorporating overbridges and underpasses. Alas, with the Tory government's unnecessary austerity taking money away from everything, these have suffered badly of late, with the surfaces battered by years of weather and the signage vandalised, it has become a real disincentive to use them! Its such a shame we can't have the same level of committment here as in Utrecht. That's right wing politics for you - What! Take money from the rich to spend on cycling! Not here!
@@thetessellater9163 yes the con party ,fat cats that think about themselves, mostly extinct in my country Scotland thankfully, now if we can just get our country back.
Paul van Bellen Jenna Marbles (Jenna Mourey), the queen of RUclips! :) There are some cool Hell Yeah compilations from her. At the moment she‘s off the Internet but I’m hoping she’s coming back one day.
You made a huge mistake. The Dutch Supermarket was near the City Center of Utrecht. While the Australian one was near the cities outskirts. You’ll find big parking lots filled with cars in suburbs in the Netherlands too...
You're missing the point. Why do you think he asks if they travelled 5 km or less? It's to prove that no matter the distance Australians still prefer the car over the bike because of safety regulations and bike infrastructure
Use a bike if you can and that should always be up to you, but I live over 20 miles from where I work. There is no train. There is no bus. A car is, for me, a foregone conclusion.
PrivateEyeYiYi If you would ride a bike, you will get your daily exercise. One and a half to and one and a half back. A bit much to do everyday, but twice a week should be possible.
@@iamalavalamp 20 miles in a car takes me 30 minutes at an average speed of 40mph. That's average, with all stops factored. So at times I'm hitting close to 50mph. Even very highly engineered electrified bicycles can't match that performance. If they could they would be dangerous because bicycle brakes aren't made for that kind of speed. OK, so you add competent brakes, now what does this thing cost? Might as well get a small motorcycle. Except that it rains here, quite often. Not to mention the winter. So I'll stick to my car. Bikes are for fun, not basic transportation.
Polarization is never a solution. Yes the Dutch cycle a lot, but I think video's like these are counter productive. The expected target audience (presumably the people at the Australian car park?) are lead to believe that if the video maker had his way, they too would need to do their shopping on a bicycle. The best way to sway those people is probably to show them the fantastic car infrastructure that we have here, as well as bicycle infrastructure. Stop pretending it's a choice between A and B. We do it both here and exactly THAT is what makes it work.
That's right, they should. No-one should be driving < 2km, unless they really are shifting so much stuff that there is no way it'll go in a bike-trailer or cargo-bike. Those ozzie shoppers even all agreed that they should have come by bike, and would have done if the infrastructure was adequate.
Nonsense, we are free to decide if want to use a bike or a car. People in Australia choose the car, they are used to it and probably a little bit lazy.
This is really biased. In the Netherlands they stood at a grocery shop in a student neighbourhood and spoke to younr people. In Australia they went to a grocery shop and talked to older people. Here there are also lots of people who do their shopping with car, even under 5km.
@@windsurfer I don't have to see both sides to say that the Dutch side was biased. Furthermore, you took two completely different age groups, which of course results in different views. Students often can't afford cars, while older people have to do shopping for their entire family for the whole week. (this is hard to do on bike, if you're not a third world country) Look I like the video and I like the message behind it, but you'll have to agree that it isn't cometely objective?
Deb The real problem in the Netherlands is wind, due to the flatness of the country there is nowhere for the wind to be stopped so the wind always blows really strong, in fact the amount of wind is comparable to climbing a hill or a mountain without the added benefit of going downhill. Therefore the argument amount a place having hills does not really apply.
Have you ever been to the Netherlands? Bikes get stolen all the time. That's the reason why bikes are double locked and chained to lampposts, bridges etc.
People often lock their bikes to metal bars bolted into walls in Amsterdam, but I've heard several occasions where thieves would just saw the bar off and take the whole lot. Tens of thousands of bikes change owners every year.
@@coenogo Very true. It's mental in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht (maybe other cities as well but I don't want to make assumptions.). On several occasions I've seen that parts of bikes get stolen when they are not properly locked. It's common to see only the frame of a bike locked to bridges (etc.) without wheels, saddles or steers.
The trick is multiple chain locks. There'll always be at least one bicycle that only has a wheel lock or a flimsy "chain"lock that'll be easier and quicker to steal.
I agree us Australians should be riding more but the public transport system needs to improve in Australia in the big cities before we can do this. Especially the train systems. Also it is a lot more difficult to move 4 million people in Sydney and Melbourne in a vast suburban setting compared to the small population and various towns of the Netherlands. Melbourne has the best opportunity to do this in the future with trams but needs to provide more train lines in and around the city and inner city areas.
If you like this video you may like another one I made from a few years before.
ruclips.net/video/Il1IGKaol_M/видео.html
As a dutch woman watching the reasons for not cycling is making me laugh. "Got a kid with me, its windy and cold, got groceries"...well put a kid stool on your bike, toughen up we're cycling in freezing weather when its snowing, that's why we have bags on our bikes to carry it in. 😂🤣
As a Norwegian I cringe at the whole "it's cold" thing, the best and most known saying in Norway is "there are no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing".
PuroYO Exactly. And in The Netherlands our parents would tell us "you are not made of sugar you won't melt" when a kid doesn't want to go out in the rain/cold. It toughens you up. When the weather is bad you put on a rainsuite or mittens and you grow a pair and go out there.
Maaike R As an Australian, I would say you don't understand how bad the bicycle infrastructure is here, or how aggressive and complacent the traffic has become here, we all jokingly call them "asian drivers". Bicycle riders are definitely the minority and easily marginalised, and the anti-bicycle culture is really strong here, people will spit on you and try and run you down, and the government will actually rip up cycle paths. Australia is a lot bigger than the Netherlands so everything is spaced out much further, so you kinda need a car to get anywhere. I have a mountain bike but I keep it in the back of my van for when I need it. How many of you have ridden in 45 degree heat? It gets to 80 degrees in the desert. Australia is a dry hot climate and getting worse thanks to climate change. So yeah we get cold easily. I'm a stagehand and we get backpackers including northern Europeans that work with us, my workmates will call them wimps because they can't handle the heat. Nobody is perfect!
Peter Knagge They are talking about trips of the same distance so the "its further apart" argument I'm not buying...the vid actually proved that. But yeah your infrastructure and the attitude towards cycling is something thats holding you back. But thats up to you to change just like it was done by the dutch people to demand it from our goverment.
Thanks for your comment Maaike R. With all due respect the video showed a small sample and I'm talking about more locations than just supermarkets, so don't believe everything you read on the Internet. The car culture is very strong here, so they get all the money. Please appreciate your people's attitude and government is a huge inspiration to more regressive places like Australia, America and the rest of the world.
It's really funny for me to see this. Because I am a 14 year old girl from dronten, that is a small village in the Netherlands. I cycle everyday 2 km to school and 2km back. And almost every day 2km to my sport and 2km back. Also I cycle to the villages that are in 10 or 20 km from my village. I like to ride a bicycle and it's funny to see that they don't cycle just because it's freezing.....I cycle even when there is snow on the groun so whats the problem guys!?!?!?
DeusienPlays i don't bike when it rains though ;)
Ik woon ook in Dronten haha.
@Aad Nitraat You live in Kapella?
@Aad Nitraat I lived in Dijkwelseweg Kapella for a few years when I was a kid in the 70's
In Sydney? Asian drivers.
"Heavy parcels"..........holds up two bags that are half full.
Ha ha
I know... I've moved house on a regular urban bike. All but the piano. This guy has no clue...LOL
Yeah, do you really need to move 1500+kg of steel and pastic to in order to transport, what? 2kg of groceries?
Note that being Dutch myself, we *do* use the car too for our weekly shopping trips. Not all supermarkets have a lack of parking space like the one you filmed in the city center of Utrecht has. We do use our cargo bike for these as well at times, but I'll be honest: we can be lazy too...
I loved the "why should I?" answer from the older lady at 3:15 1 she seems quite a character.
I was born and raised in the Netherlands, I took cycling for granted, really. Nowadays I spend many months a year in Australia, and I know what for Dutch people is normal, isn't that normal at all. Mainly because of the mandatory helmet I rarely ride my bike in Melbourne. The helmet cooks my brains, really, it's incredibly unpleasant. And I don't think it adds to safety at all. Apart from that it can be dangerous to cycle in this traffic. But Melbourne seems to have good intentions, with bike paths. I'm afraid it will take decades though before car driver's attitude gets adjusted. We need more volume in cyclists, and a helmet ban!
Thank you for this great film!!
Marina M - I worked with the TAC (Transport Accident Comission) for a while and I can tell you I met people who were alive because of the helmet. I cycle to shops as much as I can and I hate the helmet but, after seeing a few thing in my work, I can tell you it is worth having.
If you would provide a decent cycle infrastructure there wouldn't be a need for a helmet law. Fix the problem, not the symptoms...
Marina M als je op een wielren fiets met 50kmp op je bek gaat ben je wel blij met een helm
pyrogld... ja, natuurlijk, en hoeveel mensen rijden er nou echt meer dan 50 km per uur op de fiets als ze boodschappen gaan doen, naar hun werk gaan of de kinderen naar school brengen?
Gerrit Valkering ik bedoel als je wedstrijden aan het rijden bent of gewoon aan het trainen bent op de wielrenfiets
20+ years I had a car in uk and west australia. NOW I HATE CARS. My honda accord has broken down recently. Car industry is expensive and devious. With my bike I can do shopping outside supermarket door carry food for my family back home up the hills. winter or summer in uk. I can fix bike myself, new tyre no problem, new bearing no problem. exercise reduces depression. heart disease, cancer etc etc. ALL CITIES IN THE WORLD SHOULD HAVE A CYCLE CULTURE TO INCREASE PUBLIC COOPERATION. In a car you can swear and should at your fellow human no so much on a bike. Park 10 bike in one car space. Traffic jams = stress and wasted time.
I live in a town in the north of the UK where cycling is still seen as a bit of fun and exercise, but car drivers hate cyclists. I've had to use footpaths to stay safe but then get shouted at by people including those who have parked their cars all over the footpath but see that as OK. It's totally bonkers. Currently I use an electric cargo cycle that has heavy duty panniers (Ortlieb) on the back rack and shop maybe 3 times a week. Cycling is total freedom once you get passed the idiot driver problem.
So Northern Scotland in the end?
I live in the states and always go to the store by bike. Depending on the store it's between 2-4km. It's just so much simpler than having a car. Problems are generally quick and cheap to fix compare to a car. Then assuming no mechanical problems I can get around for free without worrying about gas. All on a dutch bike.
Nice
Right!Thats the way to go..You should take a neighbour or someone you know on that ride to the shop,and let them experience the benefit.
Not sure where in America you lived, but you got balls. In 95% of America, you got to share the road with F-150s , Silverados and RAM. That's basically a death wish.
I lived in Sydney for six months and found cycling there to be even worse than here in The U.K. The majority of drivers I experienced passed too close and were very impatient. They made it very clear that I wasn't welcome on the road with my bike.
I'm German and I just returned from a short trip to Maastricht, Hollland...a real eye opener to what is still missing here in Germany in 2017: an understanding that bike-friendly cities unstead of car-friendly ones will mean an increase in life quality for everybody, cyclists and motorists alike. For the motorists and their children also breathe the polluted air in our urban centers that drives diseases of the respiratory system up. Politics are just too closely connected to economic interests of the car and oil indstry, as the VW-scandal in Germany is clearly revealing right now.
It also better for shopping streets in city centers
I'm an Aussie living in Utrecht NL and most of the time I'm glad I no longer need a car but for the times I do I use a car share program called green wheels like the Go get cars back home. In Sydney I would never live car free but here it's easy
I loved the video such a eye opener ,... i am gonna buy a bike ,..... be kind to mother earth and ride your bike ,.. maybe we could save this planet we call home !
Cool!
Everyone in Australia has to stand up and go to government with the same commitment as you.
Greetings from Breda Netherlands.
It''s cool that the Australian people are open to riding more bike if they're given the opportunity. As a Dutch person it's so easy to feel good about ourselves because we ride our bikes so much compared to other Western countries but it's really only like this because we were lucky enough to have a government who supports and promotes a biking culture. (And our country being flat af certainly helps too) I'm sure I would've ride the car for a short trip to the supermarket and not given it a second thought if I was raised in Australia just like all the Australians interviewed in this video.
I'm in North America and believe me, most of us would bike if it was viable. Our roads are FRIGGIN WIDE and you have another 100 feet of green space on the side, where we could EASILY pave 10-12 feet of bike ways, but our municipal politicians are more concerned with votes and pleasing Unions, meaning we're BROKE. The city of Costa Mesa in CA, had to "Lease out" its own roads to some hedge fund and pay rent on them, to get money to pay pension obligations. Dutch people are BLESSED!!!!
Holanda é o paraíso das bicicletas :-) adorava viver lá! Aqui em Portugal é muito difícil andar de bicicleta, mas uso a minha para ir às compras ;-) e adoooooro ;-)
My mother and brother are in Portugal for a time now, in Olhao, and people there cycle and seem to enjoy it, but it`s true there is nowhere as great as Holland for cyclists. lt is my passion but l can`t cycle like l would like to in the uk, it`s very restricting and the uk " culture" is dead set against cyclists, car drivers hate them and say stupid things like " they don`t pay road tax which was actually abolished !! so you can see the mentality there !!!
Eu gosto Portugal e aprender la lingua mas Holland e melhoras por bicicleta !
Whenever I look at the Netherlands, and see the sea of bicycles I try to picture what that many cars would look like.
I live in 'Hilly' Wales. I'm 73 year's old and DO NOT OWN A CAR. I have an eBike and do all my shopping on it. I see 'car owner's' in my street getting Delivery's from the Supermaket's . "They have car's but get their shopping delivered" ! LOL
Where I only have a bike and DO ALL MY SHOPPING with it. 2 Pannier's, Basket on front & Sterdy shopping bag to sit on rear pannier stand.
Legend
Here in Australia, I cycled a lot, until the compulsory helmets made it (in the tropics) most unpleasant. I left my bicycle at a rubbish dump.
the secret in living long is to cycle its better than car ....cycle good for your whole body . its make your heart muscles veins get stronger to fight germs and keep fat away .it also make your lungs more strong to fight infections away...it also make your mind relax .
Wow , I'm coming over next yr and I just may decide to stay !
Meanwhile in the southern side of north america. People drive to get lunch less than 3 blocks away. 🤔
Lmao my roommate goes to drive thru at fast food place 2 blocks away and wonders why he doesn't lose weight...
Very well done….your video really puts things into perspective. Thank you
Paul this is a great video, I must say in Perth we seem to be slowly getting on with it these days a bit more but progress is slow. I have a $200 reid bike I ride 2-3 times a week to work and back in a full suit, the road bike is just too much effort for a 6km trip.
Thanks Paul, good on you for riding a bike around!
I will take my bike any day to work or grocery shopping as long as weather permitting although I have my cars insured both at the same time.Nothing can be better than riding a bike to work especially when the weather is nice and you're all pumped-up before working.
500 meters is not under 5 km? Aussie meters? And define Australian "freezing" because some wear t-shirts.
It's just Sydney. Once it hits 10C, everyone freaks out lol
I am currently trying to cycle everywhere as I feel better riding my E bike
Here in Bundaberg they are slowly starting to put in more facilities and lanes for cyclists. Not as good as Holland but it is getting better.
It is nearly 2020 and the government is starting to see the benefits for cycling. It's slow but it is getting better!
Good to hear!
‘If you build it they will come’
@Dan Drory It is a shame you can’t cycle due to unsafe roads. You are absolutely right but most people won’t believe you until the changes are made. I feel in many countries they also see cyclists and car-drivers as different people. As if you can not drive a car one day and a bicycle the next 🤣.. And they talk about cycling and car driving as if it’s a battle between the two. And cars win that battle cause cycling is supposed to be less important. However with more cycling infrastructure people will start cycling and that will make roads less congested for cars too. And once more car drivers cycle, their driving becomes safer for cyclists (because they understand them better). It is a win for both.... People only believe it once the changes are made. It takes very brave politicians to make changes. In Ghent in Belgium they recently changed very successfully to a cycle friendly city. A lot of protests beforehand, but now they love it. I hope you can convince enough people in Sydney 💪🏻
Just curious... why do have non Dutch their Saddle so low? Don't you guys know that it is important to have it high enough to avoid knee problems? If you put your heel on the pedal then your leg must be totally straight.
Because then you can't stand on the ground, so you need to (partially) get off your bike every time you stop. You will have no knee problems if you cycle at a pleasant speed, knee problems only occur with high speed racing cyclists who are constantly going over their body's limit. Comfort over speed will get you there in exactly as many kilometers, and with a lot less sweat.
I agree. I also am amazed to see how low their saddles are. Must be very uncomfortable while cycling
@@bramvanduijn8086 I am a regular every day biker to work, shoppings, things like that. I was biking with my saddle low, bought special a bike with a smaller frame so I could reach the ground because of I had my child in a front seat. I got pain in one knee for more than a year ,I could not bench my knee in the morning coming downstairs. The problem slowly disappeared I when started to use my other bike again. It is really important to have the saddle high enough also for every day cyclists. It is no fun to have a knee problem and it can take a long time to heal.
That was the twijnstraat in Utrecht, it is alomost impossible to get there by car.
I live in Denver Colorado and l wished that it was more like this
I agree but cities in the rocky mountains have hill after hill to climb. Most people are just too lazy.
The ride to my local Woolworths and back : Nett Total height change = 98metres; Total dist = 6.8kilometres.
Bad infrastructure makes it worse than it should be ; dist & height would be smaller but there is only one crossing of the train-line ; on a hill further away [and the next crossing is 1.8kilometres down the line].
The crossing is a bridge with barriers at both ends : signs tell me to dismount.
And the shortest/flatest route is still a dog-leg because the only way to get to the train-line is an easement that has steel-barriers at both ends that I have to get off and reverse the bike or lift-over.
So yes , in the round-trip I have to traverse EIGHT barriers [2 x 2 x both-ways].
When I get to Woolworths I have to chance the mindlessly reversed-Cars to reach the bike-rack in the middle that has No-protection to stop cars crushing your bike.
As for distances, it's more complex than this: You have to take into account _all the trips_ people make during their day (about four on average.) Even with NL-grade bike infras, they won't ride their bike to the supermarket 1-2km from their home if, before this, they had to drive from work 10-30km with no good public transit available. They won't 1) park at home and 2) ride their bike to the supermarket: They'll just drive straight and go home.
Peak Oil will hit countrie like OZ or North America even harder because urban sprawl is even worse there than in Europe.
Not much to do with lazyness, and plenty to do with the context.
E-bike
I kinda missed one question.
How many times do Australians do groceries per week?
Because they don’t waste a lot of food per household, compared to other “rich” countries.
My lazy next door neighbour will drive to the shops that are 300 metres down the road! If I can cycle or walk to a destination, I'll always choose that over driving.
wowow @ 6:46, its forbidden to drive a bike on the supermarkt parking space?
I _think_ the sign means inside the supermarket ("on these premises")
In the Netherlands driving a car is a privilage, not a necessity. Even though they filmed inside a busy city centre like Utrecht, virtually all towns and villages have great cycling infrastucture. It's even possible to ride your bike across the entire country on dedicated cyclist roads. It's watching clips like these to make me realise how special my country is on this front. What they didn't mention is the crazy expenses us Dutchies have to make just to own a car in taxes, insurance, petrol price and parking costs. And since we are pretty frugal most of us just prefer going by bike.
I live in Ottawa Canada and ride about 45km each day just on my daily errands. Take a car for 1/2km should get their head examined!
Wow dude, how long does that take you?
I am from Toronto ride my bike 30 every day.
But is true government don't help with bicycle culture.
I moved from Australia to Canada and in comparison Australia's walking/biking infrastructure is great. Last place I lives was Ellenbrook in Perth and it was even better than most parts of Australia. But Australia is still decades behind the Netherlands
Also same with dropping the kids off at school. In Perth it's 4wds galore. And compaints that there's not enough parking
Dutch kids generally go to school on their own from about 7/8 years old. On their bike.
And then they complain it is too dangerous for the kids to walk to school, because of all the cars. If no parents dropped of their kids by car, there would not be cars to be a danger to the kids. When I walked to school no parents drove their kids but the traffic was still quite bad as several factories in the area used the roads past our school with their freight. Now all of those are away from the town and the kids can not walk to school anymore.
In the UK it is similar to Australia, people drive their cars everywhere. I ride my bike mainly for commuting and would use it for shopping if there was an easy way to carry everything. I presume in the Netherlands you purchase shopping in smaller quantities and shop more often, rather than shopping once or twice a week. Cycling is getting better in the UK, but there's a room for much improvement. I would like to know that my children can cycle safely and not end up in a collision with a car. We have some combined pedestrian and bicycle lanes, but pedestrians don't look where they are walking and they are often deafened by the music in their headphones.
Yes Robert, there's a lot we can learn from utility cycling from Holland!
Robert Adlington You might want to look up 'bakfiets'
you can carry up to 6 plastic bags on your handlebar.
UK driving/cycling culture varies a lot by place. In Cambridge it's nearly 30% cycling, middle of London or Bristol 20%, most of the rest of the country: 2%.
The culture is shifting in a pro-bike way, but it's slow; very slow in some places.
I use a bike trailer for weekly shop - it can take a whole trolley-full. It's great, and cost me about 20 quid to build 15 years ago.
l agree and l live in the UK too but l use a carrier bag that l tie securely to the back of the bike, behind the saddle and another bag goes in the front basket. l would get cycle paniers but am concerned that as some cars come too close they could knock them !
Where we live, in Westcliff, it is terrible for bikes, there is one seafront route and another a bit way out but no direct route along the london road for shopping.
l have contacted my local council many times but nothing happens, they just waffle on and on about what might happen, which never materialises and they have the cheek to call out town a bike friendly city, talk about delusional !
You could have avoided the effort to get to Australia, Belgium would have offered the same answers
And many other countries!
true, but I wanted to limit myself to neighbouring countries
@@2ndbaritone Belgium is bike friendly as a guy from the netherlands that now lives in belgium i can confirm that.
So true Belgium might be bike friendly but they do not do their shopping with the bikes like the Dutch
@@papje nope, the Dutch from the border region drive to Belgium to fill up and shop there too. And the Germans fill up and go to the Netherlands to get coffee.
It's freezing? The most stand there with a t-shirt?
ruclips.net/video/IqdtFpVWdjo/видео.html
So it's BS
Amazing video
We have a lot of Dutch Freddy's here that want to ride their bicycle. It works for us. The rest of the world is free to like what they like too. Aussie and NL are hard to compare I think. But yeah, for under 5km, you may save some money to spend on other stuff. Like a brandnew bicycle? Cheers! 😉👍🏻
I think my bike cost maybe 200-300 euro’s. And I’ve had it for 20 years.
In the netherlands the supermarkets are mostly located in the citycenter. I believe thats a policy to keep the cities lively Thats why there is no room for cars. The concequence is that large polluting-diesel-lorries have to drive into the city center to store the supermarket.
Larikoek, there are loads of supermarkets in suburban areas and small towns and villages, and people go there by bike.
They switch to Austrailia.
Me: 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
like this video very much and like to see more thank you
This is a really good video! the more that see it the better!
And you did count the tax, insurance and gas cost in the Australian bit...😏
It's all a flow here! 🙂
I wish NYC was like that ... there are way too much vehicles on the road it's insane. Most people rather take public transportation than owning a vehicle.
I mostly cycle around town, there are a few bike lanes but most motorist don't know or even respect cyclist commuters. As well having bike theft going absurd.
Draken X i live in the netherlands and when i was on vacation in NY i whas like; Where the f are the bike lanes??
Hmm, I though that New York had relatively good bike infrastructure, and improving? I was there in 2010 and cycled from Columbia Uni to Coney Island - there were some pretty nice bike routes round the edges, but a big section with no facilities at all. I guess 'realtively good' in the US is a low bar.
xxwookey For Dutch standards a bike route around the edge is shit.
We expect you are able to (safely!) go anywhere on a bike, often you actually can't get to the old center with a car while you can with a bike.
When you interview netherlands people, they smile, warm, health and looks happy. When i see you interview australian people, they looks so busy and looks not healthy. Maybe cycling make your days is better.
Sorry for my english
Not from the netherlands, but taking my bike instead of driving always makes me feel better and makes a bad day less harsh.
Exercise makes the body release endorphins in your blood, the heroin the body itself makes. People that move their bodies are more happy than those that don't if the rest is the same. And that's just the short term effect on happiness.
In NZ car is king the attitudes of drivers towards cyclists needs to change. Things are improving re: infrastructure with cycle only lanes but it's the behaviour of drivers that is the biggest hurdle.
There's one pretty big difference.Population in the netherlands is not much different then that of australia, but we live in a place about as big as 2/3rd's of the island of tasmania.If everyone had a car here, a lack of parking space would be the least of our problems :)
Our population density in the places where people actually live (the cities in Australia) is not different from Holland....in fact in many areas our density is larger. 99% of Australia is uninhabited.
SilveradoNL and they have no winter. Sorry, but -5 is not a winter.
@@aleksandrmakedonsky4892 I'd like to see you cycle to school/work/shopping center/grocery store with windchill of -15 to -20 degrees Celsius, like the winters we've had the past couple of years.
I'd like to see how they carry what they purchased.
My record is 80 Kg (176 pounds).
Well 2 saddle bags at your rear wheel, 1 basket at your front wheel, several bags hanging from the handle bars, a box placed on the carrier above the rear wheel. All at the same time of course
To put things into perspective: there are also 8,000,000 cars over here in this very small country. Yes, there's a lot of cylcing, but there's also a lot of car driving, and that's what most of these vids don't go into. Many many people waste hours and hours of their lives in traffic jams here too. But look on the bright side, it could have been worse...
Personally, I chose to live close to where I work, so I can commute by bicycle. I do have a car, and I do about 10,000 km anually, but that's mostly for recreational purposes.
Awakening 🤯👍
Great to see that the Aussies also want to cycle of the infrastructure is good.
Cars can help criminals get away. Imagine a criminal on a bike. Less kidnapping
Bikes more human interaction, less depression.
The Australian supermarket looks like it's a more out of town or suburban centre than the Dutch supermarket. Or minimarket? And the people arriving in Australia probably may have travelled several other places too than the city centre Dutch?
Apart from that, I'm in Ireland and I'm going to take my bike tomorrow along with a pretty large bike trailer the 6.5km to my local town with absolutely no bike paths, lanes or any other infrastructure and do a full weeks shopping and come home with between 40-60kg of shopping. Occasionally even more.
It actually will be quicker and easier to take my car but I try to use my bike which also has a variety of racks, bags and baskets for carrying almost anything for the vast majority of all of my local trips within a 10km distance and as often as I can up to 20+ km when it's practical.
Absolutely no lycra used, I ride as I intend to arrive at my destination.
I am from The Netherlands, got a 120€ second hand bike and drive it every day to work, sports, friends and family and short holidays.
the uk are just now talking about not promoting cars on roads which might be a good thing
It's a bit funny complaining about the cold with a palm tree in the background.
Also in the Netherlands they are all speaking a second language. Some inner city supermarkets do have alot of us cyclists in Australia! Or people on public transport! But even those supermarkets provide free parking.
Yes yes one thousand times YES!
The thing is, the shops and Malls are not bicycle friendly. They don't allow bicycles to park there, and lack of Cycling paths that is safe to get there.
The 5 km question doesnt apply its mandatory to have a supermarket within 500m from your house
Mandatory?? How? You can't buy or build a house further than 5km away from a supermarket?
Maybe thats why we are so tall in the netherlands,cause we bike so much..Long legs and long torso is more efficient on the bike..
This doesnt mean that every Duchie goes on the bike to a super.Because there are cheaper supermarkets but they are usually out of town.But if you have to go near anyway everybody goes to THAT supermarket with the car if he can afford it.
The cycling infrastructure in England is just not good enough. Dedicated cycle lanes are quite rare. We are very jealous of the Dutch people where cyclists are first class citizens.
and.... everybody speaks ENGLISH!!! How many Ausies have a second (or even third) language A few
English is their primary language
I went to school in Australia for 3 months and they teach Japanese in highschools.
@@annabelholland From the Dutch? No Dutch of course.
I thought you were in Utrecht. Then I saw the Domtoren which confirmed it.
Indeed, it's the Twijnstraat in Utrecht. Not the average supermarket by the way, since it doesn't even have a parking lot. Supermarkets in suburbs or smaller villages do have a parking lot.
De tering grote letters UTRECHT waren ook een redelijke indicatie
thank you holland bicycle riding
I Healthy fit people not burning fuels..when I park my bike at shop in Brisbane Australia security hassle me..
The Dutch FIRST had a cycling culture, THEN demanded decent infrastructure. If we hadn't had the culture already, the government never would have redesigned Holland to meet future needs. That's not how governments work. If you want this, you gotta start cycling.
T completely agree with you there
Come here and try to cycle in Au. I guarantee once you see a LandCruiser 70 series with a 5 poster bullbar (Google some images) coming up behind you... You will stay off the road for good. Unless you get a 5k bike and join the fearless Lycra crew. I cycle a lot in Syd but dare not to go on the road. Different culture here.
and everybody speaks english, and even a third or fourth language
4:00 I feel your pain!
0:24 Dat is mijn fiets godverredomme
Ha cool!
Tax the car drivers and then build safe cycle paths with the taxes!
No uneven taxes needed (those make people angry and then they dig their heels in).
Build bicycle paths that don't intersect with car roads, reduce car parking at the shops and other destinations, and increase bicylce parking. This means voluntary cycling which always lasts longer.
They say in all European countries people getting fat, except for the Netherlands were they get slimmer. Why should that be?
@Joyce Dekkers eh, no. Those in their twenties live healthier. Maybe take a UN report predicting the state of health for all nations.
what annoys me is when the infrastructure is there governments know fine well people will use it but they don't want to put it in, why ? .
Here in Milton Keynes, the 1970's transport ideal was embodied into the design, with cycleways - which we call Redways, due to the red tarmac topping - linking all areas by traffic free routes incorporating overbridges and underpasses. Alas, with the Tory government's unnecessary austerity taking money away from everything, these have suffered badly of late, with the surfaces battered by years of weather and the signage vandalised, it has become a real disincentive to use them! Its such a shame we can't have the same level of committment here as in Utrecht.
That's right wing politics for you - What! Take money from the rich to spend on cycling! Not here!
In North America, its cause of lobbying
@@thetessellater9163 yes the con party ,fat cats that think about themselves, mostly extinct in my country Scotland thankfully, now if we can just get our country back.
Aussies telling the truth would be "we are fat , lazy and self entitled"
At time : ( 14:40 ) Google Maps = 52.090436, 5.120509 " select and copy it .... "
I really hope Jenna saw this! Edit: 12:18
Franziska Nerlich who’s Jenna?
Paul van Bellen Jenna Marbles (Jenna Mourey), the queen of RUclips! :) There are some cool Hell Yeah compilations from her. At the moment she‘s off the Internet but I’m hoping she’s coming back one day.
Franziska Nerlich ahh ok, why would Jenna like this?
Bikes can cost a lot though.
You made a huge mistake. The Dutch Supermarket was near the City Center of Utrecht. While the Australian one was near the cities outskirts.
You’ll find big parking lots filled with cars in suburbs in the Netherlands too...
You'll find big parking lots in the centre of cities too.
Paul van Bellen Mostly parking garages in the Netherlands, underground.
You're missing the point. Why do you think he asks if they travelled 5 km or less? It's to prove that no matter the distance Australians still prefer the car over the bike because of safety regulations and bike infrastructure
At time 14:04 you are here at Google Maps ... ( 52.089602, 5.117765 )
Use a bike if you can and that should always be up to you, but I live over 20 miles from where I work. There is no train. There is no bus. A car is, for me, a foregone conclusion.
PrivateEyeYiYi If you would ride a bike, you will get your daily exercise. One and a half to and one and a half back. A bit much to do everyday, but twice a week should be possible.
And what do I do the other 3 days, call in sick? That just won't work. I still need a car if I want to keep my job.
@@PrivateEyeYiYi electrify your bicycle!
@@iamalavalamp 20 miles in a car takes me 30 minutes at an average speed of 40mph. That's average, with all stops factored. So at times I'm hitting close to 50mph.
Even very highly engineered electrified bicycles can't match that performance. If they could they would be dangerous because bicycle brakes aren't made for that kind of speed. OK, so you add competent brakes, now what does this thing cost? Might as well get a small motorcycle. Except that it rains here, quite often. Not to mention the winter.
So I'll stick to my car. Bikes are for fun, not basic transportation.
Polarization is never a solution. Yes the Dutch cycle a lot, but I think video's like these are counter productive. The expected target audience (presumably the people at the Australian car park?) are lead to believe that if the video maker had his way, they too would need to do their shopping on a bicycle.
The best way to sway those people is probably to show them the fantastic car infrastructure that we have here, as well as bicycle infrastructure. Stop pretending it's a choice between A and B. We do it both here and exactly THAT is what makes it work.
That's right, they should. No-one should be driving < 2km, unless they really are shifting so much stuff that there is no way it'll go in a bike-trailer or cargo-bike. Those ozzie shoppers even all agreed that they should have come by bike, and would have done if the infrastructure was adequate.
Nonsense, we are free to decide if want to use a bike or a car. People in Australia choose the car, they are used to it and probably a little bit lazy.
This is really biased. In the Netherlands they stood at a grocery shop in a student neighbourhood and spoke to younr people. In Australia they went to a grocery shop and talked to older people. Here there are also lots of people who do their shopping with car, even under 5km.
You stood outside a supermarket in Australia lately Chronisch?
@@windsurfer I don't have to see both sides to say that the Dutch side was biased. Furthermore, you took two completely different age groups, which of course results in different views. Students often can't afford cars, while older people have to do shopping for their entire family for the whole week. (this is hard to do on bike, if you're not a third world country)
Look I like the video and I like the message behind it, but you'll have to agree that it isn't cometely objective?
Ok ok I’ll choose a different Dutch town then. ruclips.net/video/c1xn7lDbw2c/видео.html
@@chronischtelaat The old grey haired lady is a student then? Or the bald guy with glasses?
Deb
The real problem in the Netherlands is wind, due to the flatness of the country there is nowhere for the wind to be stopped so the wind always blows really strong, in fact the amount of wind is comparable to climbing a hill or a mountain without the added benefit of going downhill. Therefore the argument amount a place having hills does not really apply.
It is not fair, the best city in the world, and than compare it to Sydney. Evil it is.
The problem is getting your bike stolen in Aus
Have you ever been to the Netherlands? Bikes get stolen all the time. That's the reason why bikes are double locked and chained to lampposts, bridges etc.
People often lock their bikes to metal bars bolted into walls in Amsterdam, but I've heard several occasions where thieves would just saw the bar off and take the whole lot. Tens of thousands of bikes change owners every year.
@@coenogo Very true. It's mental in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht (maybe other cities as well but I don't want to make assumptions.). On several occasions I've seen that parts of bikes get stolen when they are not properly locked. It's common to see only the frame of a bike locked to bridges (etc.) without wheels, saddles or steers.
The trick is multiple chain locks. There'll always be at least one bicycle that only has a wheel lock or a flimsy "chain"lock that'll be easier and quicker to steal.
Fossil cars should not pollute the towns and city's.
10:39 Thought he had something profound to argue but "we are basically lazy" caught me off guard
Push the government to build bike lanes
i don't see anyone smoking ??
I agree us Australians should be riding more but the public transport system needs to improve in Australia in the big cities before we can do this. Especially the train systems. Also it is a lot more difficult to move 4 million people in Sydney and Melbourne in a vast suburban setting compared to the small population and various towns of the Netherlands. Melbourne has the best opportunity to do this in the future with trams but needs to provide more train lines in and around the city and inner city areas.
I think I may have been born in the wrong country..... wat do?