The Netherlands seems like a more civilised country

[ComedyPilot]

From what I have heard it is not quite the utopia it is made out to be. In some places (e.g. rural A roads) cyclists are banned from the road and have to use the facilities, which means if you want to cycle quickly then you can't since you end up slowed down by the slower cyclists.

From what I have 'experienced' rural A roads are well equiped with wide paths, and there's plenty of room to get by - some roads even have a bike path on either side. Use the slowing down bit as part of interval training, and then sprint back up to speed.



'rural A road' bike path

 

[ComedyPilot]

I fear that at my sedate pace- I'll be the one slowing the rest up!

My average speed was around 12-15mph for my time in the Netherlands - quite quick for a fully loaded tourer.

10mph all day is more than fast enough - what's the hurry?

 

[snorri]

In some places (e.g. rural A roads) cyclists are banned from the road and have to use the facilities, which means if you want to cycle quickly then you can't since you end up slowed down by the slower cyclists.

There is more disciplined use of the cycle paths, you don't get slower cyclists meandering all over the path as in the UK, so slower cyclists are easily overtaken.

 

[psmiffy]

There is more disciplined use of the cycle paths, you don't get slower cyclists meandering all over the path as in the UK, so slower cyclists are easily overtaken.

and outside of the towns there a generally not that many cyclists to get in the way

 

[punkedmonkey]

Dutch love the cycling it's quite a lot more of a way of life it seems. They also tend to think a bit more about there cycle lanes than our authorities do -
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBwMRGxtZ9k


In other news... I want our police to be like the Danish ones - http://boingboing.net/2009/04/28/police-in-denmark-hu.html

 

[delport]

The question is when did they begin building?
If it started off 50 years ago for example [ which i think is feasible] other countries have a long way to go before they even come close to the Dutch experience.

I've been to Holland many times.Nice country.
Politics is going downhill there, extreme right wing gaining a foothold.Not a place i'd want to live.It was an enjoyable country to go to a few years ago, i'm not sure i'd want to return there nowadays.

I have no time for the extreme right wing nationalists, and never have.
To think this is the country of Anne Frank, which was temporarily ruined by fascism in the 1940s.People never learn the history of the past it seems.

Holland of old was a role model for the world.
They had recycling over there since the 70s or 60s i think.

Sorry that this is a very political statement, but what is happening in Holland at the moment really angers me.

 

[david1701]

I think I might be riding out there next summer

 

[slowmotion]

Thanks for the tip. That's the boat I'm aiming for- was wondering about the bike esp. if the crossing's rough.

Don't worry about the bike in the slightest. The racks on the Dutch ferry have hooks that you hang the handlebars from while the back wheel stays on the deck. The problem is that sometimes the bars are too big and/or the brake cables get in the way so that the bars are not securely in the hooks. You just tie them in place with your straps or pieces of cord.

Sorted.

 

[Glow worm]

Don't worry about the bike in the slightest. The racks on the Dutch ferry have hooks that you hang the handlebars from while the back wheel stays on the deck. The problem is that sometimes the bars are too big and/or the brake cables get in the way so that the bars are not securely in the hooks. You just tie them in place with your straps or pieces of cord.

Sorted.

Nice one - thanks. I'll bring some bungee cords.

 

[Glow worm]

My average speed was around 12-15mph for my time in the Netherlands - quite quick for a fully loaded tourer.

10mph all day is more than fast enough - what's the hurry?

Yes that's pretty much my cycling philosophy. Everything else in life seems to happen at such a pace, it's nice to be able to at least do one thing slowly! I hope to get to Amsterdam in 6 or 7 hours (50 miles from ferry) but if it takes longer, so be it. That should be the fun bit- the 60 miles or so from here to Harwich'll probably be horrendous.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

The question is when did they begin building?
If it started off 50 years ago for example [ which i think is feasible] other countries have a long way to go before they even come close to the Dutch experience.

Well, it goes back much farther than that:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrqG0DqkSlw

 

[Bikeabit]

This is a report on government cycling policy in Netherlands and helps explain why approx 26% journeys are made by bike compared to 2% here. They basically spend loads of cash in a very joined up way and with a long term consistent transport plan.

http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/CyclingintheNetherlands2009.pdf

Interestingly, car ownership relative to population is almost identical to the UK and their road net work is excellent and well maintained (as seems all of Western Europe). Combine this with a sophisticated, modern, high quality, affordable and coordinated public transport system and I get a sense of being from the 'third world' (however, having been to some parts of the so called third world I am not sure we can always match them for transport!).

In terms of transport just spend a fortnight in Netherlands and then wait for your heart to sink when you get off the ferry in Harwich.

 

[ComedyPilot]

This is a report on government cycling policy in Netherlands and helps explain why approx 26% journeys are made by bike compared to 2% here. They basically spend loads of cash in a very joined up way and with a long term consistent transport plan.

http://www.fietsbera...erlands2009.pdf

Interestingly, car ownership relative to population is almost identical to the UK and their road net work is excellent and well maintained (as seems all of Western Europe). Combine this with a sophisticated, modern, high quality, affordable and coordinated public transport system and I get a sense of being from the 'third world' (however, having been to some parts of the so called third world I am not sure we can always match them for transport!).

In terms of transport just spend a fortnight in Netherlands and then wait for your heart to sink when you get off the ferry in Harwich.

That's exactly how I felt getting off the ferry in Hull last May after 10 days in the Netherlands. Thay have that infrastructure paid for by a taxable population of 14 million people. We have almost 60 million on this island, and still don't have the money to do it?

I want to know why.

 

[delport]

In terms of transport just spend a fortnight in Netherlands and then wait for your heart to sink when you get off the ferry in Harwich.

And they use double decker trains for commuters, passengers sit at the top level and the bottom level, doubling the capacity of a train carriage.

Train fares are quite low too.

 

[Bikeabit]

They are prepared to spend 10 million Euro on a short distance of recreational cycle path. This will run parallel to an existing cycle route!

http://www.denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/Green-light-for-new-cycle-path-in-dunes.htm

I wonder how this compares with the entire annual spend on cycle paths in England & Wales? Does anybody have any figures ( My friend ' google' has not been able to help)?