A couple of other factors; I don't think the Netherlands has ever had more than a tiny car or oil industry.
Royal Dutch Shell?
Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
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Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#12A couple of other factors; I don't think the Netherlands has ever had more than a tiny car or oil industry.
Oh, they had a big oil industry. So much so that the term "Dutch disease" refers to what happens when oil dominates an economy.
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#13Southeast Asia is heavy on bikes, and used to be more so than now, and they didn't have infrastructure or culture --it was need. Japan is heavy into bikes too, and there aren't dedicated lanes, not that I'd object, but it's not necessary to make it popular.
The one thing in Japan, where accidents aren't as regular as in southeast Asia, is that both bikes and cars obey traffic signals --I think that helps a lot. Also many, many streets ate narrow, so everyone slows down, and aside from bosozuku, you don't have people going 40km/h down streets.
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#14A couple of other factors; I don't think the Netherlands has ever had more than a tiny car or oil industry.
First two words in Royal Dutch Shell :) Car industry true, although in earlier days Daf (inventor of the automatic transmission) comes to mind.
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#15Bicycles are an amazing transportation tool. Why are they so unpopular everywhere else?
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#16Why wouldn't it be? It's faster than the tram; a bike is cheap and cycling is free; its way easier to park than a car; its healthy; there are cycle paths everywhere (inside and between cities); and everyone else does it, so you usually have company.
The cycle paths aren't there by accident, they represent a decades of investment cycling.
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#17Bicycles are an amazing transportation tool. Why are they so unpopular everywhere else?
When you're 500lbs, cycling becomes a less viable/desirable option.
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#18A couple of other factors; I don't think the Netherlands has ever had more than a tiny car or oil industry.
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Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#19One thing the article doesn't mention is how long the bicycle trips are. Surely the relative compactness of their cities are a major contributing factor! I live in America and commute on my bicycle almost every day. For me the biggest obstacle isn't the hills (which there are plenty of) or even sharing the road with cars (which is admittedly extremely unpleasant) but the fact that in the quasi-suburban area in which…
what would be the kind of distance you're talking about? When growing up in the Netherlands it was common for kids from my town to cycle 20 km every day going to school.
Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?
#20Aren't cars really expensive to purchase in the Netherlands? Also, pushing biking at the expense of cars certainly helps. People in the US would go nuts if the Government starting reducing car lanes to install dedicated bike lanes.