Wauteurz/CitN
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Cycling is one of the first things that many associate with the Netherlands, and not wrongfully so. Unlike a lot of places, cycling is seen as a valid and important means of getting about, and its popularity is well-catered for with plenty of separated and safe infrastructure. Outside of that, the country's flat typography lends itself to what many call a sport, but the Dutch themselves see as a second nature, which only reflects how cycling in the Netherlands is both notable as a pastime, but equally so as a valid means to get from A to B.
Understand[edit]
History[edit]
Ever since its introduction, the bicycle has been popular in the Netherlands. The bike after all was cheap to manufacture and thereby accessible to many, and early cycling in the Netherlands therefore was similar to many places across the world. The seeds to the Dutch cycling culture were only planted in the second half of the twentieth century, during the Autoloze zondagen (Car-free Sundays). These were periods in time where the usage of motorised transport was banned on specific days, usually but not always Sundays. The first of these happened during Dutch mobilisation in anticipation of World War II during October and November of 1939. Their goal was to keep fuel supplies available to the militarised army. Post-war, petrol was once again scarce, leading to new car-free Sundays in 1946, though civilian exemptions from the ban did exist at this time.
A second wave of car-free Sundays came as a result of the Suez Crisis (1956). From November 1956 to January 1957, the oil import chain from the Middle-East got disrupted and the Hungarian Revolt kicked off as well, which led to disruptions in the supply routes of oil, making car-free Sundays a necessary short-term measure again. This supply chain once again got disrupted in 1973, as a direct result of the Netherlands, alongside most of Europe, supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur wars. As a result, the Gulf states stopped exporting their oil to countries siding with Israel. This third wave of ten car-free Sundays though, brought forth a lot of creative replacements from the Dutch populace, like the reintroduction of stage coaches, and led to otherworldly appearances of cyclists, roller-skaters and even pick-nickers on highways.
After car-free Sundays, people kept using their bike more for a while, which led many to the realisation of how woefully inadequate their cities had become to cyclists while catering to cars. Each year, more and more cyclists would end up dying as a result of crashes with cars, and large-scale protests led the government to start providing more safe infrastructure to cyclists, albeit gradually. Over time though, this saw more and more roads make space for cyclists, as well as non-motorised facilities like cycling tunnels, bridges and ferries. On top of that, free-flowing cycleways also came along in higher numbers, catering specifically to recreational and tourist use. As this kept cycling safe, many amenities for cyclists also came in the shape of bike storage.
Bicycles[edit]
The Netherlands is home to a staggering amount of bicycle manufacturers, though many of them have merged over time to become part of the same concerns. Still, historical Dutch brands like Batavus, Sparta, Gazelle, Giant and Union can be seen virtually everywhere. As for bike types though, a little list can be found below:
- Omafiets or Opafiets, literally translating as "Grandmother's bike" and "Grandfather's bike" respectively, are the most common types of city bikes (stadsfiets) you will find, and you will see them everywhere, even if you don't intend to use a bike yourself. These are simple bikes, often in a plain black colour, with minimal additions. They feature a simple backpedal-brake integrated in the rear wheel hub, no gears, and a simple set of lights, reflectors, and saddle. The ladies' model (Omafiets) has a low bar between the steering column and the saddle support as to cater for skirts and dresses, whereas the mens' model (Opafiets) has a high bar between the saddle and steering column. A divide between sexes based on the bike model however, doesn't really exist. Mens' model bikes are just as likely to be used by women as the ladies' model is to be used by men.
- Transportfiets (Transporting bike) is, quite simply put, a city bike with a cargo rack bolted on the front. Many of them can be seen with an apple crate or hollowed-out beer crate atop it, for the ease of transporting more things.
- Bakfiets (Cargo bikes, but literally meaning "Cradle bikes") are, as their name implies, are bikes with a large cargo hull between the steering column and the front wheel. They come in many shapes and sizes, but are typically bulky bikes that are specialised to haul a large amount of stuff from A to B. Since the 2000s, that "large amount of stuff" tends to more often be small children than actual goods, but it's also not unheard of that Dutch people, specifically students, moving house using a cargo bike. They're also commonly used by delivery and postal companies within urban environments.
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In addition to the more common types of bikes above, there's a masse of specialist bikes that you may or may not be able to rent, depending on what bike rental company you use:
- A mountainbike is not so much intended for scaling mountains as it is intended for rough terrain. If you plan on cycling in forests, dunes, or otherwise less-accessible nature, then a mountainbike, occasionally labelled as "mtb", is a safe bet. Typically though, their suitability for off-road terrain comes at the cost of having less protection against theft, and the bikes are significantly less suited for day-to-day usage like going grocery shopping.
- A tandem is a bike for multiple people, typically just two people, but occasionally also for three or even more. They are mostly suited for normal recreational cycling, and less so for running errands. Since riding a tandem requires good coordination between all riders, it's not recommended for beginning or timid cyclists to pick one up.
- Fatbikes are essentially mountainbikes with significantly fatter tyres. Where mountainbikes tend to be good for off-roading, fatbikes specifically are well-suited for riding on the beach with. Typically, bikes aren't allowed on the beach themselves, but an exception exists for fatbikes where coastal tourism is big enough.
- E-bikes or occasionally stekkerfiets are electric bikes that (by law) may not propel the bike beyond 25 kilometres per hour (16 mph). They tend to be well-suited for people that would benefit from the pedal assist, such as the elderly.
- Speedpedelecs are essentially electric mopeds, though they can resemble an e-bike more than a moped. They can by law go as fast as 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph), though boosted variations definitely exist, though riding one can land you a hefty fine. Because of their higher speed, speedpedelecs require a drivers' licence type AM (moped), which is automatically valid when you're in the possession of a regular drivers' licence for a car. They, however, can be banned from cycle paths within the urban fabric, and on segregated roads due to their higher speeds. They also have a helmplicht, meaning that a suitable helmet has to be worn while riding one.
- Variations on many of the above bikes also exist, like a lage instap (lower step-in), which have the bars between the steering column and the saddle support significantly lower to the ground, making the bike easier to mount for those with reduced mobility. Versnellingen (gears) are an optional extra on many of the simplest bikes, often coming in a simple 3 or 7-gear variation. Optional accessories can include a (kinder)zitje (kiddy seat), fietstas(sen) (saddle bag(s)), windscherm (windscreen), mandje (basket) or bagagekar (bagage cart).
Bikes tend to have a listed framemmaat or framehoogte, which is the size of the bike's frame. The taller you are, the bigger a frame size you need. When picking up a bike, you can simply ask about what size is best-suited for you. When reserving a bike online a conversion chart between body length and frame size is given.
Rules[edit]
Standard traffic rules naturally apply to cyclists all the same. You will find though, that many Dutch cyclists tend to be a bit looser with the rules and can get away with it quite easily. Cyclists can oftentimes be seen ignoring basic things like red traffic lights and zebra crossings in safe situations. This, however, isn't an invitation for you to do the same, especially so because a fair amount of liberties that cyclists take are reinforced with fines.
When it comes to zebra crossings in particular, coming to a full stop is almost never done, and actually coming to a full stop might anger some other cyclists behind you. Instead, with zebra crossings, do as others do and pass behind or far in front of pedestrians using the crossing. For them, it is expected that they clearly (and confidently) approach the crossing as to tell cyclists that they intend on crossing.
For communicating with other road users, you ought to have a bell or occasionally a horn that you can use. A simple ring or honk is sufficient in most cases like indicating the desire to overtake someone. Shouting or yelling at other road users will only make other road users respond more angrily to your call.
Common fines for offences tend to be €55 for cycling without a good front and rear light during night time, or for cycling on the pavement. For ignoring a red light or using your phone while moving, a €95 fine is handed out.
Signage[edit]
Signage for bicyclists can get very specific. In short, assume that there is infrastructure for bikes (typically paved with red asphalt or bricks), and that therefore, there are either signs for bicyclists specifically, or modifying signs on general signage that exempts bicyclists. Since much of the signage gets modified with (partially) written text, a little overview of common signs is listed below.
Infrastructure[edit]
Urban cycling[edit]
Rural cycling[edit]
Recreational cycling[edit]
LF-routes[edit]
For the most enthusiastic cyclists, there are the LF-icoonroutes. These are multiple-day routes crossing the country from one extreme to the other.
LF-icoonroutes can be found in the Netherlands and Flanders:
- LF Kustroute (EuroVelo 12) crossing through the natural dunes and beaches, their man-made counterparts, and the Wadden Sea coast;
- LF Maasroute (EuroVelo 19), following the course of the river Meuse from Maastricht to Rotterdam and its immense port;
- LF Waterlinieroute, roughly following the Randstad's eastern limits, crossing by many of the former fortifications that once made up the Waterlinie, a defence network that was protected the economic heartland of the country in case of a hostile invasion;
- LF Zuiderzeeroute, following the former Zuiderzee and the many fishing communities around the modern-day lakes that replaced the former Sea after the construction of the Afsluitdijk and Flevoland.
These LF-routes were preceded by a different, numbered system that was maintained until 2020. Much of the signage of those routes is still in place, mostly in the east of the country where the LF-icoonroutes aren't present.
Many of the shorter routes that can be completed in one or occasionally two days are listed at HollandCyclingRoutes, the website of the organisation behind the LF-icoonroutes.
Fietsknooppunten[edit]
Most domestic recreational cyclists will use fietsknooppunten (Cycling nodes) to stitch their own route together by linking several nodes or to navigate pre-made routes that use the nodes for navigation reference. All of these nodes as well as the roads connecting them give a near-infinite variety of routes and are all surprisingly well documented through roadside signage.