Biking in The Netherlands

Hey All! 

It’s been hard to find time to blog recently, but I’m back in a cafe, so we should be good! Transitioning to The Netherlands was harder than I had anticipated. It really is a completely different style of biking. Denmark is very rule centered; people stop and wait at red lights even if there’s no one around. From the outside, biking in The Netherlands feels almost rule free; people weave in and out of traffic and ignore traffic signals. This stems from two things, one, the philosophy of finding flow. The Dutch want the streets to be as free-flowing as possible. They rely on the “Dutch Eye Contact” to communicate their intentions on the road; to bike safely, people are continuously looking into the eyes of fellow cyclists. I wonder how this impacts people's perception of closeness to others in their city. 

At first, I struggled to adjust to this way of biking, it felt like it took a lot of mental and social energy (to be fair, I am an introvert and was exhausted when we first arrived). I’m starting to learn how to flow in the chaos and predict where people will go. Thing number two is that if a car hits a bike, it is always always the car's fault. Even if the bike was breaking the law when it got hit, such as running a red light, it is still the car's fault. This leads to drivers who are very cautious around cyclists. Another explanation for why cars are so careful is that they know to expect cyclists (because there are so many). They are also better able to predict how they will behave due to likely cycling themselves.

Another difference from Denmark is how social biking is here. Part of this is facilitated by how wide the cycle paths are. It’s easy to ride abreast and in most places someone can still pass you. There is also a slower cycling culture here, so fewer people try to pass. I experienced how social commuter cycling can be while biking home one night with my friend Anisha. I hadn’t even realized we had gotten home, as I had been so engrossed in our conversation!

It’s common to see a parent biking with a hand on a younger child's shoulder, helping steer them in and out of traffic. Biking with children is one of the greatest ways to teach kids about cycling. There are fewer cargo bikes here, so parents commonly carry children on their racks, or in little seats attached to handlebars. It’s so fun to see a parent on a normal sized bike with two children perched. People also hold onto friends with E-bikes to get boosts, or carry each other on their racks. I never tire of watching how people cycle together, it’s so entertaining. 

Yesterday we toured around with our guide Ronald, a planner here in Utrecht. He explained that there are too many cyclists for the cycle paths so they have more streets where bikes are prioritized. He took us to see the biggest indoor bicycle parking in the world, with 12,500 parking spots! It’s right next to the train station. Part of what makes commuting by bike so easy is the robust public transit network that enables cyclists to get to seemingly any large or small community in The Netherlands. This garage even has a bike mechanic, so you can drop your bike off in the morning, go to work, and pick it up in the evening! Another bike garage opens into the supermarket. Clustering bike parking around necessities makes biking just that much more convenient. 

We ended our tour at a pancake house. These were literally the best pancakes I have ever had, and anything in the States pales in comparison. After gobbling it down, we headed out to the bike coral. I had to wade through thongs of children and elders locking up bikes. Suddenly it all came together. We were 30 minutes from the city, in the middle of the country, and we still had the same accessibility as cars. Here, commuting by bike doesn’t hold you back from experiencing life to the fullest. It is so comfortable and easy to do that even the very young and very old partook in it. Biking home as the sun was setting was magical. We followed the trails and didn’t have to contend with cars till we got to the city's edge. 

I miss you all so much! I cannot wait to come play later this summer! I’ve been a tad homesick recently; traveling is hard! I’m so grateful for these amazing experiences, but I’m getting ready to sleep in my own bed! Love to you all!