Another lesson from the Netherlands; have very flat terrain and mild winters and summers.

@@RandomPlaceHolderName We have rain, frost, some snow and no mountains but lots of wind. mostly headwinds. And ever increasing heatwaves.

@@peter1062 Weirdly, my city gets just as much rain, gets more snow, has colder winters and warmer summers. Pretty much the norm for much of North America but go around the world and try finding places where cycling is as agreeable as the Netherlands, it's very difficult.

@@RandomPlaceHolderName Our main cycle-paths get cleared of snow first thing in the morning. Hundreds of thousands of kids cycle to school every day, no matter the weather. Their parents tell them they're not made of sugar, so toughen up. And I've been on a bicycle in Indonesia, Thailand and the south of Vietnam. No sweat. Well, maybe a little. 😊

@@peter1062 Agreed. It is possible to cycle in any climate. My point was that it isn't realistic to expect most nations to achieve nearly the same cycling adoption rate as the Netherlands simply due to the weather. And for many places, it's just more realistic to plan a city around public transport. And yeah, I wish more workplaces had shower facilities just to make summer cycling that much easier.

Seattle has amazing bike parking infrastructure I believe

They can build underground automated cycle parking in this case.

Superb!

Every bus stop and train station needs places to park and lock bicycles safely.

The Netherlands has blueprints for everything. You just have to have the balls to execute them.

I wonder of they have too many pedestrians walking on the bike path though...

@@idromano Better to have pesky pedestrians in the bike path than no bike path at all.

Just keep bikes on the sidewalk where they belong and off the streets where cars belong. And don’t open up new “bike sidewalks” just put them on the people sidewalk. It’s not that hard to swerve and avoid hitting people on a sidewalk

I don't want to kill a child or dog riding 25 mph on a sidewalk, I'll ride in the street thanks.

yeah, the paint wont save us from cars...

you want bike infrastructure when you havn't even figured out the basics of street design to discourage speeding and cars driving into buildings?

No bikes in america. Think of the commuters, imagine driving 60 miles to downtown on a bike? How would that happen? You can’t super commute efficiently on a bike and also bike lanes steal traffic lanes which are more precious. If they actually took sidewalk space for these bikes I would be fine with it but since they are taking something important and giving it to some rare minority of a commuter group, then it’s not worth it. Also let’s not forget it snows in the US a lot. U can’t ride bikes in the snow dingus. You would freeze to death and bikes are too pathetic to ride in the snow

@@LucasFernandez-fk8se 2 things. 1) people that live 60 miles out of downtown probably wont bike to the city. But if all or most people within 20-30 miles bike it would create a much more pleasant commute for the 60 miles commuter. 2) Cyclist are a minority because use of bikes are currently unsafe to use in most cities. That number has already increased due to Covid and now we should consider accommodating new cyclist. Honestly a win-win, less traffic, less pollution, healthier population, etc.

Easy Going Quick question. How would a city implement a bike friendly city when it is over 100°F/40°C 3 to 4 months out of the year?

@@NewBlueTrue Rio de Janeiro have them.. And we have 35c temperature constantly all year, planting more trees helps the temperature problem as it creates spots of shadow and reduce temperature. But I am no specialist in this

Yeah well said! But roads are getting better and more and more people cycling to work.

As an avid Dutch cyclists seeing cycle videos of London the infrastructure scares the beejezus out of me. Scary points are: 1. A lot, if not most, cycle paths are too narrow. 2. Using bus lanes as cycle lanes. Cheap but dangerous. Definitely not cycle friendly. 3. Wasted and useless painted lines on roads pretending to represent cycle lanes. 4. Cycle infrastructure ending right before you need it at intersections. 5. Ridiculous amount of obstructions. Like road signs on the cycle lanes or blocking visibility on cycle paths and cycle lanes. 6. No plan whatsoever to reduce traffic speeds for automotive traffic within city limits. In other words, a half arsed infrastructure plan. 7. Most cycle lanes and cycle paths are constructed with a total disregard for the infamous "dooring" problem. 8. Overall ridiculous detours for cyclists, despite some through routes, as compared to the ease accomodated for automotive traffic. 9. Ill constructed roundabouts. Or in general, ill constructed intersections. Some subpoints: 10. A lot of road rage between cyclists and drivers. It is a cultural thing, but still ... it does result in some dangerous interactions. 11. No plan or infrastructure for mass cycling parking near offices, schools, railway stations, and the like... 12. No actual commuter bicycles. Everybody (well, most) seem to have a sporty or racing bicycle trying to outrun the automotive traffic.

@@wimahlers As an avid non Dutch cyclist I just can't get over how Dutch cyclists have a "holly cow that can't do no wrong" status. Even vs pedestrians.

@@z00h You said, and I quote you: "As an avid non Dutch cyclist I just can't get over how Dutch cyclists have a "holly cow that can't do no wrong" status. Even vs pedestrians." I have no idea what you mean by that. Can you please explain. Much obliged.

@@wimahlers I wrote it in plain English, it's your job to read it with comprehension. Stop smoking pot, maybe that will help.

When you are in a car you are stuck in traffic in Nairobi.

Did they physically separate the bike lanes from the car lanes in Nairobi?

@@HansVerburg they tried... Some roads were designed well while others need further intervention 😅

I has been two decades since I was last in Nairobi, and I hear that the traffic has gotten terrible. Honestly an extensive bike infrastructure would do wonders to nearly any city, I believe Nairobi would benefit a lot as well. With a well thought out bike network car congestion also lowers considerably and all travel times decrease significantly.

@@lookingforsomething it is true that the traffic has worsened, but I don't think having bike lanes is enough as we don't quite have that cycling culture. Rather, if the City Council were to employ a better mass transit system as well as a cycling network, then this would surely aid in traffic decongestion. Fortunately, such plans are underway

What's the best city for living in the Netherlands in your opinion?

Yeah fellow Dutchie here, couldn't agree more ;) But hey, aparently Amsterdam equals The Netherlands for a lot of foreigners.

@@caiofernando That really depends on your preferences and your budget. Unfortunately housing prices have skyrocketed the last couple of years, I'm guessing mostly in the bigger cities. I myself have lived (or spent a lot of time) in the cities of Delft, Utrecht, Den Haag (The Hague), and Rotterdam. Those cities are all relatively close to one another so I can't really comment on any other cities. Rotterdam is the biggest one out of that list, not only by numbers but also in the way it was rebuilt after WWII. It's known for its modern Architecture which makes it stand out compared to the other cities in the list. It's culturally more diverse and has more of a working class attitude. A bit of a 'harsher' atmosphere for lack of better words. I personally prefer the other cities, for they have retained most of their picturesque city centres and a are a bit more compact. But obviously that comes with a price tag. If you're thinking about moving here, the logical thing to do would obiously be to spend some time here and visit some cities!

Yes absolutely true. Most other cities are way better than Amsterdam. Go see Groningen, Nijmegen, Utrecht....whichever city, they are all better than Amsterdam. And not only the cities, the countryside too. It's the whole of the Netherlands, a country that's unfortunately often equalled to Amsterdam. Which is ridiculous

I was in Amsterdam there are many lanes for bicycles a lot of mopeds take the opportunity to weave in and out of them making it dangerous for bicyclists and even for walkers on the sidewalks.

exactly! Also, exercise helps people's mental state as well as health!

Unfortunately, that ease almost guarantees that it _won't_ happen...at least in America.

Sounds like you there was other issues besides the car there. If you do the same time.

@@MrBashem yes, the problem was every one else with a car 🤣

@@frogery or poor city planners

@@MrBashem Exactly, because car centric planning is poor city planning.

@@shr6482 I don't think most are even planning for roads or they wouldn't do it so badly. Which is why they try fix it by painting over roads. That is the only problem I have with bike lanes.

And if you need to buy something bigger, than you can have a bike for bigger things. It's common in the Netherlands.

I'm over here looking at $400 monthly car insurance, plus gas, up front/mortgage and repair costs; thinking to myself "Why the hell can't we have decent bike lanes?" Seriously, transportation shouldn't have to take up a quarter of your budget

I bike is a electric bike so yha electricity is not out of the equation but I get what you mean.

@@MFTQ What people consider 'bigger things' in Europe probably means small to medium sized in North America. There's a reason why SUV sales in NA are so huge these days because people want the ability to haul large things and lots of stuff on their own which is something bikes can't do even with a trailer.

@@nickgennady electric motors actually have a smaller carbon footprint than human muscles when you compare similar power ratings.

They already are! It’s time to start listening.

Got to make most of the bike paths protected lanes. One option becoming more popular is moving car parking away from the sidewalk and putting the bike lane in that space. That way parked cars protect the bike lane. And it is a very inexpensive change to make.

Soon fossil fuel cars are stopped from using.

Sean Avery’s, former NHL player, whole Instagram is him doing that in New York

haha, cars love using bike lanes for parking, and I love yelling at filthy trogs.

I bet cycle lanes would have no problem when it comes to keeping pot-holes out after the path is built or road is converted because there's a lot less weight and traffic traveling on them

@@Rotated Correct, road wear gets calculated by the _fourth_ power of average vehicle weight. So while trucks cause concrete to want repaving every year or two, the biggest degradation from pure bike and foot traffic would instead come from mere weeds and weathering.

As in a bike being a tenth of the weight. Of a car there is an increase in durability by a factor of 10000?

I live in Atlanta and there is a lot of push back from the trogs that want better lanes for their oversized suvs. Trogs have infinitely more say over what gets done, even when they don't live here, they commute from the outer burbs. You want change make boomers useful by turning them into mulch.

Walking, Cycling, Electric scooter, Electric Bikes, Electric minicars, Electric golf carts.

@LazicStefan are you made out of sugar? Get on that bicycle!

Absoluut! Groeten uit Middelburg!

also, your country's entire economy doesn't implode every time some corporate bigwig decides oil can be a little bit more expensive this week

I have a 10 minute commute one way and it's so refreshing to start your work after some medium intensity exercise. I once lived very close to work and was actually happier when I moved and had a commute again.

I'd agree with you. With that said, I live in a mid size city, and bought an e-bike in the past year. That has easily allowed me to do a 15-20 mile ride (when I was commuting). My commute is short (about 3 miles) but it's actually quicker on the ebike.

Installing bike lanes and reducing infrastructure built around cars is how you reduce urban sprawl.

I mean it's much more complicated in the US to start with due to most american cities being laid out very differently than the european ones, with massive seperated suburban streets in circles and cul de sacs stretching nearly endlessly. I guess the most effective way to put in bicycle systems in such a place would be to place dedicated bike paths cutting through the winding suburban streets and connecting them to places like shopping malls or commercial districts, where they from there could be connected to bike paths leading further into the city or connecting with public transit. But making such bike paths cut through the sprawl will be difficult as the properties are practically fully filled. Plus how much the Americans prioritize their space so even getting these homeowners to allow a bit of their backyard to be taken so a bike path can be laid will be a massive struggle. It could work but at the same time it'll take a miracle.

@@drdewott9154 Nah, I don't think it'll take a miracle. We're already seeing cities all over the country take the first steps. We'll get there, slowly but surely.

DrDewott Unfortunately you're right, maybe I should just leave the US lol

- is coming, we're not there yet

Yeah people in the Netherlands don't really consider themselves cyclists it's just a method of getting around.

Like and share.

@@offwhitemke Absolutely, when I have seen this video has under 1 million views, I got sad. This should be a virial movement right now world wide!

it is a step. We've become very impatient these last decades... Small steps will have to do, in a lot of cases. Stick to it! Don't give up and keep coming up with initiatives. a lot of small steps can equal the giant steps we foresee. We just have to settle, not give up on the small steps. Otherwise, nothing changes.

@@corbeau-_- That's true! I think change is inevitable but one could wish for somethings to change faster. I will still contribute and seek to do more.

@@offwhitemke And comment.

That sucks.

how dare they want to cycle in helmets. You got something against safety bub?

it's ok, they're progressing

@@ILovePancakes24 nah, but forexample here in the netherlands, its so safe to cycle, you legally arent required to wear one.

Come to Canada! Toronto has a decent amount of bike lanes (still could use some work though).

Come to the Netherlands '-))

@@emthegem8141 i live in scarborough and would like to havea word.

@@drfusioncraft ooof i felt that hahaa, the bike lanes that do exist there are like only a foot wide, big sad.

Wrong, not the highway, almost every country needs some form of highway system. Even the Netherlands and Japan. What killed America's dreams is it's extremist zoning laws and culture. The suburbs of America are its downfall in more ways than I can count.

Selling terminals mostly

wait seriously?

Warsaw has wide 3 even 4 lane one direction streets whereas London doesn't even have too many proper 2 lane. London is just too narrow and filled with supply/city infrastructure vehicles. White vans, trucks, delivery or taxis make roads uncomfortable to ride. All of this added to a huge demand on cycling and you have traffic jams on bikes lanes during rush hours. City built major superhighways which are similar to the ones in Sevilla but of course more needs to be done.

The ideal safe bicycle infrastructure is it's own system separate from cars. meaning you can get to places in two ways and never have to cross paths with the other commuters.

@@latenightthinker4737 that's not really realistic, and not necessary. While cyclists should be offered routes that cars can't take, particularly shorter routes that might go through parks or extend dead end roads, well designed protected bike lanes, and priority considerations at crossings means bikes can happily travel the same routes vehicles do.

Yeah more important than pedestrian ..... typical Cyclist greedy mentality.

problem is that american cities got unbuilt from pedestrian traffic to car centric traffic. So even if you did take away those streets, the car users will just have more traffic. And also American cities were rezoned to put places people live far away from places they want to shop in.

American cities were not built for cars. They were bulldozed in the 20th century to make room for cars.

well that depends. It might just be 3 times more expensive to build cycling lanes in cities like London

Was completely expecting this comment to turn negative. Turned out to be 3x as positive!!

North America seems to generally be even more car-centric than the car-centric European countries. Because of that, it's quite possible that Canada's comparison involved higher-quality highways, lower-quality cycle lanes, or both - and that that explains the difference in cost proportion.

North American car lanes are wider than car lanes in Europe, most of their cars are wider than what you would see in Europe anyways and bigger cars are usually heavier, and North American highways might also have more lanes compared to European highways? Going to guess it all depends on what they compare to what in the end.

To be fair, I thought all the things said in the report were all very much on point, I'm saying as someone with an interest for mobility issues and who has ridren a bike his whole life in Belgium.

So?

Humans are the same wherever you go. Some countries mitigate this by building decent separate infrastructure for different modes, so it doesn't make any difference if drivers are inconsiderate or not.

Obligatory bell in Germany is actually great. I visited Hannover from the US (where people rarely use bells), and passing and communicating with riders/pedestrians is so much easier. I think the vulnerability of bikes is a bit misleading, since bikes are very vulnerable to crashes with CARS, which is usually caused by infrastructure/driver error. Removing cars and offering training in cycling safety would go a long way towards making bikes less vulnerable.

Compulsory helmet laws are a bad idea as they reduce cycling trips. When Australian states took that route, cyclist numbers reduced (especially among children), while road deaths & injuries remained the same. Cyclists with or without helmets live longer than the general population, so the fact there where fewer cyclist had a negative effect on the countries obesity, heart attack rates etc. without reducing the number road accident victims.

You need to have a bell in the Netherlands as well, that much I agree with.

Yeah, and coming home or at work relaxed and not annoyed at the world can't be measured in $$$.

69 likes😀

And yet the US government spends more per capita on healthcare than the UK government...

typically you just say "on your left" or something and the person in front of you will let you pass

@@latenightthinker4737 you don't honk your horn at every car you pass nor should you have to do the same for bikes, especially in places with lots of people.

@@Shrouded_reaper right, and that's why in cities that have high bicycle traffic it's already a thing to have the passing lane on the left side and if someone on the left side is someone you want to pass you say "on your left" simple

The thing especially in a more dense situation is, that it's cars, not bikes, that waste the existing space. Take the streets from the wasters.

@@eiypo there is no winning that fight. We can't even prevent police brutality and bias, convincing the real monsters that are politicians is a losing battle. It doesn't stand to profit any of them.

Ironically southern California was the site of the first bike highway but it was abandoned after the car became king in America.

@@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 yikes

East Anglia is flat. it should be a cycling paradise on a par with the Netherlands just over the water.

Tell them to vacation in the Netherlands

Maybe think of how many people are afraid of heights? And certainly think about how you build bicyclebridges. This is why there are many tunnels instead by the way.