Elvo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2THe_10dYs

Pfft cycling in the US is 30x more dangerous than anywhere else?

Ghost Ryder

They should take a video of us cyclist having to compete with our "so called Canadians".
Maybe just say North America.

HonestOne

I don't know, I wasn't too impressed by his criticism of the US. I'm guessing the target audience was other Dutch people? Didn't really do any comparisons. The idea of having parked cars between the bike lane and the street was interesting.

coasting 

But was he right?

jland

I don't think it was as much criticism as observing and contrasting attitudes towards cycling in North American and European cities. A lot of it was pretty spot-on, IMO. The city with the bike traffic lights is Vancouver, BC . Here's another video from the same person about bike paths...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o

Ghost Ryder

I'm from Van.too. I haven't noticed these lights around town.

chaadster

That's not what he said; that stat was in comparison to the Netherlands only, not everywhere else.

the sci guy 

yes.

listening skills. how do they work?

Ghost Ryder

Yup, that's why they don't have mandatory helmet laws either.
I wouldn't dare ride without one in my area.

chaadster

Yes, I also think the video's observations were spot on, although the underlying premise seems to be that Dutch cycling is a model to which the USA should aspire, which I don't necessarily agree with, simply because I don't think we can ever expect enough people to embrace that model and effect the 'will to change' to achieve it.

So while better 'infra' here in the USA is a goal, how we get it, justify it, and maintain it will be different from the NL model, even if a lot of it looks the same.

When the narrator says that cycling flourishes in the USA 'despite the infra, and not because of it,' I think that is a brilliant insight that captures the essence of both the reality of the situation and the unique American cultural attributes that set our development path apart from everyone else.

Ferrous Bueller

One of the factors alluded to in the video is driver education. When cycling in the Netherlands, one doesn't encounter such ignorant attitudes towards the space a cyclist needs on the road. Drivers there are expert at shoulder checking when preparing for right turns. And they typically don't invade on street bike lane as often or recklessly.
How do we prepare the next generation of North American drivers in a bike-compatible way?

chaadster

We could stop voting people without a civic conscience into government office, for starters.

Looigi

Agree. We'd all benefit from more road user education and continued awareness programs.

Hiro11

I agree with all of his key points:
1. Cycling lanes are uncommon and even when they are available, they're almost always tacked-on, easily invaded painted lines that are no safer than riding on the street.
2. Cycling = either lycra/racing or kids on BMX here for the vast majority of people. There's very few commuters or "destination" cyclists. Such people are generally seen as oddballs who are taking their lives in their hands.
3. I am often asked why I ride on the road as if even the thought of riding on the road is dangerous, weird and even illegal. There's a pervasive attitude that bikes are toys to be enjoyed in bike-specific environments only. Drivers often seem actively shocked and/or annoyed by the mere presence of a cyclist on the road, as if they have no place at all.
4. Finding good, practical destination / commuting cycling gear can be somewhat difficult in the US.
5. Despite all of that, things are getting a bit better in this country.

There are of course exceptions to all of the above and cycling in the States can be truly great. There are even places where commuting by bike is a completely viable option. However, in the vast, vast majority of the country bikes and cyclists are simply not taken seriously. I will say that comparing the US to the Netherlands is a bit unfair given the vastly different scale and population. The distances alone make cycling in the US impractical on a Dutch scale. However, in more densely populated areas clearly a lot of work remains to make cycling a more reasonable, acceptable option for people.

A controversial suggestion might be asking cyclists to pony up some money for riding on the road. Given that bikes cause very little wear and tear to streets and that space requirments are small, such a tax should be relatively low (maybe an annual bike license fee). Also, the presence of such a tax would go a long way in convincing people of the validity of cycling and cyclists. I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to such a decision if the cyclists got some respect and infrastructure in return.

gilaasepeda

i wish our government wake up make those eco ride become reality in here, change from motorcycle into bicycle. healthy life, less pollution and save gas.

dalava

The last time I was there (about 1 year ago), I noticed them when I was going up on Hornby. While I see more cyclists in Vancouver and bike use as transportation, in general, once you get outside of the downtown core or the most popular cycling routes (e.g. the ones from downtown to North Van via Lion Gate), I didn't notice any huge difference between US and Canada in infrastructure for or car driver's attitude towards cyclists. Toronto is probably much closer than a US city than Vancouver.

coasting 

So when you watch a video that basically says "you suck" from beginning to end, how mad do you feel that a foreigner is saying this about your country?

dalava

If they are objective and stating facts, I am ok with that. We are not that exceptional.

rpenmanparker 

The problem is that there are two kinds of cycling, not both of which respond positively to the same influences. Infrastructure is about cycle-commuting and other cycling that uses the bike as a tool to get around. You could have all the city cycling infrastructure you want, but it wouldn't help serious exercise cyclists. For all the millions of cyclists on the city streets every day in Holland, you can't get a good workout in their midst. No point here except to say it is a terribly complex issue.

Leinster

That would be controversial, and it would be counter-productive. Creating barriers to entry to an activity will decrease participation in that activity. It's difficult enough to get around by bike in the US, if people have to pay $50 a year for the privilege on top of that, it just wouldn't be worth it to get a bike.

It's a cliche at this stage, but my road taxes and insurance on my Focus are fully paid up. I'd say I paid mine this year more timely than the SOB that blazed his horn at me last Wednesday tearing past in his souped-up Civic giving me the finger even though there were 2 of us riding single file in the shoulder. Every trip I make on my bike decreases road traffic in my town, decreases street wear in town, decreases pollution, etc etc. There is no reason I should make any further financial contribution, unless it was to a fund that could be ring-fenced purely for the purposes of cycling infrastructure. Even then, I doubt that fund would accumulate enough to make a difference.

RollCNY

So a country with 3.27 km of road for every square kilometer, and 123 people per kilometer of road, is better set up for cycling than a country with 0.68 km of road for every sq km, and 49 people per kilometer of road? Wow, I am shocked. People embrace cycling in a community where cycling is a viable means of everyday transport, and don't where it isn't. Unheard of.

Ferrous Bueller

Serious cyclists in Holland use the city infrastructures too, though sometimes at reduced speeds. That's how they get out onto the rural and inter-city bike infrastructure. Many also use the commute as a workout, when living and working in different cities.
The often seamless transition from urban pathways to extra-urban ones is one of the reasons sport-cycling is so popular there.

dalava

I think the guy in the video is purely talking about bicycle use as transportation. From that perspective, we have a very poor infrastructure, coupled with the car-centric cultural attitude, I don't ever see the use of bicycle as meaningful transportation means for large number of Americans.

Cycling as a sport and recreational activity is an entirely different matter. It does not require infrastructure change. I am not sure if there is anything to be done here other than raising awareness of our presence on the roads.

dalava

And it's also very flat.

Pure anecdote, the only two fully spandexed cyclists I saw during my week in Amsterdam were Americans visiting.

Leinster

He compares Dutch cities directly with American cities. Amsterdam (9,000/sq mi) has lower population density than Chicago (11k), barely half that of San Francisco (17k) and a third that of NYC (27,550).

Where his comparison does fall down is his surprise that more people aren't riding upright with sit-up-and-beg handlebars. A lot of Davis cyclists commute (to class, to work, whatever) on the same bike that they go for a fitness ride (on the road, trail, in the park) on Sunday. Your Dutch Citybike isn't very good for that purpose. Any maybe some of the people in lycra that he pokes fun at are actually heading out to the hills to go for a 2 hour training spin.