Biking Around the Netherlands: First Impressions
On July 1st, 28 exhausted but eager Northeastern students arrived at Amsterdam international airport. We’re here for the Civil Engineering Sustainable Transportation Systems Dialogue in the Netherlands to learn about country’s bike and pedestrian system. The Netherlands is known for its bike-friendly transportation infrastructure. Within Dutch cities, bike paths are laid out to allow cyclists to feel safe and in control of the road. With such bike-friendly infrastructure, cities in the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, have more cyclists than cars on the roads. Although it was only our first day, we noticed that the infrastructure in the Netherlands is set up to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians. Bike paths with stop lights align the streets, granting cyclists their own space on the road. As we traveled from the airport to Schiedam, a small town outside of Rotterdam where we’d be staying, we were amazed by the beautiful landscape in the Netherlands. Flat farmland stretched for miles, with classic Dutch windmills spread throughout. With such flat terrain, cycling is even easier for the Dutch. Seeing the country as we drove from the airport to our home made us all excited to get our bikes and explore.
To get settled into our new home, I spent the day exploring Schiedam with some of my classmates. We walked along beautiful canals, saw several traditional windmills, and enjoyed the architecture of the local homes. We were all surprised by how peaceful the town is. On Sundays, many businesses are closed, and it was nice to take a stroll on the quiet roads.
The next day, our classes begin and we all received a bike that we will be using to get to and from classes and for daily excursions. Once we got our bikes, we took a tour of Delft, the city where our classes are held. Delft, like many cities in the Netherlands, is built to accommodate cyclists. Several bridges are built over canals, and tunnels are constructed under highways just for cyclists to commute. Although for many of us, it was our first time riding a bike in a city, we all felt very safe. We didn’t even need to wear helmets! For several kilometers, we roamed through the cities, and cars knew to look out for us.
My first few days in the Netherlands have made me excited for what’s to come. I’m looking forward to learning about how cities in the Netherlands have become so bike friendly, with over 40% of its residents using bikes for the daily commute. We will also look at the policies the Dutch have implemented in order to make biking more accessible. We will have the opportunity to compare the Netherlands’ policies to those in the United States in order to discuss how we can make US cities more accommodating to cyclists. In addition to learning about the bike system, I’m looking forward to our weekend excursions to cities such as Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam. But above all, I’m most excited to cycle throughout the Netherlands, taking in its landscapes with a great group of people.
