With an early wake up today, we walked to the train station to travel to the Copenhagen airport and catch a plane to Amsterdam. I even noticed a bike parked on the tarmac – perhaps a new inter-gate travel system is in order? Someone mentioned that this trip has been the longest time they have ever spent not riding in a car. That got me thinking about my own experience and while a very different environment, I think I went up to a month without getting in a car while living in Alta my first year. The only transport I utilized at that time were chair lifts!
Arriving in Amsterdam, we hopped on the train to Utrecht, and walked to our hotel. The free flowing bike travel is apparent immediately, and initially felt like having to look so many different directions!
After some time to grab lunch, pick up our bikes, and get settled, we had a brief meeting with Ronald, who works in transportation planning for the city of Utrecht. Ronald briefly mentioned that the free flowing system and use of public space for biking here is more conducive to high volumes of cyclists than the more rigid model in Copenhagen. Some of us elected to “follow” Ronald to get in the swing of biking here. I quickly learned that you yield to the person to your right and should also be decisive with your movements. I also learned that few people signal and that some stop lights are slightly optional.
When Ronald left us I split up from the group, electing to meander back and pop into shops along the way. I found a nice poke spot for a solo dinner before making it back to the hostel *almost* without a map.
While the cities we’ve visited are all unique, it’s hard not to compare. With that in mind, while I loved the utopia that Copenhagen feels like, I am very excited to learn about bicycle infrastructure in a more diverse community.