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A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

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Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#301

Post by lawaaiig »

r00fus wrote: post #253
mp05 wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are bigger, heavier, faster and more powerful (thanks to burning fossil fuels) Or perhaps thanks to a DC motor and a battery? Not sure exactly why you’re singling out ICEs in this point you’re making. Would be curious to know if there is some particular reason? I’d argue EVs are more powerful on average, if not the staggering majority of cases.

EVs are much safer - they both accelerate and decelerate faster and most EVs have regen braking by default - this means a) they get up to speed quickly b) drivers aren't worried about slowing because they can get back up to speed much faster c) as soon as the foot comes off the pedal the car start decelerating immediately. This makes for a more chill ride - I'm much more aware in EVs than I am in my remaining ICE veh…

EVs most definitely do not decelerate faster. Their increased weight leads to decreased braking capabilities, which, combined with their faster acceleration, makes them potentially harder to control and more deadly in collisions due to the greater force of impact.

The regenerative braking force is generally much stronger than engine braking in ICE vehicles, as long as the battery isn't full.

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#302

Post by eru »

vanderZwan wrote: post #79
eru wrote: post #70

I love the Netherlands, and not just for their livable street design, I just wish they food weren't so bland. They make even German cuisine look adventurous in comparison.

As a Dutch person... this is sadly not just 100% accurate, it's almost part of our culture by now, hahaha. For example, in Gerard Reve's "De Avonden" ("The Evenings", a literary classic in the Netherlands from 1947) the daily bland dinners are described like a recurring cynical joke. Apparently World War 2 is to blame for the shift in food culture. Somehow we never recovered from that. I think we just internalized th…

From what I've heard, people also blame Britain's modern bland food on WW2. I wonder why Belgium (and France and Germany etc) didn't suffer as much long term damage to their cuisine?

Stroopwafels are ok in small amounts. The Pannenkoeken are great, but pretty much the same experience as what I ate growing up in Germany, so they are practically 'invisible' to me.

> [...] focus on getting good food from other cultures [...]

That's a good coping mechanism, yes. But alas, even the Indian and Cantonese food I had in the Netherlands was comparatively bland: adapted to the local tastes.

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#303

Post by eru »

misja111 wrote: post #123
eru wrote: post #70

I love the Netherlands, and not just for their livable street design, I just wish they food weren't so bland. They make even German cuisine look adventurous in comparison.

This is true. I can recommend the Indonesian and Surinam restaurants, both are former colonies so many people from there moved to NL. Their food is much better, the Dutch like it so much that you could almost call them part of Dutch culture.

I live in Singapore these days, and nearby Indonesia has great food. I just wish the Dutch would have taken more lessons from them, when they colonised around here.

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#304

Post by eru »

switch007 wrote: post #125
eru wrote: post #70

I love the Netherlands, and not just for their livable street design, I just wish they food weren't so bland. They make even German cuisine look adventurous in comparison.

I admire it to an extent in that it is a part of their healthy culture. I think they take it a bit far though But being more like the Italians or French in terms of food would mean being more like the Italians or French...

That's why I was saying that even German food is adventurous in comparison. (Old-fashioned English food from before the 20th century is also good.)

> But being more like the Italians or French in terms of food would mean being more like the Italians or French...

Singapore shows that you can combine amazing cuisine and a culture of efficiency.

Flanders also has much better food than the Netherlands, and is otherwise fairly similar (to an outsider that is, I'm sure the locals will find plenty to disagree about).

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#305

Post by eru »

vanderZwan wrote: post #236
osener wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really wish this tired cliché would disappear, and I say this as someone who has emigrated from a country renowned for its cuisine. Dutch supermarkets offer an impressive variety of products, and there’s no shortage of specialty or “ethnic” shops where you can find virtually any ingredient for any type of cooking. Major cities are brimming with restaurants serving world cuisines, and people with diverse dietary res…

Food in general in the Netherlands is fine. If we're talking about Dutch cuisine, even us Dutch people complain about how terrible it is.

Even the 'foreign' food is adapted to Dutch tastes and considerably toned down. That being said, it's perhaps better than the Dutch cuisine (though more disappointing, because I had expected better from eg the Indian restaurants, whereas I had no great expectations of the Dutch cuisine).

Local produce is fine, too. They export some great fruit and veggies and cheeses to the rest of the world, too.

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#306

Post by hhhAndrew »

dr_dshiv wrote: post #292
emn13 wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might interpret that clearly true statement in two different ways: - That it's not feasible to incorporate this style of traffic design elsewhere since cultures differ - That we need to consider how traffic engineering (eventually) shapes user behavior. I'm convinced the second one is the one that quite quickly is much more predictive of outcomes. These Dutch-style intersections make the safe behavior natural and…

One of my favorite moves is when the Dutch simply don’t provide any guidance whatsoever in certain intersections. No signs. Brick or stone paving. It really works! "When you don't exactly know who has right of way, you tend to seek eye contact with other road users. You automatically reduce your speed, you have contact with other people and you take greater care." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space

I once saw a mind blowing series of slides from a Dutch transport engineer at a conference, showing the succession of steps taken over the years on a single country lane to reduce the chance of collisions to essentially zero.

It started as a one-lane-each-way road like we all know.

Later ome space was shaved off the sides for bike lanes.

Later the lanes were repainted (without being moved) to appear much narrower. Drivers are more careful when they find it difficult to successfully stay within the paint.

Later (mind blowing part), the one-lane-each-way was repainted as a single narrow lane shared by both directions. So the only supported line of travel guaranteed a head-on collision. This causes drivers to drive very carefully...

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#307

Post by eru »

yread wrote: post #199
eru wrote: post #70

I love the Netherlands, and not just for their livable street design, I just wish they food weren't so bland. They make even German cuisine look adventurous in comparison.

They should also improve the landscape. It's too flat. What happened to the proposal to build a mountain in the North Sea?

The dikes are enough for me.

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#308

Post by eru »

fernandotakai wrote: post #87
vanderZwan wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Dutch person... this is sadly not just 100% accurate, it's almost part of our culture by now, hahaha. For example, in Gerard Reve's "De Avonden" ("The Evenings", a literary classic in the Netherlands from 1947) the daily bland dinners are described like a recurring cynical joke. Apparently World War 2 is to blame for the shift in food culture. Somehow we never recovered from that. I think we just internalized th…

when i moved here, people told me the greatest issue with the country was not the weather, it was the food. and i remember saying "there's no way it's that bad". after being here for 2y, holy shit it's true. one dutch coworker said "we just eat for fuel, not for taste". thankfully it's quite easy to buy amazing ingredients and just do really tasty home meals. > (don't complain about our pannenkoeken or stroopwafels t…

> when i moved here, people told me the greatest issue with the country was not the weather, it was the food. and i remember saying "there's no way it's that bad".

The weather is fine, it's basically the same as you get in Northern Germany or London, too. (Very nice and comfortable compared to eg Singapore.)

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#309

Post by hcfman »

A lot around this is culture. The Dutch have been living with cyclists for years so they work with them.

In London motorcyclists drive to the front by the traffic lights. The motorists accept this. I found London quite safe in this respect for motorcyclists.

In the other hand, riding a motorcycle in the Netherlands doesn’t feel nearly as safe. If you ride to the front by the traffic lights the motorists will get angry and more likely to lead to road rage and increased risk.

Having said that of course the Netherlands is full of cycles lanes.

But in terms of intersections I’m not impressed. On long roads where every other country would give right of way to the long road because it works together with the natural psychology of driving on a long continuous road, in the Netherlands they will give right of way to small side streets. It’s like they have a policy of throwing vehicles into the path of free flow traffic. It’s absurd. And did people coming from other countries results in a few heart stopping moments.

Re: A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018)

#310

Post by CalRobert »

peoplefromibiza wrote: post #290
CalRobert wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You won’t kidnap them, you’ll drive over them and then blame the kid for being in your way

I usually walk my friend, but nice try to shove your American way on me There's a say in my country "chi male pensa male agisce" which roughly translates to “those who think badly act badly”

I am a parent and trying to show the reasons I don’t want my kids walking on the streets. And I live in the Netherlands
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