Dutch don't think about riding a bike. Everybody uses it as an easy means of transport... also, it safer here. PS ... There is NO STATUS symbol if EVERYONE in the country uses a bike.
NO foreigner EVER has understood Dutch bike usage. Simple explination for that is that foreigners think it is a concious and thought out choice to use the bike. Its not!WE.USE.IT.TO.MOVE.FROM.ONE.PLACE.TO.THE.OTHER.
like how its been there since forever? my country is trying so hard to introduce cycling and a "car light society" but meets with so much blowback from tax payers
@@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo It's not been there since forever. NL got swept up in Americanism, started building large roads around the 60's. People hated it and demanded change, and the government started building cycling infrastructure since the 70's. And from there just trying to make it the best it can be.
The only flaw is that you call the bike a status symbol to show you live close to work. It is not. A bike is more like legs, and I doubt many people would call their legs a status symbol. Kids age 12-18 cycle 2000 km per year on average, because they have to go to school by bike. Highly educated people go to university in areas where the bike is the fastest and cheapest way around. It is more habit and convenience than status.
The Dutch don't really do 'status symbol'. They do, however, try to live close to their work (either by finding work close to home, or moving close to work). And it is also true that even car drivers appreciate those who cycle, as it makes the roads less conguested (and they will have a lot of patience with cyclists).
I do agree, don't think the bike is a status symbol. It's not that we buy the newest and greatest bike. We love riding the old grandmother bike. The idea you can take it anywhere and through it anywhere without being scared it will be stolen, that your bike will fall (by yourself or others) while parking your bike. What you can say is the opposite. We don't see it as a status symbol OF THE POOR. In almost any other country the bike will be seen as transport for the poor (specially when somebody is older then 18)
The Netherlands was car centric in the 1950s and 1960s, but things started to change in the 1970s. This has been a conscious effort of small changes over the past 50 years. Slowly making the city more friendly to humans, and less about cars. The Dutch have learned a lot over the years of what works and what doesn't, but mostly are *always looking for something that works even better.*
Culturally the Netherlands are engineers, they can trial, measure, and optimize. Britain is a culture of courtiers, rumour and BS are the currency, making it hard to base anything in rationality
A bike is cheap, very manoeuvrable in the inner city, comparatively fast, fun to do and easy to park. I have 4 bikes and a car. Only take the car when it really rains. Excellent video RT.
You just laid down the top advantages of the bicycle, I can only add that cycling speed is the best to notice and appreciate the environment around you:) Thanks for your comment and I'm somewhat envious of your bike collection:D
We see a lot of the same reactions on these types of video and i love them too but for me living in Utrecht and seeing the city transform so much from when i was born 1970 to now is amazing the change is speeding up not going down. I just moved to my second ebilke and its not a cheap one so it has more than a few facebook groups with users. What impressed me most and the joy and hope i can be one of them some day is the amount of 70+ people on this group many closer to 80 than 70... I think thats one thing people from outside the netherlands don't fully grasp the effect ebikes and better (safer) infrastructure has for elderly who are moving around like they are in their 40's of 50's... I hope someday i can join them in that age bracket and be like them...
She calls it the "Siberia of the Netherlands" not the "Siberia of the North". The latter wouldn't make much sense, since Siberia itself is in the North, would it?
Inside I put on my shoes to go outside, outside I put on my bike to move about for more than 1km and less than 15km. That's how most Dutch people feel about their bikes.
For Dutch people there are 3 ways of transport: Walking, for stuff really close by. Cycling, for anything manageable. Car, for going to other cities. For adolescents skip the other two. Just bikes.
It's not just a means of transportation, it's also free, effortless and can really get you to a lot of places on a low threshold because it's free and effortless, making it more likely that you'll actually go out and do things. I'm much more likely to go to town 5 km away on my bicycle than I'd be if I didn't had the bicycle.
one way to make cities more liveable is relatively simple: create Superblocks (like Barcelona) and take space from cars and turn them into protected bike lanes (remember: paint is not biking infrastructure) as well as improve public transport within and rail connections between cities. It might sound radical, but it's actually hyper-conservative when you remember what roads looked like 100 years ago.
Having the bike a status symbol, haha that's me! I never really thought of it that way and I guess status symbols aren't really Dutch to be open about, but I'm proudly going to work by bike!
The status thing is only true in the sense that living in the inner city and beeing able to bike everywhere is nice but comes at a price, like paying quite a lot for little space and often no garden. So if you went to a bar with friends and one of them has to catch the bus, take a cab or bike very far, the inner city dwellers might get a bit smug.
Great video about our bicycle use. This shows exactly how daily life is. Grey weather and one big organised chaos where everyone arrives safely at home in the afternoon.
Seeing the bicycle as a status symbol because it means you can live so close to your work - I have never thought about it that way, but I love it. Thanks for mentioning that!
perhaps some snobs who spent big money on a designer bike view it as a status symbol, most don't, by bike my work is about ten minutes away so it doesn't make sense to go by car even if i owned one and my job is very much a blue collar , manufacturing job so status isn't a factor in my choice to cycle.
Sad things here in indonesia, cars & motorcyles are a status symbol. People willing to struggle to death to get it. They are brainwashed by the industry to the point where commute 100m by motorcyle is so common.
Im all for it but I dont want to sound like a negative nelly but many US and Canadian cities have snow and hills where NL is flat. Also the infastructure and suburbs are made for auto's. It would take a long time and much money to convert to the dutch way of life.
This video made me miss Groningen instantly. And i could ride a bike before a lot of other things.. Now i have a family (of 5) of my own and we have 9 bikes not included 4 waking bikes! It's just the way it is..
You can buy a second hands bike for around 30 euro's that still last about 3-4 years depending how much you use it. Students in the city are crazy to rent swap bikes for more than 13 euro's each month. For you own bike you only need to change the chain once in a year/ 2 years when you cycle every day. You need some oil. Sometimes you need to replace a cable or a flat tire. Still when you let it do by a repair guy. Renting a Swap bike is already more expensive after a couple months.
I have depressions and I agree that cycling brings joy. (when you're not hindered by cars all the time ). The weather is grey but the physical exercise helps. Plus a pot of tea.
Its not just you watching and observing the world and see what others are doing but cycling also releases dopamine and endorfine which are known for their feeling happy effects.
Be nice to the girl, she said nice things about our city, and she has a nice voice too (so, there). I think some well educated and rich people feel good about themselves when they don't go by car, maybe that is a sense of moral status they like to show off. This is the first time I have heard our city is build as a 'compact city' though. As far as I know it was build on a star model, so that the country side would dip in. You see this between neighborhoods such as Beijum and Lewenborg. The first social housing project de Oosterparkwijk (during the few decades when the Netherlands was a general Democratic State) was originally build on the idea that houses and nature should mingle, to make it more healthy. Maybe Groningen seems compact because its total size is smaller than some other cities, making things easier to reach. There was a brief period under a past mayer, who first said green is very important and then proved to be a liar and promote a compact or dense city, but it seems not much came out of that (fortunately). Some green was lost, not sure why, which is still sad. We should go back on the old model: more green, more space, less cars.
You're missing out status and high education to understand that she is right. Sure it's not a status symbol in the county side, but not having to come by public transport (or car) is definitely status here in Amsterdam. You can't move around with friends or colleague's if you do not have a bike.
Jos Boersema I’m pretty sure she was talking about the inner city being quite compact for a foreigner. Every Dutch city is because of their medieval routes. And if not then Groningen is still quite compact since all of your daily destinations can be reached by bike quite easily.
I’d change the quote to “when the cities are created FOR everybody” not BY everybody because not everyone is capable of making good decisions regarding urban planning
Higher educated people use a bike to show off how close they live to work? Um no xD. Most of why there is a lot of bicycles (usage) in the Netherlands, is by design, a thing we Dutchies are particularly good at.. ^-^
mrsandmrbutterfly yes, it was much more peaceful and you also never had to worry about being threatened by cars in the traffic. Much less noise and air pollution than I currently experience in my city.
Also how 'stupid' it may sound BUT you INHEAL and live with the 'seasons air' and the seasons smell from the earth as they change and THAN IS ALSO SO INCREDIBLE...! to be one as part of the nature.. makes one mood so much better...!
Haha so I was randomly watching video and I was shook that it was about my city Cool video. Actually there are still quite a lot of cars in the centre and I never really get what they are doing there... good luck finding parking space
In America all those parked bicycles would be missing wheels and other bits and pieces that were stolen. And many of the whole bicycles would be stolen.
Thats one of the reasons so many people have more then one bike. A good and pretty one for longer distances and an old and crappy one for parking in the city centre. That, and at least two different locks on each bike.
It's funny how many people are missing out that a bike actually is a status symbol, definitely in cities like Amsterdam. Students, young professionals, friends or colleagues they all travel by bike and you are not part of the group if you don't.
Wut. I would laugh at someones face if she/he'd think that she/he is cool because he/she bikes. i bet most of those losers don't even do more than 10 km/day. Nice weather bikers is what I call them.
Doubleranged1 That’s not what they meant at all. Grow some intellect. It’s a status symbol for some people in those cities because it shows that they’re well off and can afford to live in the cities themselves.
@@roy_hks no it doesn't, I've never heard any of my neighbors say "hey look at me i ride a bike because i live in an expensive city" all the people I know have it as a convenience not a symbol
The Dutch didn't start out like this, they were going car-centric just like everyone else, in the sixties and seventies. We have slowly been reversing that trend over the past 40 years, and never stop improving on the previous solutions.
Saw my first Bullitt cargo bike In Colchester UK today ( on the way to get The Vaccination) let’s hope we see more, it’s the way to go for sure. Nice video my friend. Greets from Essex UK
I suggest you check out the channel 'not just bikes' it goes a lot more in depth on this topic. Also, I don't think most Dutch people know the benefits of cycling, they just cycle because it is the most convenient way to get around. And as others have mentioned, it is not a status symbol, maybe in small sub cultures. Finally you say that this cannot be implemented everywhere because not every place is as compact. This has to do with zoning laws where in some countries shops and schools cannot be built close to or even in residential areas so all destinations are out of cycling range (for most). This could obviously be changed by adapting zoning laws so that destinations can be closer to people's homes.
Nice video. I'm from Groningen too. Nicest city of the Netherlands. Youngest average age too. 1 out of 5 inhsbitants is a student. Just one comment about your video. Cycling is someting we just do for practical reasons.And msybe for health reasons too. But it has nothing to do with status or so.
Thank you for a video which conveys not just the infrastructure element of city cycling but the cultural aspect. the UK seems to have very angry impatient people compared to the netherlands. would better cycling infrastructure reduce confrontation between cyclists and vehicles in uk cities? the current style cycling lanes in the uk seem to be only lip service with regard to what the Dutch have done and simply are taking valuable road space and obstruct vehicles which creates greater congestion which creates angrier people.
i had an man working with me in the same compagny, he lived 25 km from work, but he always cicled even while he had a car. Winter or summer doesnt matter, Must he start at 05:00 in the morning? no problem, that dude was cicling every single day to and from work. weather or not
To us Dutchies cycling is purely transportation. To go from A to B. And it stops right there for 99% of the people so no need to be profound. Take it lightly. Pointing out the obvious about this mode of transportation makes it that much easier to convince people in other countries to start thinking about it. Us Dutchies don't do profound. We're opportunists first and foremost. Cycling is fast, cheap and safe when you design proper streets. Nothing else to it. You want it too? Go out and protest. Demand proper infrastructure. Organize. And it's easier now than it was for us since you can just copy our designs. We already worked out all the kinks. So many urban areas in the world could be easily transformed and made car free. The will of the people really is the only missing ingredient.
Tja vroeger had ik ook een auto. Nu huur ik er een als ik er een nodig heb. Bijvoorbeeld voor een vakantie of zo. En met het verschil in de kosten kan ik veel meer leuke dingen doen.
The world thinks we have a lot of cycling city s. The truth is> every city is a cycling city, some are very good, some are just good. But every city is 1000% better for bikes as every other city in the rest of the world. (only a few exceptions)
THAT was an idea from the sixties. The white bisycle plan. Take a white bicycle and leave it anywhere another finds him. Right wingers painted them black and kept them.
Shared Space is extremly dangerous for vulnerable pedestrians, particularly the persons with disabilities. You have not considered them and this design is not created for them.
Shared spaces make people pay more attention becouse they feel less safe but becouse everyone payd more attention there are less accidents and the accidents are at a lower speed becouse driving fast while feeling danger isn't something humans do so if a accident happens it would couse a death.
Buy a neon green rain cape, one that goes over the handle bar. It is infinitely more fun if you ride in your green little tent, and even your legs stay relatively dry.
@@ThePlazmaBeast Mine is its own compact carrying bag and I am riding with backpack. Best case is putting it in saddlle bags and forgetting about it until you get surprised by rain, but I am not that professional.
Never had an acicdent in Amsterdam in 40 years, but one has to be realy alert all the time, specially when speeeding. Danger is everywhere but you get used to that, you gauge whats ahead, and there's codes. Like signal the car or moped behind you by slightly looking over your shoulder, so he knows you'r aware and he can pass safely. And most important, common courtesy, don't vex, don't be a dick. That said, several people on bike do get killed every year in Amsterdam. Often because they are in the 'dead corner,' of a truck, at the stoplight. Light goes green, bicycle accelerates straight ahead, while the truckdriver, who doesn't see the bicycle, turns right. Many got killed like that over the years. Helmet wouldnt help.Strangers are most at risk though.
For inner city transport, it's smart to use a bike that can take a beating and is cheap to replace in the event that it might get stolen... and a heap of junk is much less likely to get stolen in the first place. Other than getting you from A to B, city bikes don't need many features: the infrastructure is good enough and the country is flat enough that a really simple, single gear bike will suffice. Different priorities than with a sports bike for example, which is one of the reasons why there are more bikes than people.
They don't wear helmets there. Their brains are functioning well enough, so they don't get into crashes, so they don't need protection. In America though, we need protection. Because we are stupid, so we fall from our damn bikes ... Helmets are an American obsession.
@Sázhe M. Epifanne If you want to wear a helmet, by all means wear it at any time. Even in the shower, as Roosje said, because lots of accidents happen in the shower. Nobody told you to not wear one. What I was saying is that it shouldn't be a law to force me to wear a helmet, when I don't want one, when I don't need one, and after half of a century of trouble free cycling in 5 countries. Look at the video we are commenting on ! All those people don't wear a helmet. Except one, which is probably American.
@Sázhe M. Epifanne Maybe you should look at who you are replying to before making statements like that? In the Netherlands most people ride a bicycle, and falling with your bicycle is a big part of learning to ride one as well as riding around in less than ideal weather circumstances. That doesn't mean that most Dutch cyclists aren't "serious bikers". On the contrary, those bicyclists riding racing bicycles and mountain bikes tend to wear helmets. The majority of Dutch people don't wear helmet while riding a bike, and that's not because they are unaware of the potential risk of falling off or falling with a bicycle or that they don't see the use of a helmet in particular situations. With separate bicycle lanes and separate traffic lights, with bicyclists having the same right of way as cars, with most car drivers also being bicyclists and being very much aware of the vulnerability of bicyclists, there simply is a very different attitude towards bicycles participating in everyday traffic here.
@Roosje Keizer But in other countries it is indeed dangerous to cycle, so there is a good reason to wear a helmet. It is really necessairy that those countries invest in cycle infrastructure.
@Sázhe M. Epifanne You are clearly not letting facts get in the way of a good old fashioned black and white view. Maybe you should have a look at this video that compares the UK and Dutch approach to bicycle infrastructure and and wonder why the Netherlands has one of the lowest head injuries rates for bicyclists in the world, despite so few bicyclists actually wearing helmets... ua-cam.com/video/zq28fU2AuMU/v-deo.html But if your other replies under this video are any indication, you'll just ignore the facts and continue to spout your biased and completely inaccurate views, despite being proven wrong.
"The higher educated see bikes as statussymbol" Such nonsense, outside of the netherlands cycle culture is relegated to tofu eating snobs that want to lecture everyone they come across about their co2 footprint. The working classes here have embraced the bike more than anyone. And yes i live in groningen. We al grew up like this.
I'm pretty sure only expats view the bicycle as a "status symbol". Nobody in my life has ever viewed his or her bike as such, and living close to the workplace is completely normal for most so it cannot be to "show off" how close you live. I've heard this lie in many other videos, nobody is able to come up with a reputable source. Can you? Or, did you, like most other foreigners who make videos on the bicycling culture here, just blindly copied what was said by others without doing your own research?
To add to my story I used some information from this blog about cycling in the Netherlands by a Dutch man who has 50 years of experience in cycling in the Netherlands. In one of his articles he says: "To the higher social classes the bicycle is a status symbol, with which they give subtle signals to other people, such as “I live so close to my work that I can cycle”." You can read it here: bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2018/01/02/dutch-cycling-figures/
@@Ricetraveler Well, yeah, kind of... I guess. I don't know where BicycleDutch got his information from. Purely subjectively I noticed the following: The "higher classes" can afford more expensive bicycles. For instance a €5,000 "Urban Arrow" electric cargo bicycle for family transportation. Or a €2,000 "VanMoof S3" electric bicycle for the business man (used to be €3,000). In contrast, the "lower classes" use more of the following: A €1,200 pedal powered "Babboe City" bicycle for family transportation. Thus without electric assist. A €500 "Batavas Old Dutch" bicycle for the blue collar worker. And a certain percentage buys secondhand bicycles for about half these prices (or less). For the latter see, among others: www.marktplaats.nl/a/fietsen-en-brommers/fietsen-bakfietsen/m1588867842-bakfiets-london-cab.html?c=08c285449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr And: www.marktplaats.nl/a/fietsen-en-brommers/fietsen-heren-herenfietsen/m1588812583-sparta-herenfiets-28inch-3-versnellingen.html?c=a2384ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr You can also buy new bicycles for these (secondhand) prices. But, as a rule, you then accept extremely crappy quality. Here is an example of a low quality (possibly crappy?) bicycle: www.gamma.nl/assortiment/l/auto-fiets/fietsen/omafietsen There is a wide quality range among bicycles in The Netherlands. Even within the same brand name. And a layman can hardly see the difference. Tip: For a poor student studying in the city it is wise to buy a legal(!) relatively decent secondhand bicycle for around €100-150. And then spent an additional €50 for a second bicycle lock for securing your bicycle to a tree, lightpole or some other unmovable object.
How do you say "I'm a horrible person" without saying "I'm a horrible person"? First you tell her it's a lie (as being a fact) and then you ask her if she has a source!? You of course know already every person in the Netherlands, so you know for sure nobody ever sees it as a status symbol. Never heard of the grachtengordel GroenLinks voters for example? And according to you we also don't have rush hours here, because most people live close to work, right? Ignorant dumb*ss
Dutch don't think about riding a bike. Everybody uses it as an easy means of transport... also, it safer here.
PS ... There is NO STATUS symbol if EVERYONE in the country uses a bike.
As a dutchman, I have been looked down upon for using a bike, every time by less educated folk.
Right, not a status symbol (I'm Dutch (and lived many years in Groningen))
@heleen b Wat is er onzin? Als een auto een statussymbool is, dan is het toch niet gek dat mensen op je neer kijken als je geen auto gebruikt?
Wrong. Take the US for example. Everybody had a car in the 80's. Still, cars were a status symbol.
@@rodrigosouto9502 The context is contemporary Dutch culture.
NO foreigner EVER has understood Dutch bike usage. Simple explination for that is that foreigners think it is a concious and thought out choice to use the bike. Its not!WE.USE.IT.TO.MOVE.FROM.ONE.PLACE.TO.THE.OTHER.
And it's free with free parking everywhere
Yes, the concious effort is in the infrastructure. As soon as you start building cities for bikes, people start riding bike.
like how its been there since forever?
my country is trying so hard to introduce cycling and a "car light society" but meets with so much blowback from tax payers
@@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo It's not been there since forever. NL got swept up in Americanism, started building large roads around the 60's. People hated it and demanded change, and the government started building cycling infrastructure since the 70's. And from there just trying to make it the best it can be.
@@Subosi never knew that, thanks, i really thought cycling has been around since anyone could remember , like China.
The only flaw is that you call the bike a status symbol to show you live close to work. It is not. A bike is more like legs, and I doubt many people would call their legs a status symbol. Kids age 12-18 cycle 2000 km per year on average, because they have to go to school by bike. Highly educated people go to university in areas where the bike is the fastest and cheapest way around. It is more habit and convenience than status.
if the bike is a status symbol ....then I guess we all have the same 1.2 status...whatever that may mean ;p
The Dutch don't really do 'status symbol'. They do, however, try to live close to their work (either by finding work close to home, or moving close to work). And it is also true that even car drivers appreciate those who cycle, as it makes the roads less conguested (and they will have a lot of patience with cyclists).
I do agree, don't think the bike is a status symbol. It's not that we buy the newest and greatest bike. We love riding the old grandmother bike. The idea you can take it anywhere and through it anywhere without being scared it will be stolen, that your bike will fall (by yourself or others) while parking your bike. What you can say is the opposite. We don't see it as a status symbol OF THE POOR. In almost any other country the bike will be seen as transport for the poor (specially when somebody is older then 18)
Lol I'm dutch and cycle 100km a week just going to school
I'll disagree. Riding a bike gives you a healthy and positive appereance. In contrast to driving a car.
The Netherlands was car centric in the 1950s and 1960s, but things started to change in the 1970s. This has been a conscious effort of small changes over the past 50 years.
Slowly making the city more friendly to humans, and less about cars.
The Dutch have learned a lot over the years of what works and what doesn't, but mostly are *always looking for something that works even better.*
Culturally the Netherlands are engineers, they can trial, measure, and optimize. Britain is a culture of courtiers, rumour and BS are the currency, making it hard to base anything in rationality
The nice thing about cycling in the Netherlands is that it's normal.
A bike is cheap, very manoeuvrable in the inner city, comparatively fast, fun to do and easy to park.
I have 4 bikes and a car. Only take the car when it really rains.
Excellent video RT.
You just laid down the top advantages of the bicycle, I can only add that cycling speed is the best to notice and appreciate the environment around you:)
Thanks for your comment and I'm somewhat envious of your bike collection:D
We see a lot of the same reactions on these types of video and i love them too but for me living in Utrecht and seeing the city transform so much from when i was born 1970 to now is amazing the change is speeding up not going down. I just moved to my second ebilke and its not a cheap one so it has more than a few facebook groups with users. What impressed me most and the joy and hope i can be one of them some day is the amount of 70+ people on this group many closer to 80 than 70... I think thats one thing people from outside the netherlands don't fully grasp the effect ebikes and better (safer) infrastructure has for elderly who are moving around like they are in their 40's of 50's... I hope someday i can join them in that age bracket and be like them...
i literally have never heard somebody called groningen the siberia of the north. like at all.
But know that I have heared it, it does make sense...
@@stereotype.6377 From Who did you hear it? Because if I ask native Groningers they Will not know this as well
@@metalvideos1961 never heard of it either
And I'm living in Friesland
@@annemariedusselaar9862 yeah I live in Drenthe. Very strange
She calls it the "Siberia of the Netherlands" not the "Siberia of the North". The latter wouldn't make much sense, since Siberia itself is in the North, would it?
Inside I put on my shoes to go outside, outside I put on my bike to move about for more than 1km and less than 15km. That's how most Dutch people feel about their bikes.
For anyone wondering what city this is, it's Groningen. Nevermind how they pronounce it. There's no H in the name.
The supreme status in The Netherlands is a business person on a old-fashioned rusty
bike.....
Nice to see that you did not just learn, but enjoyed it.
For Dutch people there are 3 ways of transport:
Walking, for stuff really close by.
Cycling, for anything manageable.
Car, for going to other cities.
For adolescents skip the other two. Just bikes.
Unless you live in the Randstad
rolyars How is the Randstad any different?
I mean they missed public transportation so maybe that’s what you’re going for.
You're cycling like a real Dutch bravo. Nice film btw.
Yep. Includingnignoring a red light 😃
It's not just a means of transportation, it's also free, effortless and can really get you to a lot of places on a low threshold because it's free and effortless, making it more likely that you'll actually go out and do things.
I'm much more likely to go to town 5 km away on my bicycle than I'd be if I didn't had the bicycle.
Efortless? Zeg dat ff tegen de brug die ik elke dag op moet🤪🤪
@@AnaisAzuli Brug? Ik woon in Zuid-Limburg...
@@TheDutchyNL ik voel je pijn, stay strong🤞🏻
one way to make cities more liveable is relatively simple: create Superblocks (like Barcelona) and take space from cars and turn them into protected bike lanes (remember: paint is not biking infrastructure) as well as improve public transport within and rail connections between cities.
It might sound radical, but it's actually hyper-conservative when you remember what roads looked like 100 years ago.
Having the bike a status symbol, haha that's me! I never really thought of it that way and I guess status symbols aren't really Dutch to be open about, but I'm proudly going to work by bike!
The status thing is only true in the sense that living in the inner city and beeing able to bike everywhere is nice but comes at a price, like paying quite a lot for little space and often no garden. So if you went to a bar with friends and one of them has to catch the bus, take a cab or bike very far, the inner city dwellers might get a bit smug.
Great video about our bicycle use. This shows exactly how daily life is. Grey weather and one big organised chaos where everyone arrives safely at home in the afternoon.
Seeing the bicycle as a status symbol because it means you can live so close to your work - I have never thought about it that way, but I love it. Thanks for mentioning that!
Born and raised on the country side of Groningen. I miss my province and city dearly.
perhaps some snobs who spent big money on a designer bike view it as a status symbol, most don't, by bike my work is about ten minutes away so it doesn't make sense to go by car even if i owned one and my job is very much a blue collar , manufacturing job so status isn't a factor in my choice to cycle.
Sad things here in indonesia, cars & motorcyles are a status symbol. People willing to struggle to death to get it. They are brainwashed by the industry to the point where commute 100m by motorcyle is so common.
i wish america would turn to bikes and mopeds and park the cars but its just a dream of mine
Too big.
Im all for it but I dont want to sound like a negative nelly but many US and Canadian cities have snow and hills where NL is flat. Also the infastructure and suburbs are made for auto's. It would take a long time and much money to convert to the dutch way of life.
Vaalferatus The average American commute is the same as the average Dutch commute. So no, not ‘too big’
Roy Hoeksema ...it’s that Americans, in the main, are too obese to ride a bike!
@@andiman45
Add 'climate change' to the mix and it could change indeed.
The sad part is, it's already too late to change the outcome.
This video made me miss Groningen instantly. And i could ride a bike before a lot of other things.. Now i have a family (of 5) of my own and we have 9 bikes not included 4 waking bikes!
It's just the way it is..
It can't be a status symbol if everyone has a bicycle
A beautiful film.
You can buy a second hands bike for around 30 euro's that still last about 3-4 years depending how much you use it. Students in the city are crazy to rent swap bikes for more than 13 euro's each month. For you own bike you only need to change the chain once in a year/ 2 years when you cycle every day. You need some oil. Sometimes you need to replace a cable or a flat tire. Still when you let it do by a repair guy. Renting a Swap bike is already more expensive after a couple months.
I have depressions and I agree that cycling brings joy. (when you're not hindered by cars all the time ). The weather is grey but the physical exercise helps. Plus a pot of tea.
Its not just you watching and observing the world and see what others are doing but cycling also releases dopamine and endorfine which are known for their feeling happy effects.
A status symbol to show to others how close they live to work? Hahahah, that’s the biggest nonsense I’ve ever heard about our bicycle riding 😆
it's so funny how clueless they are.
Be nice to the girl, she said nice things about our city, and she has a nice voice too (so, there). I think some well educated and rich people feel good about themselves when they don't go by car, maybe that is a sense of moral status they like to show off.
This is the first time I have heard our city is build as a 'compact city' though. As far as I know it was build on a star model, so that the country side would dip in. You see this between neighborhoods such as Beijum and Lewenborg. The first social housing project de Oosterparkwijk (during the few decades when the Netherlands was a general Democratic State) was originally build on the idea that houses and nature should mingle, to make it more healthy. Maybe Groningen seems compact because its total size is smaller than some other cities, making things easier to reach. There was a brief period under a past mayer, who first said green is very important and then proved to be a liar and promote a compact or dense city, but it seems not much came out of that (fortunately). Some green was lost, not sure why, which is still sad. We should go back on the old model: more green, more space, less cars.
You're missing out status and high education to understand that she is right. Sure it's not a status symbol in the county side, but not having to come by public transport (or car) is definitely status here in Amsterdam. You can't move around with friends or colleague's if you do not have a bike.
Jos Boersema I’m pretty sure she was talking about the inner city being quite compact for a foreigner. Every Dutch city is because of their medieval routes. And if not then Groningen is still quite compact since all of your daily destinations can be reached by bike quite easily.
Eerste keer dat ik dat ook hoor 😂
Siberia of the North. As a 50 year Dutchman, that's a first....
Ik denk niet eens na over het fietsen. Het is gewoon zo normaal voor me.
Ik doe het automatisch en dan word ik weer wakker en is het huh waar ben ik naartoe gefietst
Really cool! I wish my town in the US did this!
Haha, when you choose a man as Trump as president, nothing will ever change.
At least Trump isn't fucking up the middle east, like Obama and Bush did...
@@henkoosterink8744 He is making change though, he fixed the shit the last presidents created.
@@janjansen7983 Haha, no serious?
@@Thomas48484 Like what? He is billionaire (his fathers money) and isn't interested at all in people like you.
Good video, narration and structure. I will check out more of your work.
Cool seeing it in the fog since the film I did it was gorgeous sunshine and warm for 3 straight days!
This is amazing. I wish there was more cycling infrastructure near me.
I’d change the quote to “when the cities are created FOR everybody” not BY everybody because not everyone is capable of making good decisions regarding urban planning
Thank you for making that video that was really cool!!
A bike is freedom!
Higher educated people use a bike to show off how close they live to work? Um no xD. Most of why there is a lot of bicycles (usage) in the Netherlands, is by design, a thing we Dutchies are particularly good at.. ^-^
Great footage, love the melancholic foggy vibe
Wow, really beautiful to see the city from the eye of a biker. Was the city that much more peaceful because access and reduced traffic?
mrsandmrbutterfly yes, it was much more peaceful and you also never had to worry about being threatened by cars in the traffic. Much less noise and air pollution than I currently experience in my city.
If you like this then you should look at the UA-cam-channel: BicycleDutch ua-cam.com/users/markenlei
Also how 'stupid' it may sound BUT you INHEAL and live with the 'seasons air' and the seasons smell from the earth as they change and THAN IS ALSO SO INCREDIBLE...! to be one as part of the nature.. makes one mood so much better...!
This is a student city. If you go to Delft you wil see the same thing
Lot of people own 2 bicycles; One for going to public transport like train. The second from the trainstation to their worklocation!
Or a cheaper one that we risk to get stolen and a more expensive one we would like to keep :)
Ik hol van mien Stad, mien Grunnen!
Piekna kultura jazdy,ładne miasto pozdrawiam z Polski
Haha so I was randomly watching video and I was shook that it was about my city
Cool video. Actually there are still quite a lot of cars in the centre and I never really get what they are doing there... good luck finding parking space
In America all those parked bicycles would be missing wheels and other bits and pieces that were stolen. And many of the whole bicycles would be stolen.
U locks are a cyclists' best friend
Thats one of the reasons so many people have more then one bike. A good and pretty one for longer distances and an old and crappy one for parking in the city centre. That, and at least two different locks on each bike.
@@nellekeglansdorp1595 Thank you for the explanation.
It's funny how many people are missing out that a bike actually is a status symbol, definitely in cities like Amsterdam. Students, young professionals, friends or colleagues they all travel by bike and you are not part of the group if you don't.
Wut. I would laugh at someones face if she/he'd think that she/he is cool because he/she bikes. i bet most of those losers don't even do more than 10 km/day. Nice weather bikers is what I call them.
Doubleranged1 That’s not what they meant at all. Grow some intellect. It’s a status symbol for some people in those cities because it shows that they’re well off and can afford to live in the cities themselves.
@@roy_hks no it doesn't, I've never heard any of my neighbors say "hey look at me i ride a bike because i live in an expensive city" all the people I know have it as a convenience not a symbol
RoarofdalioN Have you heard your neighbors say ‘hey I drive a car because I want you to see that I’m rich?’
Don’t think so.
@@roy_hks only one of them in my building owns a car sooo
The Dutch didn't start out like this, they were going car-centric just like everyone else, in the sixties and seventies.
We have slowly been reversing that trend over the past 40 years, and never stop improving on the previous solutions.
Saw my first Bullitt cargo bike In Colchester UK today ( on the way to get The Vaccination) let’s hope we see more, it’s the way to go for sure. Nice video my friend. Greets from Essex UK
I suggest you check out the channel 'not just bikes' it goes a lot more in depth on this topic. Also, I don't think most Dutch people know the benefits of cycling, they just cycle because it is the most convenient way to get around. And as others have mentioned, it is not a status symbol, maybe in small sub cultures. Finally you say that this cannot be implemented everywhere because not every place is as compact. This has to do with zoning laws where in some countries shops and schools cannot be built close to or even in residential areas so all destinations are out of cycling range (for most). This could obviously be changed by adapting zoning laws so that destinations can be closer to people's homes.
Nice video. I'm from Groningen too. Nicest city of the Netherlands. Youngest average age too. 1 out of 5 inhsbitants is a student. Just one comment about your video. Cycling is someting we just do for practical reasons.And msybe for health reasons too. But it has nothing to do with status or so.
The only complain i have about this video is that it looks like there is always fog and rain in the Netherlands.And thats not true!!
Thank you for a video which conveys not just the infrastructure element of city cycling but the cultural aspect.
the UK seems to have very angry impatient people compared to the netherlands.
would better cycling infrastructure reduce confrontation between cyclists and vehicles in uk cities?
the current style cycling lanes in the uk seem to be only lip service with regard to what the Dutch have done and simply are taking valuable road space and obstruct vehicles which creates greater congestion which creates angrier people.
Cycling is good training for ice skating (speed skating) and vice versa.
i had an man working with me in the same compagny, he lived 25 km from work, but he always cicled even while he had a car. Winter or summer doesnt matter, Must he start at 05:00 in the morning? no problem, that dude was cicling every single day to and from work. weather or not
Iam from Groningen :) very good work:)
Even the prime-minister of the Netherlands bikes to work.
Most cities in the Netherlands are designed like this
I like this video thanks for sharing
To us Dutchies cycling is purely transportation. To go from A to B. And it stops right there for 99% of the people so no need to be profound. Take it lightly. Pointing out the obvious about this mode of transportation makes it that much easier to convince people in other countries to start thinking about it.
Us Dutchies don't do profound. We're opportunists first and foremost. Cycling is fast, cheap and safe when you design proper streets. Nothing else to it. You want it too? Go out and protest. Demand proper infrastructure. Organize. And it's easier now than it was for us since you can just copy our designs. We already worked out all the kinks. So many urban areas in the world could be easily transformed and made car free. The will of the people really is the only missing ingredient.
Why do you call it Harlingen, it's Groningen.
In the US, biking is recreation, but you have to stay off the roads. You’ll get yourself run over.
Tja vroeger had ik ook een auto. Nu huur ik er een als ik er een nodig heb. Bijvoorbeeld voor een vakantie of zo. En met het verschil in de kosten kan ik veel meer leuke dingen doen.
Please or do more similar videos you did a great job on this
Wonderful ❤️
The world thinks we have a lot of cycling city s.
The truth is> every city is a cycling city, some are very good, some are just good.
But every city is 1000% better for bikes as every other city in the rest of the world. (only a few exceptions)
I just calculated it, and I think I cycle around 3000 km a year
@Bloem Kool me too =)
I love it, bicycle every where,,,
Don't let him fool you. He is Irish and not joking.
Nice video.Thanks...
The way you pronounce Groningen makes me want to throw my phone from the Martinitoren.
In Groningen you can buy a bike from the homeless guy at the FEBO.
Ferry Van Leyen - yeah, just file away the serial number, replace the sabotaged lock and you are good to go 😂
very different with Jakarta :(
Malang lebih parah :'(
@@muhammadzidanewahyupratama8690 ya begitulah Indonesia
i love the city
Couple of pricks at 3:35!
Thousands of bikes parked so how in the world do you remember which bike is yours? Or you just which ever bike closest and go.
You just remember where you parked it
THAT was an idea from the sixties. The white bisycle plan. Take a white bicycle and leave it anywhere another finds him. Right wingers painted them black and kept them.
Shared Space is extremly dangerous for vulnerable pedestrians, particularly the persons with disabilities. You have not considered them and this design is not created for them.
Shared spaces make people pay more attention becouse they feel less safe but becouse everyone payd more attention there are less accidents and the accidents are at a lower speed becouse driving fast while feeling danger isn't something humans do so if a accident happens it would couse a death.
@@Lunavii_Cellest no they don't. It is based on eye contact but not for disabled people. It is also not meant for busy locations
@@GJFK1 You have never been to the Netherlands have you? people with disabilities feel really safe in traffic in the Netherlands.
I get a depression when cycling in the rain though xD
Buy a neon green rain cape, one that goes over the handle bar. It is infinitely more fun if you ride in your green little tent, and even your legs stay relatively dry.
@@HiltownJoe Sure but it infinitely more annoying to keep that thing with you all day so its definitly not worth it under 20min or something
@@ThePlazmaBeast Mine is its own compact carrying bag and I am riding with backpack. Best case is putting it in saddlle bags and forgetting about it until you get surprised by rain, but I am not that professional.
Really? I just get wet.
The Netherlands is the world's cycling country. Take heed everywhere else.
lots of your (?????) video are stolen from other video's....
Sorry status symbol nonsens.
Never had an acicdent in Amsterdam in 40 years, but one has to be realy alert all the time, specially when speeeding. Danger is everywhere but you get used to that, you gauge whats ahead, and there's codes. Like signal the car or moped behind you by slightly looking over your shoulder, so he knows you'r aware and he can pass safely. And most important, common courtesy, don't vex, don't be a dick. That said, several people on bike do get killed every year in Amsterdam. Often because they are in the 'dead corner,' of a truck, at the stoplight. Light goes green, bicycle accelerates straight ahead, while the truckdriver, who doesn't see the bicycle, turns right. Many got killed like that over the years. Helmet wouldnt help.Strangers are most at risk though.
why do all the bikes looks ugly in this city
We don't have our bikes to show them off, we use them for transport.
For inner city transport, it's smart to use a bike that can take a beating and is cheap to replace in the event that it might get stolen... and a heap of junk is much less likely to get stolen in the first place. Other than getting you from A to B, city bikes don't need many features: the infrastructure is good enough and the country is flat enough that a really simple, single gear bike will suffice. Different priorities than with a sports bike for example, which is one of the reasons why there are more bikes than people.
Also because bikes are expensive and we use them until they fall to pieces, literally
As long as u can ride it u don't throw it away ... it's simple as that
Dear lord ... she lived there a whole ass semester and still hasn't learned how to pronounce the name Groningen ...
Status symbol?... a bike?... huh?!
I know... they have no clue.
Brozius They are right. It might not be a status symbol in the north but it definitely is in a lot of cities with higher housing prices.
@@roy_hks it has less to do with status more to do with convenience
RoarofdalioN I also never claimed people rode bikes because of status.
Not sure it's the voice or... But this story did sound super sad! Made me feel sorry for those cyclists. 🤗🤪
🤣😂😂🤣🤣😁😁
@@silverhairdemon 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🌞
@@misterETIO Well don't feel sorry for us because of her voice, we have a lot of fun on our 🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️🚴♂️🌞
They don't wear helmets there. Their brains are functioning well enough, so they don't get into crashes, so they don't need protection. In America though, we need protection. Because we are stupid, so we fall from our damn bikes ... Helmets are an American obsession.
@Roosje Keizer That was funny ! Let's keep your idea secret though. Somebody here may write a law to force us to wear helmets in the shower ...
@Sázhe M. Epifanne If you want to wear a helmet, by all means wear it at any time. Even in the shower, as Roosje said, because lots of accidents happen in the shower. Nobody told you to not wear one.
What I was saying is that it shouldn't be a law to force me to wear a helmet, when I don't want one, when I don't need one, and after half of a century of trouble free cycling in 5 countries. Look at the video we are commenting on ! All those people don't wear a helmet. Except one, which is probably American.
@Sázhe M. Epifanne Maybe you should look at who you are replying to before making statements like that?
In the Netherlands most people ride a bicycle, and falling with your bicycle is a big part of learning to ride one as well as riding around in less than ideal weather circumstances.
That doesn't mean that most Dutch cyclists aren't "serious bikers". On the contrary, those bicyclists riding racing bicycles and mountain bikes tend to wear helmets. The majority of Dutch people don't wear helmet while riding a bike, and that's not because they are unaware of the potential risk of falling off or falling with a bicycle or that they don't see the use of a helmet in particular situations.
With separate bicycle lanes and separate traffic lights, with bicyclists having the same right of way as cars, with most car drivers also being bicyclists and being very much aware of the vulnerability of bicyclists, there simply is a very different attitude towards bicycles participating in everyday traffic here.
@Roosje Keizer But in other countries it is indeed dangerous to cycle, so there is a good reason to wear a helmet. It is really necessairy that those countries invest in cycle infrastructure.
@Sázhe M. Epifanne You are clearly not letting facts get in the way of a good old fashioned black and white view.
Maybe you should have a look at this video that compares the UK and Dutch approach to bicycle infrastructure and and wonder why the Netherlands has one of the lowest head injuries rates for bicyclists in the world, despite so few bicyclists actually wearing helmets...
ua-cam.com/video/zq28fU2AuMU/v-deo.html
But if your other replies under this video are any indication, you'll just ignore the facts and continue to spout your biased and completely inaccurate views, despite being proven wrong.
"I Lived In The World's Cycling City & This Is What I Learned"
Cyclists are fricking dangerous.
Not too many cyclists in the Netherlands though, but plenty of people riding a bike.
My hometown ♥️
groningen is ok
"The higher educated see bikes as statussymbol" Such nonsense, outside of the netherlands cycle culture is relegated to tofu eating snobs that want to lecture everyone they come across about their co2 footprint. The working classes here have embraced the bike more than anyone. And yes i live in groningen. We al grew up like this.
I'm pretty sure only expats view the bicycle as a "status symbol". Nobody in my life has ever viewed his or her bike as such, and living close to the workplace is completely normal for most so it cannot be to "show off" how close you live.
I've heard this lie in many other videos, nobody is able to come up with a reputable source. Can you? Or, did you, like most other foreigners who make videos on the bicycling culture here, just blindly copied what was said by others without doing your own research?
To add to my story I used some information from this blog about cycling in the Netherlands by a Dutch man who has 50 years of experience in cycling in the Netherlands. In one of his articles he says: "To the higher social classes the bicycle is a status symbol, with which they give subtle signals to other people, such as “I live so close to my work that I can cycle”." You can read it here:
bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2018/01/02/dutch-cycling-figures/
@@Ricetraveler
Well, yeah, kind of... I guess.
I don't know where BicycleDutch got his information from.
Purely subjectively I noticed the following:
The "higher classes" can afford more expensive bicycles.
For instance a €5,000 "Urban Arrow" electric cargo bicycle for family transportation.
Or a €2,000 "VanMoof S3" electric bicycle for the business man (used to be €3,000).
In contrast, the "lower classes" use more of the following:
A €1,200 pedal powered "Babboe City" bicycle for family transportation. Thus without electric assist.
A €500 "Batavas Old Dutch" bicycle for the blue collar worker.
And a certain percentage buys secondhand bicycles for about half these prices (or less).
For the latter see, among others:
www.marktplaats.nl/a/fietsen-en-brommers/fietsen-bakfietsen/m1588867842-bakfiets-london-cab.html?c=08c285449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr
And:
www.marktplaats.nl/a/fietsen-en-brommers/fietsen-heren-herenfietsen/m1588812583-sparta-herenfiets-28inch-3-versnellingen.html?c=a2384ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr
You can also buy new bicycles for these (secondhand) prices.
But, as a rule, you then accept extremely crappy quality.
Here is an example of a low quality (possibly crappy?) bicycle:
www.gamma.nl/assortiment/l/auto-fiets/fietsen/omafietsen
There is a wide quality range among bicycles in The Netherlands. Even within the same brand name.
And a layman can hardly see the difference.
Tip:
For a poor student studying in the city it is wise to buy a legal(!) relatively decent secondhand bicycle for around €100-150. And then spent an additional €50 for a second bicycle lock for securing your bicycle to a tree, lightpole or some other unmovable object.
How do you say "I'm a horrible person" without saying "I'm a horrible person"?
First you tell her it's a lie (as being a fact) and then you ask her if she has a source!? You of course know already every person in the Netherlands, so you know for sure nobody ever sees it as a status symbol. Never heard of the grachtengordel GroenLinks voters for example?
And according to you we also don't have rush hours here, because most people live close to work, right?
Ignorant dumb*ss
wow everything you just said is wrong
alisa. marry me.
Yet another video praising the Dutch for embracing cycling that conveniently omits to mention that Holland is mostly FLAAAAAT
So you don't even need to own a bike you just grab one, when needed, and go.... Because you could never find one you left once you park it...
SolarizeYourLife This makes no sense at all. Bicycles have locks...
It is as easy as finding your parked car, just remember where you left it and what it looks like. If you have bad memory paint it bright pink.
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