Holland

Holland

Most people will already be aware that Holland is a cyclist’s paradise, or almost so.  So it should not be necessary to announce that fact, but does anyone who hasn’t already experienced Holland and its cycling environment really understand what that really means?

This is a cycleway.  It is smooth, and wide.  A dual carriageway(road) is on the right.  

A steady gradient takes the cyclist safely over a busy main road, and then on into the town of Utrecht.

And it continues in this fashion (with a busy main road, completely separated on the right).   The footway, on the left, is separated by a kerb.

It is not always quite so brilliant as this, but plenty of it is. Holland is a crowded (densely populated country), slightly more so than England is; so how can they manage to provide so well for cyclists, and we don’t seem to be able to?

                                           

and if we are going to have a dual carriageway, why not run a cycleway down the middle, shaded by trees?   Actually these examples are in Belgium.     

Have a look at ‘a view from the cyclepath’  or: “bicycle rushhour (Netherlands) 2011” on U Tube, and associated films.     You might notice that among those hundreds of cyclists, there is not an obese one among them.

The underground secure bicycle car-park in Alkmaar has places for 7000 bicycles. 

Ah well!