Hi everyone,
For my final project for the bike study abroad class I chose to research cycling for kids in the Netherlands and Denmark. Before this trip, I had no idea how many kids and families cycle around Danish and Dutch cities. Growing up in a car dominant American neighborhood, I was driven to school every morning, or I took the bus. Needless to say, I was extremely surprised to see so many kids off biking on their own, especially in busy cities like Utrecht and Amsterdam. This topic is important to me because I want to work more on bike education in the future, as I’m passionate about cycling and love working with kids.
So how did these two countries create a cycle culture that’s so bike friendly? Firstly, both countries prioritize traffic safety education for children. This starts at a young age. For example, in Copenhagen, we visited the traffic playground and kids from as young as two can learn the rules of the road and practice biking there. In the Netherlands, bike safety for kids expanded in the 1970s after their “Stop Murdering Children” campaign. This campaign was created because of record number of car deaths, especially for children. It led to infrastructure changes such as more separated bike lanes and reduced speed limits for cars. For education, the Netherlands also has traffic safety exams that children have to take at around age 12. This exam has a knowledge based part as well as a practical test where the kids go out, bike, and practice their hand signals.
So why biking? Well firstly, in the Netherlands, children are much happier and healthier than in many other countries. Obesity levels are also lower. This might not fully be because of biking, but I’m sure that it is a large contributing factor. Kids are moving a lot, have a lot more independence, and are doing something that’s great for the environment by walking or biking to school. It also gives mothers who would normally spend time transporting their kids to and from school more free time by allowing their kids to go off on their own.
Altogether, it’s nice to see two different countries with a large bike culture that focuses on teaching kids to bike and prioritizing traffic safety lessons from a young age. This way, biking comes as a second nature to these kids and akin to walking down the street. If we could replicate this in America, then more kids would be able to get outside, have increased independence, and feel safer when biking for transportation.
Below is a photo of the traffic garden in Copenhagen (photo from Copenhagen architecture)
