Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

371–380 of 380 posts

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#371

Post by mcv »

dtech wrote: post #77
wila wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dunno, I used to ride the bycicle to the school in the city which is 25km away from where I lived. So 50km (31 miles) a day at least. In the village where I grew up that was pretty common.

In my experience, every school kid who lived ~10km or more away bought a moped (scooter) the instant they turned 16, when they were allowed to drive one.

I didn't. And I know many who don't. Though it's true that many do. Still, there's a couple of years of school before they turn 16.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#372

Post by mcv »

chrismealy wrote: post #111

I had watched about a million Dutch cycling videos before I went to the Netherlands, but it's even better than the videos make it out. Cycling in the Netherlands is safe, easy, and fun. I rode around with a four-year-old and an almost-two-year-old in a cargo bike and not for a second felt any stress or fear (and my kids absolutely loved it as well, fresh air and no carseats). I can't go half a mile in Seattle without…

Bike traffic in Amsterdam can be really tense at times. There are few places in the world where you get bicycle traffic jams, but Amsterdam has a few of them. And some cyclists really try to push the limits (students mostly), as do some taxi drivers.

But at other times, and especially outside the city centers, it can be very relaxing.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#373

Post by mcv »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #142
giobox wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree, but not all of us have the legs for single speed in the places we live - 20% inclines and a single speed with something like the typical 46/17 style ratio is not going to work for a lot of riders.

Yep, I ride 48:17 (fixed gear, too) but I would never do that without clipless pedals or pedal straps. AFAIK, most Dutch bikes are internally/hub geared with chain cases to protect it from the elements. It's a shame hub gears aren't more popular in the US.

I strongly prefer hub gears. I never could get the hang of derailleurs.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#374

Post by kaybe »

belorn wrote: post #241
gutnor wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a tourist, this was weird, I nearly got mowed down a few times but because I was in the wrong and not paying attention. You quickly adapt and realized bike lanes are just as important to watch out for as vehicle lanes. You can also get mowed down in pedestrian area, on the pavement by impatient cyclist that don't like traffic jams and custom courtesy like stopping to let you cross a zebra crossing is non-existen…

This fear of cyclist seems very odd from my point of view since I often see strollers on bike lanes with parents that have no problem that bikes has to stop and go around them. I occasionally also see people in wheel chairs using the bike lane. The fear would make sense if all that caused yearly deaths by cycling crashing into toddlers and people, but its is surprisingly rare. I have yet to hear about a single case h…

I recently learned from a guy in a wheelchair that, at least in Germany, wheelchairs are legally equal to bikes, and have to use the bike lane. (It's usually not enforced of course.)

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#375

Post by pfranz »

glandium wrote: post #257
pfranz wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was surprised to see hundreds of unlocked bikes in Japan. Sounds like it's common over there: https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/3loaqx/bikes_par...

Bike theft is also common in Japan.

Interesting, since the discussion talks about bikes laying around for 9+ months, and gathering and tagging "abandoned" bikes every 6 months.

When I was in Tokyo I saw hundreds of bikes unlocked. There was a poster with a security photo saying "bike thief." My wife mentioned it was likely that person had just grabbed the wrong bike.

I'm not saying bike theft doesn't happen in Japan, it just seems to be significantly more rare in Japan compared to most other places.

I remember hearing San Francisco was trying to cut down on the secondhand market as a way to reduce bike theft. I see Japan has a registration system for bikes. I wonder how much that contributes?

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#376

Post by dredmorbius »

s73ver wrote: post #354
dredmorbius wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars have exceptionally high ownership costs: parking, licensing, maintenance, fuel, insurance. Even an expensive bicycle pencils out very quickly relatively.

Perhaps, but both still have pretty high, prohibitive to some, up front costs.

The responses which occur:

1. Current eBikes are generally small-scale prototypes. Prices should fall with volume.

2. They're generally comparably priced to a small motorbike, for which they're a near substitute.

3. Financing of large consumer purchases turns out to be a fairly frequently-occurring (and solved) proplem.

I don't think this will be a showstopper.

4. Actually, checking Amazon, eBike prices seem to be on par or lower than what I'd pay for a decent standard bike: ~$750 US or so. Kits as low as $250 for wheel conversion.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywo...

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#377

Post by [deleted] »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #142
giobox wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree, but not all of us have the legs for single speed in the places we live - 20% inclines and a single speed with something like the typical 46/17 style ratio is not going to work for a lot of riders.

Yep, I ride 48:17 (fixed gear, too) but I would never do that without clipless pedals or pedal straps. AFAIK, most Dutch bikes are internally/hub geared with chain cases to protect it from the elements. It's a shame hub gears aren't more popular in the US.

[deleted]

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#379

Post by peFcBa »

dankohn1 wrote: post #210
avar wrote: post #47

> If anything, having a tatty, battered old > bike affords more status as it attests to > a long and lasting love. As an Amsterdam resident: What a romantic characterization of our high crime rates! Yes, the reason I still ride a shitty old beater of a bike is definitely my long lasting love for that piece of shit, it's not because I know that if I buy anything fancy I'm going to have to never take my eyes off of it,…

Can anyone explain why police don't do a huge crackdown on bike theft in Amsterdam? I heard repeatedly when I was there about how bad the theft is. Is there something stopping cops from putting out a dozen fancy bikes without locks every day and arresting everyone who grabs one and rides off? Is the legality of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrapment different in the Netherlands? Because it seems like a relatively s…

Police doesn't do much, because it is low on their priority list (despite the terrible numbers in the NL).

In case you HATE BIKE THEFT as much as we do, give our FB page a like (https://www.facebook.com/AgainstBikeTheft/) and sign our petition (bit.ly/bikes-petition) aiming on getting more focus on the problem.

We're also building an active solution - again, check the website and FB.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#380

Post by peFcBa »

avar wrote: post #47

> If anything, having a tatty, battered old > bike affords more status as it attests to > a long and lasting love. As an Amsterdam resident: What a romantic characterization of our high crime rates! Yes, the reason I still ride a shitty old beater of a bike is definitely my long lasting love for that piece of shit, it's not because I know that if I buy anything fancy I'm going to have to never take my eyes off of it,…

Bike theft figures in the NL are indeed horrendous - and it is by far not just Amsterdam. (In fact, the other cities - Utrecht, Rotterdam, Groningen - are in many factors already "ahead").

We actually started an initiative to tackle this issue. So, in case you HATE BIKE THEFT as much as we do, give our FB page a like (https://www.facebook.com/AgainstBikeTheft/) and sign our petition (bit.ly/bikes-petition) aiming on getting more focus on the problem. It'd be a huge help for us.

We're also building an active solution - again, check the website and FB.

Post reply on HN