How do the Dutch get so many cycling?
Commitment from all levels of government, resulting in:
- Infrastructure, mainly physically protected bike paths,
- Laws putting the onus on motor vehicle drivers
- Education and training (of both drivers and cyclists)
Of recent years, blogs written by residents of the Netherlands (and Copenhagen) have educated many in the English-speaking world.
We recommend:
- David Hembrow: A View from the Cycle Path
- Mark Wagenbuur: Bicycle Dutch
- Mikael Colville: Copenhagenize
I like the idea behind the two-ring roundabouts in The Netherlands. One was tried in London but they didn’t allow a full car-length between the inner ring (cars) and the outer ring (bikes). This meant that when a single car had to give way to a bike, the entire car ring came to a halt. In Australia, it might even be necessary to allow two car-lengths between the inner and outer rings. This would make for an enormous roundabout, which would never be built.
Also, the Danish intersections are far safer than what we are using in Australia. In fact, we are now using intersections that the Danes abandoned a decade ago because they are dangerous.
If you want some more visuals of what Dutch cycling is really all about I can also recommend the videos on Youtube of markenlei.