Mind the bike

Cycling is a very common means of transport in the Netherlands. The high frequency of bicycle travel is enabled by excellent cycling infrastructure with a growing number of fast bike routes. You can rent bikes at train stations all around the country (OVfiets). In many cities, you can also rent bikes for a fixed price per month: they provide you with a bike (with a blue front tire) and cover all repair costs. The bikes are very popular with students. We even have a Dutch cyclist union. It campaigns for better cycling conditions.

Dutch people together bike 15,000,000,000 km per year. That is approximately 880 km per person. An average Dutch person cycles 267 times a year. There are 22.8 million bikes: 1.3 bikes per person. The busiest cycle paths in the country are located in the city centre of Utrecht. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have invested in electrical bikes (1.8 million) to avoid public transport.

‘If you would have told me that I wouldn’t own a car or a truck? No way.’ ––––––––‘Mind the gap? Here it is “mind the bikes!”’ ––––––––‘I found it amusing. Everyone has a bike. From little children to the prime minister.’ ––––––––‘Having a bicycle gives you freedom. But it also means that you no longer have an excuse to be late for a meeting.’