Biking as Sustainable Transport: Study in Denmark and the Netherlands

Arriving in the Netherlands' fourth most populous city, Utrecht provided me with perhaps the clearest comparison between Dutch and Danish bicycling approaches and cultures. Immediately, I noticed the difference between how space is utilized in support of bicycling in these two countries. Of course, there are cycle tracks in the Netherlands, but there are far more roads where bikes, cars, and pedestrians intermingle in an unchoreographed, but nevertheless orderly, system of transport. Pedestrians are not really supposed to be on the shared road space but my experience showed they will cross the road at will or step off a sidewalk into the road when the sidewalk is blocked off or choked down in space by the numerous parked bikes. The roads where cars and bicycles share space are called fietspad  or "cycle track, paths, roads". Here cars can travel on the same road but the law stipulates that bikes have priority within the traffic flow. Hence, I often biked alongside cars bu...

This post responds to a prompt where I will write as if I am describing what I've seen in the Netherlands to a family member who is likely to reply that the Netherlands is far different from the United States and that what works here would not work in the U.S. Fun fact: did you know the Dutch also complain when anyone talks about taking a parking spot away? It's true! During the tour of the Dutch city Nijmegen, our guide, Sjors, mentioned that in creating much of the bicycling network we witnessed and biked along, pushback over parking existed and presented a barrier to the city council in supporting projects that would increase the bicycling infrastructure around the area. In describing one presentation about increasing bicycling infrastructure he gave to government officials, Sjors mentioned spending the first 10 to 15 minutes talking exclusively about cars. This aspect impressed upon me how many Dutch think about their cars and ease of driving, which is not so different comp...

The journey from Korinth to Odense felt like a regional, long-distance commute, and for the first time, I experienced the potential of what regional bicycle transportation can provide between communities. As mentioned in a previous post about recreational cycling in Denmark, I began the journey from Korinth taking a recreational bike trail route labeled L1. End to end, the route took about 8 kilometers (approximately 5 miles), delivering me to the town of Ringe. From Ringe, I biked through the town on my way to Bike Route 55, which would take me all the way to Odense. Along my ride through Ringe, I recognized several of the traffic calming designs where pedestrians can cross the road and also deliver bicyclists through the intersection (see image below).   After taking a few back roads while traveling through Ringe, a narrow bicycle lane delivered me to Bike Route 55. The distance from Ringe to Odense is approximately 23 kilometers (a little over 14 miles). For the past three days,...