Streets are for Bikes…and Sometimes Cars

Is the Netherlands a cycling heaven?

In the Haag, and many places in the Netherlands, streets are not expressly for cars, with bikes permitted and pedestrians banished to the sidewalks like the United States and other places I’ve visited. In a uniquely Dutch way, streets are dominated by the bicycle, with cars being somewhat of an afterthought. Here there is more bike parking than car parking, more multilevel bike parking structures than the carparks so frequent in the U.S.

Walking down the street in The Haag, there are many streets so narrow that cars were barely present. Bikes were all around, and faster than both walking and driving.

Cycling here is a way of life. Why drive when a bike is so much faster and easier? Why deal with parking a car when bike parking is more convenient? For anything longer than a quick ride, why take a car when the train is easier and less expensive than gas?

Bikes all have locks on that connect the frame to the rear wheel. It is quick and simple. No fancy Kryptonite New York lock required. The bikes are not fancy, but functional. Road bikes are a common site for exercise, but not the norm. Your standard street bike is all it takes to get around here.

For kids and groceries, utility bikes are commonplace. These are bikes that have a large bed or compartment in front of the rider, behind the front wheel. It may look unstable, but the Dutch are used to riding on two wheels.

The Netherlands is almost entirely flat. The hills go from sea-level to below sea level, behind the protection of the many dikes and seawalls. The weather is mild, however even in the rain the Dutch are resilient. They seem to never pass up an opportunity for bike or train over a car. Perhaps this is a stereotype, but it is hard to deny when, in downtown areas and even in the country, bikes are such a common sight.