Welcome
For our first assignment, I watched various YouTube or Vimeo videos about bicycle transportation on the Netherlands and Denmark. I began my assignment by searching up every city we will be visiting and just the word… biking. I found A TON of vides and after watching many, narrowed it down to 11 videos in total (most were pretty short). I compiled all my notes and began writing a reflection. Here is a summary of my initial findings, thoughts, and a list of questions I hope to keep in mind as I begin my journey in the Netherlands and Denmark!
Insights
Biking Reimagined:
The first video I noticed truly displayed biking reimagined; Denmark and the Netherlands prove that thinking new about bikes can allow anything to be possible on bikes. Just 40% of people own cars and 9/10 people own a bike. In one video, I saw cargo bikes which were being used to carry just about anything from groceries to children. Throughout all the videos, citizens mention it is common and easy to bike in any clothing. It is also free and common to take bikes with you on public transport, making it easier to go farther distances. Bicycles are made for multiple people or easy for kids to come aboard.
Bicycle Culture:
Bike culture is truly just vastly different in the Netherlands and Denmark. It is a way of life in these countries. One person being interviewed in a video explains biking is not just for silly, nerdy, hippie, or sporty people, but for everyone. Many mentioned in the videos that it is an extra perk that they are getting exercise while also efficiently getting around, increasing health and overall life expectancy. There is truly a love for bicycling and the culture which surrounds it; The transportation policy changes that made it possible were due to public support and protest. Cities are built for cyclists and especially in residential areas, roads are built for cars to be guests, not bikes. Many of these cities have continued goals and new ideas for how to continue to expand and make bicycle infrastructure better, which is truly inspiring. Bicycling promotes friendly and happy cities and creates an environment perfect for commerce, community, and social interaction.
Bicycle Infrastructure:
There was a lot of interesting infrastructure seen in the bicycle videos. The first major infrastructure I saw in these videos were bike paths and cycle lanes. There are many types of cycling lanes and paths. There are bike lanes which are separated from cars via barriers with greenery or trees on higher speed roads and unprotected ones still with a significant amount of room for lower speed roads. Something very interesting to me, which seemed to be universal across all the cities seen in these videos, was that cars are banned from the large city centers and are bike only areas. I also saw interesting lighting designs for bike paths and lanes and specific stoplights for bikers to use. Another infrastructure development that I saw in videos of multiple cities were large and intricate bike parking lots and spaces. Cycling is increasingly becoming integrated into buildings as well.
Bicycle Design:
The design of bicycles themselves is vastly different in these countries than in America or Canada. There is a bike called the grandma bicycle, which is most common in the Netherlands. This bike has an upright comfortable sitting position, which allows for ease in riding and flexibility in clothing choice. There are higher handlebars to avoid having to hunch over and increase visibility. Instead of a crossbar in front of the bike seat, there is a step through frame so riders can mount their bike without having to swing their leg all the way over the bike. Many bikes have a skirt and coat guard to prevent longer clothing from getting caught along with chain guards for a cleaner look. There are also simple frame locks which hold the key during the bike ride and make it easier to lock the frame when you need to park your bike. Many choose to use chain locks as well instead of U-locks, which are more difficult to use when riders need to park bikes closer together. Many bicycles do not have hand brakes or gears as many of these cities are flat and maintenance must happen less often. Bicycles in these cities are built to last, not for speed or sport and have a focus on efficiency and comfort.
Questions
How did bike only bridges come about? How difficult was it to convince local authorities and planners to put in a bike only bridge or street as this seems like a big project and ask?
How did helmets disappear from cycling culture in these countries?
Are other European countries making similar progress?
When and how was the red and blue asphalt added to cycling lanes?
Something I noticed which may concern me is that bike lanes seem to be crowded and it seems difficult to pass people or easy to crash into others?
How to the development of bicycle infrastructure and public transport go hand in hand?
How can we get these less athletic, more practical bicycle designs to expand into the US?
How common are bi-directional cycling lanes?
What are some new ideas to continue to incorporate cycling into buildings?
How is cycling integrated into college students’ lives and journeys to campus (I could not find as many videos about this)?
What is the price of bikes in these places where they are more common, as here in the U.S. a trustworthy bike can get expensive?
Links to the Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0SEpVo33AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Url1pt8NgEo
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/how-the-dutch-got-their-cycling-infrastructure/
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/cycle-lanes-in-the-netherlands/
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2018/01/02/dutch-cycling-figures/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESqrP3hfi8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Boi0XEm9-4E
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/utrecht-improved-a-cycle-route-to-the-university/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN8noxNpv3E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZDsRH3g0q0
Thank you for your time reading my initial insights, thoughts, and questions! I hope you enjoyed and I look forward to talking with y’all more soon! I would love to hear any initial thoughts or questions any of you readers have about the biking infrastructure, planning, and culture or just comments on mine! Let me know as I would love more things to think about and incorporate into my future posts!
Yours,
Macy