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Top 5 Insights on Why Dutch Biking Works

The five main insights on why Dutch biking is the gold standard for sustainable bicycle design were a combination of behavior and design. The five things I believe make Dutch biking work are:

  • Ontvlechten

  • Experiment and failure

  • The interconnectedness of transit systems

  • Behavior by design

  • Social cohesion and non-verbal communication

The disentanglement of bike routes and car routes is my favorite part of Dutch design. Biking when you know that the road is either car-free or very limited access is so reassuring and allows for more social biking and biking among people of different ages and abilities. I’ve noticed this is a cornerstone of Dutch design, especially when compared to the Copenhagen system. Utrecht has the best examples of Ontvlechten compared to Amsterdam and Nijmegen which is why I found it the most low-stress of the places we visited in the Netherlands. 

Many of the planners we met with showed us various planning projects they considered failures or experimental plans they had and the things they would change if they did it again. I think this is essential in a field that is serving an everchanging and unique populace. Understanding failures and how they can be altered to fit a new or different function shows adaptability, which is the core behind why I chose to experiment and failure as important insights.

The interconnectedness of transit systems was highlighted primarily by Meredith and I noticed its importance in how the entire Dutch transit system is designed. The Ovifiets system and special cars for bikes show that cycling and transit of cyclists are considered in all levels of transit design.

Behavior by design is one of my favorite things about Dutch infrastructure. I loved learning more subtle but effective design methods used in Amsterdam, Nijmegen, and Utrecht, such as a bump before an intersection if you have to yield or arrows on the ground to indicate right-of-way. 

Social cohesion and non-verbal communication are something I have mentioned before and were most obvious when observing the Alexandersplein intersection in Amsterdam. This was a microexample of how subtle eye contact, hand signals, and speed changes allow for Dutch cycling to exist at the volume it does. Ronald also pointed out the importance of communication and trust between all transit users, bikers, cyclists, and pedestrians.


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