Undoubtedly, the Netherlands has become an example of the world’s cycling country. The country has more bicycles than its citizens and even its prime minister usually goes to work using this mode of transportation.

In 2018, more than a quarter of trips were made by bicycle; in stark contrast to the UK, France and Ireland, where that figure fell to less than 5%.

For trips less than 7.5 km, that figure rises to more than a third.

But why does the Netherlands have 23 million bicycles and roads redesigned to accommodate them?

Origin of cycling country

In 1970, Dutch cities, like most European cities, were full of cars.

The rapid increase in car ownership meant that in the 1970s there were 100 cars per 500 residents.

Dutch roads, many of which were built in the Middle Ages, were not designed for this type of traffic, and the results are dramatic.

In 1971, more than 3,000 people were killed by cars, 500 of whom were children. This sparked a movement called Stop de Kindermoord (Let’s stop the killing of children).

The public reaction to this high death toll also coincided with the 1973 oil crisis, when some members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reduced production and embargoed exports to certain countries.

The combination of these two events led the Dutch Government to abandon the days of car-centered urban planning.

Planning revolves around bicycles: cars come second

Perhaps the most important step the Dutch government has taken to encourage people to use bicycles is the creation of kilometers of bicycle lanes.

Today, the country has more than 35,000 km dedicated to bicycle use; For context, the country’s road network is only 140,000 km long.

But it doesn’t end there, it also has a series of roads used by cars and bicycles which are their priority.

On many of these streets, there are signs that say “fietsstraat auto te gast”, an expression that in Spanish means “cars are guests”.

The Dutch Roundabout is another example of how urban planning focuses more on bicycles and pedestrians.

About 60% of roundabouts in cities have a physically separate circular bicycle path that surrounds the roundabout opposite the exit.

In most urban areas, bicycles have the right of way and cars must stop. Many crossings have also been redesigned to help reduce the risk they pose to cyclists.

Depending on the road speed limit before the intersection, the bike lane is closer to traffic for increased visibility or farther away to allow cars to turn before crossing the bike lane.

In cases where bicycle lanes have road priority, for example, when vehicles are diverted from the main road to an intersection, these lanes should be constructed according to the guidelines.

In addition to designing cities and roads that help cyclists get from point A to B safely, the authorities have also invested in bicycle parking.

In 2019, the Dutch city of Utrecht became home to the world’s largest bicycle parking facility, with enough space for 12,500 bicycles.

The country has also worked to allow for a smooth transition between different modes of transportation, with most train stations now having bike racks.

In addition, some trains have special carriages for bicycles or space for them within the carriages themselves.

Advantages of being a cycling country

Once you see the benefits of cycling, it’s easy to see why countries around the world are rushing to emulate the success of the Netherlands.

A lesson A 2016 UK study on the value of cycling concluded that cycling not only benefits cyclists, but also increases productivity, has a positive social impact and reduces health-related costs for the country.

Latest report from decided calculated the value of Dutch cycling social exports to be between €1.2 billion and €3.8 billion per year.

Manufacturing, sales, maintenance and rental of bicycles together account for 13,000 full-time jobs in the country.

Currently, the Netherlands has not been interested in giving up his cycling ambitions.

At the end of last month, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs for Infrastructure and Water Management wrote to Parliament with the aim of getting 100,000 more people to cycle in the next two and a half years.

The department is also reviewing plans to give bicycles to the more than 200,000 children and youth who cannot afford them.

Hope for other countries

Although the Netherlands was the first, other countries and cities have shown that they can quickly adopt bicycle use.

In Seville (Spain), the number of trips made by bicycle increased from less than 7,000 in 2006 to more than 70,000 in 2011.

Following a Dutch technique, the city converts many parking lots into separate, elevated bike paths.

Seville now owns the entire rail network, with the construction of the first 80 km costing less than 20 million euros.

The rapid adoption of temporary bicycle lanes around the world during the pandemic shows that the Netherlands can share the definition of a cycling city.

With enough political will, any place could be the next Netherlands.