Cycling for

Everyone.

CHRIS BRUNTLETT

INT. RELATIONS MANAGER

PINECREST VILLAGE COUNCIL SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Dutch Cycling: For a Cycle-Friendly World

The Dutch Cycling Embassy is a vast network of public and private organizations from the Netherlands who wish to share their knowledge and expertise to help cities experience the many advantages of cycling.

Experience the Dutch cycling culture first-hand

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Think about best possible solutions and achievable results

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Act by applying these solutions to your local context

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Learn more about effective policies and best practices

THE VIEW FROM ‘FIETSPARADIJS’

IT WASN’T ALWAYS THIS WAY

Crisis as a�Turning Point

• In the Netherlands, a pair of converging crises in the 1970s created a systematic approach to safer, more sustainable, equitable, and efficient street design
• In 1972, Stop de Kindermoord ("Stop Child Murder") formed in reaction to a road safety crisis that was killing 3,000 people per year, including 450 children
• For six weeks in 1973, the OPEC oil embargo resulted in an abrupt gasoline shortage and ‘Car Free Sundays’ policy, doubling the sales of bicycles

• After two failed demonstration projects, rather than focusing on a single route, in 1979, national government decided to implement a city-wide network in Delft
• After consulting with 4,700 households, three networks (of varying grid sizes) were planned; each with a specific journey type, length, and user in mind
• Completed in 1987; lessons learned inform the CROW Manual network design principles of directness, safety, comfort, cohesion, and attractiveness

Start with a Link,

Plan for a Network

Don’t Ignore the Weakest Link

• A network is only as good as its weakest link: often at the intersection where the majority of collisions occur and the cycling infrastructure can “disappear”
• Signalized and unsignalized junctions are physically protected and designed to reduce speeds and raise awareness, increasing safety for all road users
• Raised and continuous cycle path at side streets keeps vulnerable users in a raised, seamless and prioritized space

Every Mobility Plan

Needs a Car Plan

• Effective traffic circulation—ie. reducing the volume and access of motor vehicles—can form an easy and effective part of a city’s cycling network
• Dutch cities create a “hierarchy of roads”—differentiating between local and through traffic—diverting cars from economic and residential areas
• Physical methods are used to slow motorists down such as road narrowing, chicanes, texture, and speed tables

The Safest Streets in the World

“If the U.S had achieved the same improvements in traffic safety as the Netherlands [since 1970], 22,000 fewer Americans would have died on our roads in 2015.” – Vox

“A 2022 IPSOS STUDY FOUND PEOPLE FROM THE NETHERLANDS ARE THE MOST PHYSICALLY ACTIVE ON EARTH; GETTING AN AVERAGE OF 12.8 HOURS OF EXERCISE PER WEEK.”

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“CYCLING LEVELS IN THE NETHERLANDS ARE ESTIMATED BY TO PREVENT 6,500 PREMATURE DEATHS PER YEAR, SAVING THEIR ECONOMY €19 BILLION; EQUAL TO 3% OF THEIR GDP.”

“IF YOU DESIGN A CITY FOR CARS, IT FAILS FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING DRIVERS. IF YOU DESIGN A MULTI-MODAL CITY THAT PRIORITIZES WALKING, BIKING, AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT, IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING DRIVERS.” - BRENT TODERIAN

The Kid-Friendly City

E-Bikes Insights

From the Dutch

• Two-thirds of all Dutch children walk or cycle to school; for secondary school students, that number is closer to 75%
• The 12-17 age group cycles more than any other age group (60% of ALL trips)
• UNICEF regularly ranks Dutch children among the happiest in the world; specifically citing their unrivalled levels of physical activity, freedom, autonomy
• Also boast lowest levels of childhood obesity and depression in the EU

The Caregiving City

• Reverse gender gap: mode share for women is 28% (versus 26% for men)
• Women are more likely to make shorter, multi-purpose, non-car trips
• Planners often fail to consider care trips (ie. dropping kids at school) and trip-chaining (ie. proceeding to the office); because they don’t have the data
• Childhood independence also relieves burden of supervised transport, which mostly falls on female shoulders

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The Accessible City

E-Bikes Insights

From the Dutch

• Inclusive infrastructure means 16% of all trips made by physically impaired people in the Netherlands are pedal powered; often on adapted vehicles (electric tricycles or hand cycles)
• For those who can’t cycle, wide (at least 7.5 feet) space welcomes other modes; ie. (motorized or manual) wheelchairs
• Details matter: angled (forgiving) curbs, plentiful curb cuts, smooth asphalt, visual cues/edges, gentle gradients

The Prosperous City

E-Bikes Insights

From the Dutch

• Half of all train journeys in the country begin with a bicycle ride to the station
• 81% of the population lives within 5 miles—comfortable cycling distance—of a train station; providing more equal access to housing, employment, education, healthcare opportunities
• Liberates many households from the economic burden of car ownership and maintenance, which disproportionately affects those in lower income bracket

The Aging City

E-Bikes Insights

From the Dutch

• Reverse age gap: 65-75 age group has a higher share than all adult categories
• From 2010 to 2017, Dutch seniors (75 and over) cycled⁠ 33% more miles
• Roughly 80% of e-bikes sold in the Netherlands are to people aged 50+, which allows them to maintain health and mobility into their golden years
• “An elderly person who cycles covers an area of 8.5 miles in their daily life. The non-cyclist doesn't travel further than 6 miles.” – Utrecht University study

Capturing Short Car Trips in Austin, Texas

• Since 2011, Austin has built 236 miles of AAA (“all ages and abilities”) bikeways and 16 protected intersections across the city
• Their goal is 403 miles of red-tinted, Dutch-inspired infrastructure by 2025, converting 15% of short car trips (less than 3 miles)—now half of all journeys—to bicycle
• Funded by active travel bonds $127 million approved by 59% of voters in 2016, and $460 million approved by 67% in 2020

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Building on Success in�Fort Collins, Colorado

• Nationally recognized for its progress in becoming a bikeable city, at the time of their 2023 ThinkBike Workshop, gaps remained in their low-stress, multimodal network
• The workshop concentrated on exploring and refining design concepts such as Dutch-style protected roundabouts, network structure, and raised, separated bike lanes
• “Our transportation board, who we invited to come and see the final outcomes, sent a memo to [city] council saying roundabouts should be our default. They have fallen in love with roundabouts.”

Creating a Catalyst in Oakland Park, Florida

• Over three days in May 2024, attendees were introduced to the basics of network planning, car management, and capturing the synergy between cycling and public transportation
• Eight major arterial corridors were studied for their biking potential, and each contained a surprising number of short car trips (less than five miles)—ranging from 29 to 62% of traffic
• Potential of improving the first- and last-mile connections to the Tri-Rail system was also analyzed, using the vicinity of the Cypress Creek Station as a practical design exercise

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WHAT KIND OF FUTURE DO WE WANT?

Cycling for

Everyone.

EMAIL INFO@DUTCHCYCLING.NL 

WEBSITE WWW.DUTCHCYCLING.NL