Cycling Utopia?

[icowden]

New episode of Fully Charged focusing on cycling:-

https://fullycharged.show/episodes/utrecht-bikes-a-fully-charged-city-built-around-bicycles/

They will also be looking at the motoring infrastructure and how EVs fit into the picture.
Worth a watch IMHO.

 

[Oldhippy]

Long past time when we should have been doing this for years.

 

[wafter]

Yes, I've been there a couple of times and were I able I'd move there in a heartbeat - such a fantastic place and the equality present in the transport system feels very much indicitive of that present in wider society.. unlike here where it increasingly seems like everyone for themselves while our toff overlords screw us all and the country as a whole slips beneath the waterline

 

[mjr]

Long past time when we should have been doing this for years.

Never too late to make a start, though!

 

[Oldhippy]

I agree entirely. I did write a long piece on what a fantastic place my old could be given a few changes and sent it to every councillor at the local authority. Got a few lip service replies but nothing substantial sadly.

 

[mjr]

Yes, I've been there a couple of times and were I able I'd move there in a heartbeat - such a fantastic place and the equality present in the transport system feels very much indicitive of that present in wider society.. unlike here where it increasingly seems like everyone for themselves while our toff overlords screw us all and the country as a whole slips beneath the waterline

Do not worry: they have plenty of politicians who look enviously at the money some of our politicians make and push to reform the Netherlands government to be more British(!)

 

[Slick]

I cycled to Utrecht with Mrs Slick a couple of years ago and whilst most normal people were admiring the normal tourist attractions, I was agog at the sheer amount of people on bikes on amazing infrastructure and I think that was the first time I'd seen a multi story bike park in the town centre and that cracking underground bike park under the train station. Definitely need to do that again sometime.

 

[IaninSheffield]

I follow a blog, Bicycle Dutch, whose author works in Utrecht, and am regularly green with envy at many of the infrastructure developments and cycling experiences he describes.
For example, one recent article "Why did Utrecht open yet another giant underground bicycle parking garage?" [my bold]
'yet another'! 'yet another'! Most of us would be ecstatic to have the option of using one 900 space cycle park!

View: https://youtu.be/5v1I7oggRR8

 

[HobbesOnTour]

What you see in NL is the result of decades of work. There was war in the early years when car access was limited or restricted.

Population density helps a lot in terms of return on investment and practicality of using the bike for short trips.

The flip side is that cyclists are Policed just as well as drivers with regular controls and on the spot fines for no lights as an example.

The Political system too is more stable with less swinging from one side to another. Local government has a lot of power. Progress can be slow at times but it is consistent and thinking is relatively joined up.

The expression used to describe Dutch politics is "The Polder Model", basically governing by consensus and compromise. Rather than bash the opponent the focus is on promoting the advantages of "my" policy.
It may be slow and cumbersome at times but history proves that NL punches well above its weight in all kinds of areas.

The infrastructure that you see is just the tip of the iceberg of the process, so to speak