Why the Dutch bike

One prejudice about the Dutch really is true: we all bike.

But why? Here is an interesting article that accurately explains.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23587916

I’ll grab this opportunity to express some thoughts I have as a Dutchie biking in Stockholm. I know Stockholm City is trying to get more people to bike and I think one can learn ‘how to’ from a nation that has biking in its blood. Where biking, by the way, doesn’t mean doing 40k/h on a 50.000SEK road bike but on a granny bike without any gears…

Funnily enough, health reasons don’t seem to be an argument for ‘us’. We bike because it gets us where we want to be - safe, fast and without traffic jams or parking problems. The separate bike lanes give us our own, safe road to bike on. No one thinks we are strange for biking through heavy, rainy weather - with one kid in his seat at the front of the bike, one at the back and 2 shopping bags dangling at the steer – because everyone else does it, too. The law protects the biker in case of an accident. As long as you have your lights and reflectors on, you are king of the road :).

Who needs an SUV if you can carry it on your bike.

Stockholm City is trying very hard to make the city biker-friendly. It’s a really good try, and I appreciate the goody bags with chocolate a lot. But honestly, they ('we'?) have some way to go. Better signposting, separate well-maintained bike lanes and most importantly, more awareness among car drivers on the needs of cyclists, would help a great deal. For sure, the latter would come when more car drivers are also cyclists, so really, the solution to everything (yes, everything!) is to get more people on the bike!

Something else: In the Netherlands, employers can offer their employees a so-called ‘bike plan’, meaning one can buy a commuter bike with big (tax) benefits. Raise your hand if you don’t want a bike for free (and while you have it, you might as well use it…).

Of course nothing can be done about the weather, but with good gear even wintery conditions can be tackled on a bike. And with properly ploughed snow, a bike lane can turn into a fast lane, bypassing traffic jams and technical problems with the public transport system. Who’s first at work, now?

But perhaps the biggest change has to come from within, as it did in the Netherlands. Who wants to sit in a traffic jam, while you can be out on the road enjoying the wind in your hair? Who wants to sit in a crowded underground subway system when the sun is shining outside? Who wants to help the environment by reducing ones CO2 emissions? Who wants better health (and a goody bag with chocolate) as a bonus?

But why would you want to have everyone on bikes?

Well, there is the indisputable argument that biking is environmentally friendly - save the polar bears/trees/house sparrow/everything else as you go. For short stretches, it's hardly slower than taking the car. No parking problems and I can't imagine rush hour on a bike. As an athlete, a short bike ride home is the perfect cooling down. And, I personally believe biking makes the world a better place. When on a bike, you can let your mind wander and come to new insights. The exercise wakes you up in the morning and gives you time to wind down from work when biking home. You don't have to honk or blink your lights to get passed someone, a friendly ring with your bell will do. It's not often another biker cuts your way or shouts at you when you are not biking entirely on the right side of the bike lane. Last but not least, fresh air makes you happy. Biking makes you happy. And smiling is contagious, so you can put a smile on someone's face, too. When was the last time you saw someone smile in the subway?

I know it’s not for everyone or all occasions and that is perfectly okay. I mean, going to your wedding by bike might be overdoing it. But for all others, just look at all the advantages (including the goodie bag with chocolate). Bike, even if it’s just to a short stretch, to the shops or your friends. Encourage others and be a biker-friendly car driver. Smile. I would love to see this type of bike parking in Stockholm in the near future…

Photo courtesy BBC articly/Getty Images

PS I should add that Denmark shares the first place of top cycling countries with the Netherlands. So feel free to learn from the Danish, too ;).