Cycling across Europe in the pandemic - BBC World Service Documentaries
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2021
- Over a billion euros has been invested in cycling across Europe since the start of the pandemic. Some of the continent's biggest cities are being transformed as people seek alternative, safer, greener ways to move around.
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Anna Holligan travels across Europe to see how people are getting on their bikes and asks if the surge in cycling is the start of a much bigger change in the way we travel.
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The cab driver was saying with frustration, "This used to be three lanes. Now it's only one." And I'm just thinking, "Fantastic news!"
Yeah I was definitely playing a violin 1mm in size hearing his story
So sad that now he can only drive in all the other streets in the city.
Reducing the number of lanes didn't affect the number of cars on the road but means they are sitting in more traffic which is far worse for the environment. I'm not saying you should feel bad for him, but not properly planning to allow both cars and bikes to coexist efficiently will cause a load of problems for safety and the environment.
@@SeaBananers In the long run it will, more and more people will change from cars to other means of transportation because it won't be worth to sit in traffic. More lanes creates more traffic and more pollution.
@@SeaBananers Reducing the number of lanes makes it impossible for there to be the same number of cars on the road. Those people are now traveling by other means, which are surely greener by default.
Dear world, don’t look up to USA, look up to Netherlands instead!
Netherlands is easy biking, its flat. My family is from the Netherlands, been there done it. Not so much where I live. lol....and I do ride, but usually drive my bike to other places to ride it.
I hear NY makes good progress actually. From what I've seen more than my city in Germany.
@@moquii5892 If you are afraid of the elevations wherever you live, there is this new thing called the E-bike and it does most of the work for you, or you just cycle them hills and get stronger legs
Fair point in this regard. Much of USA's expansion was done around/after the invention of the Automobile, so its laid out such that you NEED a car to get around. I lived in a small city on the east coast, and even getting basic groceries I usually needed to drive to a supermarket. Don't even get my started on parking in a city.
@@SirBrittanicvs A suggestion: ua-cam.com/channels/0intLFzLaudFG-xAvUEO-A.html
A channel called Just Not Bike, from a canadian who moved to Netherlands seeking for a better place to live.
As an Italian I'm so embarassed by the Milan part... How stupid is from taxi drivers to complain about more bike lanes! Jesus, they should be the ones who benefit from a reduction of private cars in the city center...
Well, its somewhat understandable. That taxi parking area pretty much fucked up, (and any parking area the same story) if they have to go through the bike lane they risk too much. The two should be cnahged up., the bike lane should be inside so it is protected from car traffic, increasing the safety of the cycling people.
Gabriele, his attitude is not "Italian", it is "car driver". To me Italy means the most beautiful bikes in the world (Colnago, Pinarello, Ciocc, Fondriest, Rossin, Bianchi) and the Giro D'Italia.
They could benefit if the infrastructure is good. But it is just starting to develop in the most cities. It takes some time. Let them look at dutch cities to see how infrastructure can make driving a car easier.
Gabriele is so right. Unfortunately, the Italian addiction to cars is as unshakeable as it is unsustainable.
Hello from Copenhagen.
You meet that way of thinking everywhere, including here in Denmark. "More cars is better transport. Bicycles is a luxury for the elite, and bike lanes steal real estate from us, the people. Woe is me".
One would think that car drivers would appreciate the less congested streets whith fewer cars. The more people who take the bike, the more room there is for the elderly and disabled who have no choise.
As a person from England who passed his driving test in 1982, it was a joy to drive a car at first. But then roads became increasingly gridlocked that by 1995 I gave up driving to do my 11-mile commute by bicycle, which I've done ever since. I found that cycling kept me fit and very healthy. My waistline has not increased a single inch in 25 years, and the last time I visited the doctor was 2001. Cycling has amazing benefits, not only for the individual, but for the whole community.
👍 beautiful story!
Amen brother, preach it because people really need to realize how much better it is compared to using a car. These days snowflakes think that they will melt if they get a little rain on them.
I haven't had my license for that long, but a few years of driving and recently putting my car away to move my body has changed the way I feel at a psychological level.
Getting to work, not feeling stressed out and my nerves shot, or getting back home not feeling the rush and madness of traffic and noise pollution is absolutely necessary to my own well being. I seriously hope my home city can make a bigger push in the right direction. We don't NEED cars as much as most want to say we do.
It's beneficial for the well being of everyone; mind and body, for the quality of our air and making the world a happier place.
Cleaner air, safer roads, and streets filled with the buzz of people chatting rather than the chugging and roaring of car engines!
You should
still visit the Doctor for a physical...just sayin...
Can´t imagine not biking everywhere. It´s such a pleasure.
hopefully you know the rules of the road, like crosswalks, the majority of bikers are clueless or too arrogant.
@@donsimpson3935 what an arrogant comment!
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@@donsimpson3935 Actually there is actual research about that. People who commute on bicycles respect the law on average more than car drivers. They also cause less deaths, and the more bycicles on the roads the less accidents are there.
However, I can understand that people hate us for being to aggressive, but it s more of a survival skill, since it make us seen, and most accidents happen when a car doesnt see the bike.
I maybe won't change your mind. But I can offer you an advise. Buy the cheapest bike you can find, and go for a drive, and try to be the perfect person on bicycle. It will help you understand how the other person think. Driving a car made me understand the others better also.
I like my bike too but also like my car .
This video is constantly mixing up cycle lanes and cycle tracks: Cycle lanes are paint on a road, they are useless and everybody can do that - and is doing that and then calling it "cYcLe iNfRaSTrUctUrE". Cycle tracks are separated from road traffic, and they are the GOOD infrastructure that sets the Netherlands apart from almost everybody else and they are what the world needs!
in the UK cycle tracks refers to the national cycle network, dedicated bike routes which are few and far between and usually made from old railways. cycle lanes usually refers to yes, painted lanes, and then segregated cycle lanes- could luck finding many of them in the UK- such as in NL are also just called lanes, but denoted as segregated.
@@tomverseUK The infrastructure in London has improved immensely over the last year to be honest.
Well I know people who gave up their car for an Escooter but now with the clamp down on Escooters they went back to their car.
Surely even if people ride Escooters it's better than driving a car, but in the UK it seems the car is king which means we all have to put up with really stupid people dictating to us what in their mind is a safe vehicle.
Over a million people a year die due to cars, you would think they would have a lockdown on cars until they could make them safe.
Never gonna happen in the UK.
I find it odd that some people think motorcycles are dangerous but bicycles are not, even at the same speed that's another oddity that simply makes no sense.
@@pauladdae3130 Haha.
@@pauladdae3130 It has and not everything can be done overnight but it means that we need a shift in city planning for the coming 50 years just like the Dutch had and still have.
Big cities can’t take any more cars.. cycling is the future.
Thats cos they planned cities that way make chaos then charge you for causing it .
Thats because city's have not embraced the car years ago so no space for parking and no proper road planning , they build offices and houses with no proper parking . A car is a means of transport just like a bike but a car can carry up to 7 people go hundreds of miles and carry lots of luggage , the bike has its place for small journeys to work or local shop and fun but will never replace the car .
Cycling can save the world.
@@christiandelgado1589 no it can't
Not really, Dutch and danish people know how to cycle and cars know how to deal with cyclists but in the uk both cyclists and chauffeurs are only endangering eachother
The thing about biking when you get used to it is you can literally go anywhere and not worry about any gas or parking. And going out also has the bonus of having mini exercise.
Yup, having decent amount of endurance after cycling for 2 months, I would always choose cycling within 60 kilometers from my home and it will be faster than any other mode of transportation. Only thing is when I need to carry very large stuffs.
looks at bycycle parking in the netherlands...
@@minecraftfirefighter Bicycle parking in the Netherlands is becoming a headache for many cities and towns, but for the individual cyclist it rarely is... You can always park your bike somewhere near your destination.
If bicycle parking isn't being facilitated in a smart manner, however, the bikes tend to clog up the streets. The general rule is you have to create viable facilities before you can enforce a ban on street parking in a certain area. Some cities have made some great progress in the past decade. Others have some way to go.
@@minecraftfirefighter still easier to park than if all of those people on bikes were in a car instead
True
Been biking for 4 years and lost 250 pounds in the last 4 years biking really changed my life and out look on life and got me motivated to stay active.
Wow, that's fantastic! :)
Good for you!
Wow, thats a lot. You are so lucky to be able to bike everywhere :(
Paint on the edge of the road not very safe. The Dutch (and Danish I think), have whole lanes dedicated to bicycles. You don't go near the cars. Much safer. This way you will 'send' your kids to school by bicycle.
I hope the 'trend' of "less car, more bike" continues.
Keep safe.
Yeah, saw a video of those freshly made bicycle lanes in Paris a few days ago. It was crazy, how many driver just drove on to them against the bicyclists. Im happy to live in NL where its not the preferred way, or the cars are slowed down to not be too dangerous to drive next to them (those type of streets are limited to 30KM/h now).
The new bikelines in Paris are the stuff of which nightmares are made. Worst place I've cycled was Belgium, right next to a provincial road where a lot of people seemed to drive closer to 100 than 80. Also, parked cars on the other side.
Bicycle infrastructure in Denmark is decent, but not as good as the Netherlands. In Copenhangen we have dedicated bike roads ("super highways for bikes"), bike lanes with curbs, etc. On the downside we also have a lot of crossings were the bike lane turns into a turn-right lane for cars, and then you just have to mingle with the heavy trafic.
Here in the Netherlands they are also building dedicated bike highways. So these are build completely separate from the car road infrastructure, and have as little interaction with them as possible. The idea is the same as with car highways, that you can cover a lot of distance on a good surface with as little hassles such as crossings as possible. These are being build so people can easily get from city/town to city/town without requiring a car. They are really a pleasure to use. Cars and bicycles just don't mix, and should be using the same infrastructure as little as possible.
@@Bertuzz84 Some of the bike highways are constructed on former railway (railroad) lines. Like a part of the F59 between Waalwijk and Den Bosch that is on the former 'Halve Zolen lijn'. Or the 'Bels Lijntje' (Little Belgian railway/Railroad) between Tilburg and Turnhout (B). That is no bike highway, but a regular cycle path.
On this part I really hope that this pandemic is a blessing in disguise.
Cycling got so many benefits!
Why they are not wearing mask
under the rein? no thanks
@@renzoqu just wear a raincoat, it will be fine.
I pray that the cycling industry and enthusiasm for the citizens to cycle everywhere, will only get bigger and better...It will improve on their health and emotional welfare to get outdoors and move and interact with people again...This movement is a blessing in disguise from the so called pandemic...
Almost every workingday I cycle to my work (The Netherlands). Distance: by car: 16km, by bike: 12,4 km. Time taken by car: 23 - 27 minutes, by bike: 26-29 minutes.
Wish I could on dry days but we don't all live so close to work 42 mile round trip for me not practical.
@@daztheman6059 I don't know where you are, but in most parts of Europe it's easy to mix modes of transportation, e.g. take the train to the city, and cycle from the station, could be a day rental, or a cheap bicycle you keep at the station.
15km each way for me. 25 minutes by car, here in Toronto. 35 to 40 minutes by bike. And my commute is filled with joy and good health.
@@knarf_on_a_bike Pleased for you if that works.
Netherlands is easy compared to the UK.
Having lived in Erlangen which had adopted the Dutch approach I see this as the obvious way forward. The main thing is you need to create separate bike paths not just paint lanes on the street. When people feel safe not to get run over if they make a mistake a lot of people will happily use a bike instead of a car for daily life.
What a surprise to read about Erlangen in this comment section! It's truly a wonderfull city. Greetings from Franconia!
I completely agree, traffic-segregated bicycle lanes are the key. Bilbao (Basque Country) is now becoming at a toofast pace a "bicycle city", something they didn't even try to do for the last 25 years. They are painting bike symbols in the tarmac and pretend drivers will slow down. Not a safe city for real commuting at all, unless you live and work around the touristic riverside. And there are also only a few places to lock bikes, which hides completely the presence of bikes in the city while they should be doing the opposite.
how do you bike in the rain? how do you bike in the snow with 3 children? Biking isn't practical. Thankk God for cars!!
Painting a lane would be an improvement in the US. Most of the time they just put a bike lane indicator on a tiny shoulder and call it a lane.
What an amazing lady Maartje van Putten is.
Imagine having something as amazing as that as a legacy of your working life - that you helped bring about a seismic change of transport culture that a couple of decades later is the envy of the rest of the world.
I know. She might be the most empowering person I've seen. The "stop the child murder" movement should be thought everywhere.
Taking a pause to note a comment from the interview with the Italian taxi driver.
While you can argue that there people who are not physically able or simply unwilling to cycle, you cannot use the term “new mode of transport”.
People had been cycling (for very large distances too, mind you) for decades in the past, both across Europe and also in the USA. Cycling is not new. It has a very long history and a proven track record in all respects.
There are plenty of good books out there that document how cycling was received and perceived in the age before the dominance of the automobile - which, incidentally, came about mainly because of huge lobbying and not because of people’s preference.
And it could be argued that not everyone is able to drive a car. Poor eyesight, poor reflexes for elderly, and just age for young people. Money for poor. A toddler can use a bike, but it can't drive a car.
Not to mention his comments about taking up space. There he is in a 500kg steel can with 2 lanes either way, while people are squeezed on tiny pavements on the sides, yet somehow adding a bike lane is hoarding space XD
@@MissMoontree But everybody can of course afford to take a taxi everywhere
ua-cam.com/video/swqaAIkGtpA/v-deo.html
The safety bicycle was invented in the 1880s. It's older than the car. Haha!
Started cycling 4 years ago when I sold my car and was searching for a new one. After a couple of weeks of cycling realized I actually don't need a new car to commute around the city.
1 bicycle = 1 person . 1 car = 1 person. Plan for people, not for cars.
actually, 1 car can be for 4 + people and a car certainly has its uses, but for the daily commute cycle RULES.
@@ankurmitra7587 but mostly it’s true 1 car = 1 person. A bicycle can also = 2 or 3 persons (child seat, bakfiets or tandem) and sometimes 4.
@@ankurmitra7587 Agree. But a car also take up space of more than a just 1 bike, specially when parking. I started not just commuting but also running errands and grocery shopping with my bicycle. My motrcycle is gathering dust meanwhile...
@@marcoferraoWell, to clarify the point I would like to say that while cycle is very convenient for northern Europe (where the climate is generally colder) it not so in southern Europe or tropical countries.
In countries near the tropics, the heat is way too much during the summer and an AC car helps a lot ( a sweaty/ tired person is not a suitable candidate for a date/interview/professional setting). Daily extreme rain is also a huge problem in some countries. In the extreme north of Norway/Finland snow and freezing temperatures and snow cover are major hurdles.
Cycles are great both for the body and the city but sometimes nature isn't so accomodating.
@@ankurmitra7587 I don´t know how to put this. Weather is a factor in cycling, I don´t usually go out in the rain for instance. But, I live in Brazil and I cycle back from work at midday, under a hot 38ºC sunny day. It´s not all that pleaseant, but no big deal neither...
So many motorists complain about cities but they forget that they were built before cars and we’ve had to accommodate for motorised vehicles.
Cities don't need electric cars, they need electric bikes and cycle lanes that aren't shared with pedestrians or vehicles...safe cycle parking would probably be asking too much.
Electric bikes in cities can be scary. The high speed setting should only be used in rural places
I've been riding ebikes in London for years there not a problem but there definitely a good option for better social mobility.
@@MissMoontree it is possible to set a maximum pace on these bikes. Manufacturers could do this easily.
@@RV-sx9tt actually it is illegal in most EU countries to have bikes with a speed > 25 km/h. A bike faster than this is viewed as a light moped which may run up to 45 km/h without the need to be pedal assisted. But for such a fast bike you are not allowed to ride on normal bike paths, you are obliged to ride on the road. I think the rules are ok, but the infrastructure oftentimes is very lacking and therefor very dangerous
Electric cars are still cars, they're greener, but not green. Any mode of transport that involves dragging a ton of steel with you everywhere you go cannot seriously be considered environmentally friendly.
I’ve seen more bike paths being made in London over the last year. They are needed in a city that hasn’t much in the way of dedicated bike infrastructure. Car owners complain of being slowed down by bikes, but I’m sure their journeys would be much slower if all of those cyclist drove cars instead.
Yes, as if the cyclist wouldn't exist if he stopped riding a bicycle lol.
Isn't that the age old problem, vehicle drivers always blamed others for the congestion that they themselves are part of. The old solution was to knock down the old city and widen the roads but then even the vehicle drivers themselves started to question the wisdom of that (who wants ugly utilitarian towns and cities) and well, as the population grows it is physically impossible to turn everything into flat tarmac. Vehicle drivers are now a minority in many large cities. Fact. Something the Clarkson brigade conveniently forget. Ill-suited SUVs have the largest market share in wealthy inner-city locations, but where is the pricing structure for space they take up? Then came the disasterous gig economy of de-legislating private hire and turning it "on-demand" thus actually incentivising driving a large empty family saloon about in circles waiting for a pickup. Traffic congestion in London has increased since the gig economy boom of deliveries and the Urber-isation of transport for some years now, it was nothing to do with cycle lanes. It was to do with poor management, duplication and inefficiencies of a haphazard laize faire delivery infrastructure which has the added insult of tax avoidance from the tech giants that enabled it. All of this could have been avoided but particularly for London it suffers from weak city-wide governance where the Mayor verges on the ceremonial and the National Government merely stare at aloof GDP figures and worry about the world view of the inhabitants of Tunbridge Wells.
Yes, London has seen major improvements to cycle infrastructure over the year to be honest.
IN THE RAIN? IN THE SNOW? IN THE FREEZING COLD? Bikes do not work for transportation. The world will never get rid of cars. More trains and 'people movers are needed - take a clue from Disneyland. And fosil fuel should be eliminated.
you are right
As an American cyclist, visiting the Netherlands and Belgium by bike was an absolute dream. I'd heard that there are lots of bikes there, but that really doesn't come close to capturing the reality on the ground that I experienced. It's much bigger than that. I'd always dreamed of living in a bicycle utopia, and assumed that it didn't actually exist here on earth, but I was wrong: I found it in the Netherlands and Belgium, and I was extremely extremely impressed that they made it work so well. Because of my experiences there as a cyclist, I decided that the Netherlands and Belgium belong in their own category: 0th world nations. Bravo NL and BE!
the bike infrastructure is so expansive...on my 35min ride to work from the north end to the south end of the same city i can take the shortest route... with some shared roads and a lot of traffic lights..or i can go 10m out of my way and not meet a single car or any trafficlights...
Seening as how you are so interested and invested in bike and pedestrian-oriented street design and things like that; I would reccoment you the youtube channen "not just biked". There are alot of interesting videos on dutch street design there!
Wow... that’s a long write up... do you write for a living 🤔🤔
'...the road is very well marked to make sure that drivers understand that bikes are also first class road users, and need to be respected and protected.' - I believe that because drivers in Holland also cycle themselves they know the danger they pose to the cyclists they share the roads with. It's also a reason why so few cyclists wear helmets - cars pose less risk than elsewhere.
Alongside the network of protected cycle lanes, Dutch cities have also invested a lot in traffic calming infrastructure that has made them much safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The video ua-cam.com/video/Ra_0DgnJ1uQ/v-deo.html , appropriately named "Why cars rarely crash into buildings in The Netherlands", has an excellent overview of the various types of traffic calming in The Netherlands. As an American cyclist, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
No one takes the car to go from A to B in a city because they WANT to take the car. If cycling is quicker and safe, it is the logical choise. And that frees up the roads for those who NEED a car. It is a win-win for everyone to have proper cycling infrastructure.
yes yes yes!
It's partially untrue. Most people take their cars because never learn to move with another mean of transportation. It's more a question of habitus than of will.
It is also why you need to contraint car drivers to implement a profound change.
@@Cycling4Answers but that is still not because they want to tke their car. But you are right that I didn't also mention this.
My hope is that once adults rediscover the absolute joy (and other huge benefits) of a cycling lifestyle, they will not go back to their auto-centric ways.
That's what I have done. 20 years of car ownership and now car free and loving it. I will never go back!
@@bugsygoo I used to be addicted to cars. Sold mine in 1996. Don't miss driving at all! In an urban environment bikes make the most sense.
I rediscovered that myself and i completely love going everywhere by e-bike. I was always kinda stressed out when driving a car. At the same time when i ride my bike i feel the joy like i am a kid again and always feel so relaxed. Also you get to breathe the fresh air, and smell nature and hear all kinds of sounds. You also tend to discover more new places. Driving the car was just going from A to B like a robot.
@@bugsygoo I really love my fatbike and my plan from getting a used car for my daily commute to work really changed to just an entry level one. In my 1 month of riding my bike an hour every morning lost me 5 pounds already. I'm seeing all bonuses from it.
@@Bertuzz84 just like the days where the only reason why you're biking was to have fun as a kid. Rediscovering it as an adult feels much more invigorating. I am more productive now than ever. And I'm 22 for god's sake how can we live in a world where we're always stressed on something.
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.”
- H. G. Wells
That taxi driver who's surprised that cars don't fit in a medieval city 😂
He doesn't like "new transport methods", like the safety bicycle, which was invented in the 1880s.
@@lakrids-pibe Before the car lmao
The more people who are out of their cars and on to bikes, the less traffic he will need to contend with. He might lose some customers who decide cycling is the better option, but he might gain customers who decide to forego having a car.
Medieval cities were made for pedestrians, horses, carts and wagons.
None of this modern bicycler and cars nonsense !
In all fairness though, life should be made easier for cab drivers. It is the people driving an SUV 4km to work and then back again we need to get rid of. If we could get them to bike etc and then use the cab when they actually need a car the problems will be largely solved.
That taxi driver in Milan should be worried about Uber-like services, not bicycles and bike lanes. Personally, I'd like to see a lot more bikes, taxis, delivery vans, and almost no private cars. It was really annoying to hear the person interviewing him react to bike lanes the way she might react to trophy hunters killing the last pandas.
Absolutely. This guy should understand that with less private cars on the road, he can perform a better service. If cities become congested, people will opt for other modes of transport.
@@gerbrandlub also, he will probably get more customers, not less. If I can go 95% of the time by bike, I will not buy and own a car but simply call a taxi for the last 5% of my needs. But if I can't cycle, and own a car, then I will never take a taxi. Why would I when I already own a car?
As a proud Dutchman I saw this revolution and feel it's such a joy and green and healthy thing, to bike everywhere.
I've bought a new mountain bike during covid. Best thing I could've done in my life.
And ou will very soon switch to a gravel bike. Believe me)
@@user-lu1lg3ud7b Or to a turing one. with lots of pennier.:D
Good to hear, now almost every cyclist will try to convert you to their cycling niche :) It's kinda nice that people try to include you in "their thing"
@@W1DO because bicycle world is a huge sect in it's best sense😏
You are now addicted. Welcome to the club! Seriously.
Its actually faster and cheaper for me to cycle to work and most everywhere else in my city than go by public transport or car. I only wish drivers would learn that their big bulky machine isn't more important than actual people. Taxi drivers should be embracing a shift away from personal vehicles. It will cause cities to be more dependent on them for the journeys that aren't do able by bike while also removing irresponsible drivers from the road. Less personal cars also makes less parked cars as taxis don't park up for whole days but individual cars do. Overall people can't honestly think that having a personal vehicle is going to remain normal forever. The climate emergency caused by the burning of fossil fuels will inevitably cause expensive sanctions on the polutors. Not to mention space is going to become more at a premium as time goes on, and cars ( even tiny smart cars) take up huge amounts of space. The average individual should not have their own car! It is easy to live without a car for many people, you just need a pinch of planning and a bit of effort.
I, too, am a cycle commuter. 15 km each way. It takes me about 15 minutes longer by bike than car. I live in Canada's largest city, Toronto, and there aren't many places that are more than an hour away. Who needs a car? And imagine how beautiful our cities - and the rest of the world - would be without (or with far fewer) cars!
Taxi drivers could also just switch to electric passenger bikes that are more affordable, cheaper to run, can use bike lanes and don't cause lung cancer.
I'd recommend a best option: car sharing system. If the government (or businesses) started setting car sharing then there will be no need for owning a car, thereby reducing congestion, tackling climate change and fuel, maintenance, parking, insurance etc. costs. A personal use car remains stationary for most of the time, that doesn't seem logical for buying a new one.
@@knarf_on_a_bike You must really be motoring to only add an extra 15mins. I travel 20kms by car in 15mins average bike time is around 60mins. To only add an extra 15mins means you were stuck in traffic or on motor bike.
Great to see that cycling is booming in Italy and France. Never waste a good crisis, like we didn’t in The Netherlands in the 70’s.
The story of the bicycle is so romantic. One of the inventions we would bury in our tomb to use in the afterlife.
Here in the the South of England motorists tend to despise cyclists. They’re seen as a massive inconvenience when held up for a few seconds. We need a major shift in attitude and infrastructure. Sending children to school on bike is just dangerous as the cycle lanes are awful.
It's the same in much of North America. Here in Toronto it's slowly changing, but not fast enough.
Cars are always treated as weapons. Should be a instant permanent driving ban if they touch a bike.
@@super-sim1665 100%
Part of the reason I moved to France was the homicidal tendencies of British motorists. My commute from Chiswick to Kensington through Shepherd's Bush each day was terrifying and the bike lanes were a joke.
I know exactly what you mean. I'm Dutch and lived in London for 1,5 years. I was too scared to go on a bike, and it would just be an inconvenience. Beacause there are barely any parking spaces for bikes, so you couldn't ride your bike to the tube/train station, because there was no place to leave it safely. And cars seem to get out of their way to cut off cyclists...
The politicians don’t get kickbacks from cycling industry...
yet
Explains why nothings happened here in my town here in the UK.
@@louise6395 Which sucks because Boris Johnson, other things aside, is actually a huge advocate for cycling. He's the reason why London a decently good cycling network, everywhere else though, not so much.
@@irrelevance3859 From what I can see from videos posted by cyclists cycling in London, it looks like an absolute nightmare and most of the cyclists don't look safe enough to tie their own shoe laces!
@@thepub245 agree it is scary regardless, it’s not the best but compared a lot of England it can be called good. Other cities don’t have close to what London has. So you get maybe some measly, worn, white lines at the side of the road or you’re on the road completely or just force the pavement if it’s not safe. They’ll be a place or two with a good segregated cycle track but it just disappears after a couple metres usually
If future Europeans want to cycle better, they have to take cycling lessons at primary school, just like in the Netherlands. At primary schools in the Netherlands, children are given a theory and practical exam for cycling.
We had cycling lessons in Victoria, Australia back in the 70's. We never had a practical exam as such but we were taught the road rules and how not to get run over.
We used to have a cycle proficiency scheme for kids in the UK. I think I did it when I was 10, about 45 years ago 🙄 I am fairly sure that the version I did is long gone, however.
I live in the german federal state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. We also had theoretical/practical lessons and a final practical exam. Even the police came to our school to teach us how to drive safely
In Germany we have that. There are mini courses with street signs and „obstacles“, run by the local police. Also you learn how a street safe bike should look like.
I didn't learn how to ride a bike in primary school, my parents did teach me that. School is just for traffic rules. Fietsexamen is fun, but it isn't that required.
I used to take the bike and then train to work from The Hague to Leiden. Now I got an electric bike and I bypass the train entirely! Best decision of my life :)
The taxi driver... god.. the same shit all over again and again and again that I have heard a million times even before the pandemic. A car centered man sees nothing but cars and cars only.
Needs to get a pedicab (there are electric assist ones too!)
The thing is. I can understand his frustrations. The way that bike lane was set up where the taxi drivers need to cross into it each and every time they need to park is not only annoying, but dangerous. The only thing he got wrong is that it's not the (increase in) cyclists that are at fault, but the infrastructure architects who did a poor (and cheap) job at re-designating this street.
@@Caelo1 It's patently insane that they didn't keep parking close to the road, and cycling close to the sidewalk. I also noticed that the sidewalk was easily 4m across. Now, I'm a huge proponent of wide, raised cycling lanes _and_ wide sidewalks, but it seems to me like they could've saved everyone some space and built the cycling lane on the already raised sidewalk.
Either way, the most important point is this: cycling infrastructure should be treated as if it was humans close to cars, because it is. That means stacking the danger levels in favor of the humans. Best practice is road -> obstacle (like a parking lane or street trees) -> *raised* bike lane -> slightly raised sidewalk. If you can't raise the lanes, at least put in physical dividers, because "bicycle gutters" kill real human beings.
"Man who makes money in car doesn't like plan against cars." What a shocker.
@@MaxMineur Well if he did research and not just complain all the time he would found out that improving the conditions for public transport, cycling and walking would move more people into using them. And by so it would free up space for those who absolutely need to drive a car. Including him. But no. If you take anything from drivers it's always bad. If you remove public transport, cyclelanes and sidewalks in front of new car lanes and therefore force everyone to their cars and making the traffic much worse is apparently better. I guess people want to spend even more time in their cars while moving at a snails pace to work.
19:13 'pulled over by police for cycling with earphones'.. that's been discussed in Australia but swiftly ruled out, as that would make riding while hearing impaired a traffic offence and cycling organisations pointed out that vehicles are allowed sound systems that impair hearing as much as earphone wearing.
The funny thing is:
If you are pulled over by police for cycling with earphones, you technically should be pulled over by the police for driving an electric car, since those are soundless as well (And as such, dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians as a result).
Imo, cycling with only one earphone in is fine (that's what I do), but cycling with both in is pretty foolish. I used to listen to my music through a speaker while riding, but I ride at night sometimes and I realised that people might not appreciate me riding past their houses at 9pm with my music blasting.
@@nickdentoom1173 fallacy; EV's may have silent electric motors but their tyres make just as much road noise as ICE vehicles and tyre noise is the loudest noise with most modern ICE vehicles at speeds over 30 kph.
dutch didnt do it overnight either but instead we looked at a road that had its plumming done and we said, the road is already opened up to put new pipes in. if you put in some new bricks and the street is fixed. we did this over a 30 year period and it didnt cost us a gigantic budget to do it overnight. slow but steady we work to a better tommorow
There are so many pro's for more cycling infrastructure in congested and polluted cities. For the efficiency, health, economy and happiness of its inhabitants. Glad to see it embraced more.
its not the total answer a cycle can't fulfil all your needs. not mine anyway .
@@daztheman6059 you'd be surprised how accommodating bikes can be
from delivery bikes that could easily carry, say, a washing machine
to bikes used by people that have lost, or otherwise cannot use their legs.
or other bike lane legal vehicles that can for example carry up to 8 kids
cars and trucks won't go away, but there are few things that a car can accommodate that a bike cannot
@@Oldschool_Gamer_ I don't think my electrical store will deliver me a washing machine on a cargo bike it will be in a electric van with lots of other deliveries the bike is not the answer to all transport problems .
didn't say it was.
nor did i say it would carry every washing machine bought online, just that it could be used to carry such things.
for most traffic on the road, there is a bike capable of pretty much the same thing
and for the rest, cars and the like will continue to exist
@@daztheman6059 Yours probably wont do it anytime soon, ours here in NL does it pretty often. ANd just regular people on regular omafietsen are a usual sight to carry way more than what i think safe to carry.
Let's hope it's not just a fad. Melbourne has the best bicycle infrastructure in Australia and in the past year that's improving even more so. Less cars is better for so many reasons.
I was a cyclist in Melbourne back in the 80's and 90's. There was no infrastructure and bike couriers accounted for most of the bicycles on the road. You took your life in your own hands back then. When I visit Melbourne now I can barely believe just how many cyclists that there are and how much effort has been put in to keeping them alive.
It seems like a ton of the crazy driver nearly kills biker videos comes out of Australia. Is that accurate or just my perception based on UA-cam recommendations.
Things are decent here in Boston MA, but we have a long way to go.
You guys have that terrible helmet law though
The bike lanes just need to be better signposted. I am thankful to the person who spray painted directions on the Berwick to Brighton and Berwick to Jells park paths. Without that info I frequently get lost such as on the sctochmans creek path which is so badly signposted. If we can signpost roads why not bike paths.
The money saved is huge ! I stoped driving years ago life gets better .
As a car lover, I whole-heartedly support cycling.
As said in Top Gear, "Give them an inch because they have given you a mile."
The trio has said a lot of anti-cycle statements especially Jeremy Clarkson but even he travels his commute on a bicycles occasionally.
Back in the early 70's as a 15 year old I discovered cycling in Germany. I feel in love with riding all around and I never lost the love of riding a bike! The freedom one has and the people one will meet while on a bike path can't be beat. I'm putting together for the second time in 3 years a biking and hiking trip through Germany,Austria and Switzerland with my two buddies. We call ourselves The Rolling Bones! I'm so glad the world is starting move away from cars when possible.
GEKOLONISEERD! and I recommend the channel "Not just bikes" on civil infrastructure, mobility and cycling.
^^this
The U.K. response was not the same in my experience. The Dutch were buying 5k e-cargo bikes, while Brits were dusting off £100 rusty old supermarket bikes and riding round the block a couple of times. Buying a top end cargo bike would be considered impractical and expensive by most families in the U.K. While in The Netherlands it’s seen as entirely logical because they have the infrastructure to make it not just viable, but better, cheaper and way more fun than a car.
And in the rest of Europe, the covid cycling measures were not all considered entirely temporary as they were here. U.K. councils put them in place with no intention to grow cycling in the long term. They couldn’t wait to get rid of all of them, and here in West Sussex, they went against all the statistics that showed no difference to journey times, no difference to emergency vehicle access, and a big growth in the number of people riding. And that’s despite the lanes themselves being incredibly poorly implemented. I saw kids trying to ride them and they didn’t even know whether to be on the road or pavement.
I really don’t know what the future holds. I can’t see a truly pro cycling government or council coming in here in the foreseeable future. And we need massive change now for so many reasons. Climate crisis, obesity, pollution, congestion etc. So the change is going to have to come from the people. I can’t imagine that happening, but it has to happen somehow.
Sad to say it's not in our culture yet. E bikes are our biggest hope.
@@anthonystafford8562 e-Bikes are definitely the only way to break through to mainstream people for many reasons.
But I really don’t have much hope for the future of this country. We’ll see. Maybe it can be turned around.
The horrific state of British infrastructure and complete ignorance of local councils were big reasons why I left the UK. I don't understand why overweight balding middle aged British men hate bicycles so much.
@@JellyFlavoredGerman It’s tempting to leave honestly. I’m 33 now and I’m going to waste the rest of my 30s living here and hating it.
Rest assured, the 5k e-cargo bikes arent the most populare here in NL either. NO, its the omafiets. Similarly eons old desing like the Coventry safety bike desing. And a lot of those bike sare similarly aged: eons old. :D But they are cheap and super reliable.
Not just bikes is an awesome UA-cam channel. You all need to see that.
I'm using an electric unicycle. Got one this pandemic and it's awesome, love it.
And to think the UK was the largest manufacturer of bikes in the world 100 years ago...and just look at us now :(
@@1234hijs Think you're about 200yrs early.
A bit of a similar story with trains, trams and buses.
Got there first, and now we're the worst 😂
Yes I still have an old Raleigh gentlemen’s bicycle from 1960’s I wonder if parts for this one is still available!?
Uk was largest manufacturer of bikes a lot more recently than 100 years but pretty much all bikes are now made in China.
Urban planners better design for livable cities and restrict motor vehicle use. Don't forget cycling is an balancing act. Make these covid changes permanent. I wish London the best making several U turns.
But those businessmen who deal with oil and car business will do everything in their power to get hold to those politicians that are in favour of the cycling movement.
I don't think the pandemic changes should be made permanent, but the philosophy of cycling should stay. Most of these pandemic changes are quickly made. While ideally you want a long term, thought out infrastructure plan that incorporates cycling. This should merely be a first step.
Don't interview the cab hacks. They just don't want to lose business to people who will get themselves places on bikes.
Go places on your bike and you get yourself there in a better shape too.
And they are blatant fascists!
Once a year in September, there is “car free Paris”. Most Parisians don’t have a car.
We need to get rid of cars here in California! It makes no sense--some of the best weather in the world and we spend a majority of our time stuck in traffic!!!
Not me. I don't drive. I'm independently poor. I bicycle & use mass transit everywhere I go.
i live in Alabama i got my first bike in 25 years lectric xp i have been riding it daily everywhere Alabama does not have any bike lanes have to ride with cars not to bad though
Āmen.
California the home of virtue-signalling, human faeces and needles on the sidewalk.
As a Dutch person i can only encourage this since we have good bike infrastructure everywhere, and its awesome to get around that way.
4:45 the reporter is sitting down with them and sharing their picnic, and smiles at the kid and mother..what a good reporter
"the people of Italy aren't ready yet for this change" people are ready to use any transport as long as it's easy, quick and safe! If the safest is the car, then people use the car.
The saying 'build it and they will come' has never been truer than for bike infrastructure
The Taxidriver get's a lot of time to complain about bikes. i understand the man makes money with his car, but there is just no justification to keep adding more and more cars into European citycenters. There is just no space for them anymore.
Freddie Mercury knew something due to dedicating Queen's song to a bicycle:)
C'mon everybody, listen to it right now and go biking!😉✌️🚴
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For "cars", say instead "drivers". Cars are just machines. Drivers are the people that use them.
While I see where you're coming from, people often use phrases like 'the Motorists' and 'those Cyclists' as a way to form an us-verses-them dynamic and blame a group for a problem caused by transport politicians and crony capitalists. Putting your hands on a steering wheel or a pair of handlebars doesn't automatically subscribe you to some tribe that you now have to represent. Better phrases would be 'people driving' or 'people cycling', or better yet, just cars and bikes.
If you're going to be a bit more poetic about it, you could say that someone in a car is not really visible most of the time, maybe only as a vague shadow, while someone on a bike has a visible face and body language that makes the human the focus. People might say 'cars' because all you see externally is the machine, you communicate using lights and a horn, while people cycling communicate with a bell but also by hand gestures and simply talking to a fellow traveller as you go along. So the driving experience is about interacting with lots of large machines, while the cycling experience is about interacting with lots of other people.
Absolutely loved this video! Makes you want to move to Europe! My favorite part was Peppino Drali, making bikes at 92 years old, so cool : )
The car is so intimidating, and was allowed to become the ruler. Pedestrians didnt give up the streets easily if you watch old films cars had to almost steer around them . Now it should be the bicycle that rules.
It didn't happen "overnight". This is literally what it looks like when you have a multifaceted approach to a single target over decades.
As a kid in the UK, I relied totally on my bike for transportation. I moved to the US in 1976 and in the 90s I purchased a racing bike mainly for fitness. At the age of 68, I just purchased an electric bike to commute daily to my daughter and son-in-law’s house. While my home town in Connecticut has some bike lanes close to schools, it (and the rest of the United States) needs to look to Europe and follow their bike friendly development.
This makes me happy
Thank you for this video! It is so refreshing, full of hope and definitely optimistic about this massive adoption of bicycles in our cities !👍🙏
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My office building has more bike park spots then car park spots.
Love my bikes, love cycling, 35 miles done today
There’s a lot of good news in this video, and of course we can hope that the trend to increased use of bicycles continues. The Dutch have been so smart, perseverant, and successful....maybe we should just let them tell us how to do it. They already know how, eh?
Many European cities are already working with Dutch experts to learn from their experiences. There is hope!
Someone tell that milanese taxi driver that the ideal city is the one with zero cars in it
I was thinking kind of the same: If they reduce the lanes, less people will go by car, and the result is, he has free roads to do his work (I still think that taxi & bus is okay even in a car free city). But you know, sometimes it takes longer for static minds to see the paradox.
Yeah the man's talking about the challenge of driving in medieval city centers while I'm like "well, medieval centers shouldn't have cars at all"
@@SBKWaffles Yet you'll expect those cities to provide you with goods and services, so how do you advocate those goods arriving to all those shops, by parachute? How does the electrician, plumber, technician get to jobs? On a bike with a very big basket?
@@deaddoll1361 There are cities in Norway, Denmark and Sweden that workers deliver good and services via bicycles and very small electric cars , so it can be done. It takes people who are willing to modify this car centric behavior that oil and automotive corporations have brainwashed society for so long. I am not for abolishing car all or petrol transportation all together but riding my bicycle around the city and seem twenty five cars with one occupant and they are all going withing 1 to 3 square miles of destination and having to park all these cars into dead spaces of concrete while you could use this space for a garden , a park or playground seems to me a waste of time. It can be done but humanity has to eradicate this car paradigm and start looking into a better functioning infrastructure. I saw plummers with cargo bikes carrying their tools and materials and able to do their work so again, it can be done.
@@deaddoll1361 Cargo bikes, obviously.
Don't think in problems, think in solutions (Like the Dutch).
I live in San Francisco Bay Area and see more bike lanes and paths which are attracting more people to pedal which was great to see. I bought an e-bike myself to ride more and farther.
That is how it works. I am Dutch and tired of hearing that it is in my culture or something like that. No it isn't, whenever a city invests in the infra, the bikes will come, why?, it is cheap, easy, healthy and FUN.
When it comes to bike infrastructure, I always admired the Neatherlands.
I love cycling 😍 I wish my country have more bicycle riders. Because is healthy and fun, also save the environment.
Cycling sets you Free 🤩!
10:17 Nobody tell the sweet old man that nobody goes out to buy a newspaper anymore.
Great video journalism! I just recently got back into cycling after over 15 years with no bicycle. I now have a high end mountain bike and road bike . Getting healthy is much easier when doing something fun and exhilarating like cycling! Greetings from central Florida, USA 🤩🇺🇸
I'd love a follow up a year or so after the pandemic to see whether or not cycling is really taking of long term in Europe, and not just here in the Netherlands.
build the safe cyclist paths and the cyclists will come
im from portugal and at least in my city a small bike infrastructure was built and it's still being used. The only problem i see with the lanes is that too often they stop randomly and then you have to cycle in the road until the next bike lane, or they change to the old "paint on the edge of the road" which is not only unsafe for cyclist but also unconfortable for drivers (lose-lose). I was lucky enough that a lane passes near my house and goes on continuously until a train and bus station so i've been using that almosy everday (i rent a bolt bike whuch is not cheap at the end of the month but MUCH cheaper than buying gas) but there could be many more streets for bycicles imo. If there were i and many others would completly give up on cars. The only people who dont like it are drivers and the ones who have to drive bcs they have no lanes conecting to where they want to go. Old people sometimes get mad bcs of bolt trotinetes (idk the name in eng sorry) bcs they sometimes go too fast when the bike lane stops and they have to drive o the part where people walk
So proud of France!
The Netherlands might be the best example of a destination, but France is the best example of the path to take to get there.
Sorry to bust your buble but France do not come even close to the Netherlands.
They built one cycle lane in dorset. All other cycle ways area are converted shared areas. People walk side by side on the paths and cars park on the lanes marked on the road.
I live in America, I started riding my bike instead of driving about a year before the pandemic started and I haven’t really noticed much of an increase in people cycling or any new cycling infrastructure, at least in my area. The bike shops were empty for a while though.
Can it be just coincidence that all the cities with the worst pollution levels had the most cases of Covid 19, as well as the most people hospitalised 🤔
Pollution def doesn't help if you catch covid. We should care more about air quality.
big cities has lots of citizens which is logical, if most of those people don't have an alternative for the ICE car or ICE moped/scooter to get to their work, you would see higher pollution levels.
I wish the USA would start investing into infrastructure redesign. We love our cars to much, I'm hoping this will change
It's sad because vintage American cruiser bicycles are the most beautiful bicycles ever produced in my opinion, but now you're left with barely any safe places to actually ride them.
Two years later and the cars are back, big time.
Yeah. It p!sses me off. People are dumb and lazy. Now I'm going to have to go back to using my e-bike that can do the speed limit, even though I'd much rather cruise around on one of my regular bikes. Thanks car drivers 😮💨
Outstanding reportage! We’re yet work in progress in the embrace of the bike in San José, Costa Rica!
Thank you for not including Germany's cities in this documentation. Because over here, nothing changes and drivers are protesting popup bike lanes, and they are getting torn down again. In Hamburg I saw traffic congestion as worse as never before, and empty subways and trains. So in Germoney, car is king!
You do of course still have a deep-rooted car culture in Germany as a major car producer. But let not distract this from the fact that your public transport is undoubtedly one of the best in Europe and that you are definitely among the cycling-friendly countries too (along with Scandinavia and the Benelux). So you can be a bit more proud of this, I say as a Belgian
@@hydrocharis1 Yes you are probably right.. I think they call it "The grass is always greener on the other side" ;-)
@@chriszichriszable Haha yes, that's a concept which is not strange to me as a Belgian (we are maybe even better than Germans are at complaining how bad we have it). However both of our countries can improve a lot still (*cough* Dutch cycling infrastructure *cough*), I sincerely hope for you that the cyclists will get to keep their provisionary cyclepaths after pandemic in the lovely city of Hamburg (in Brussels too there is a major war going on between cyclists and car drivers at the moment).
1:26 that's not Amsterdam... it's Utreg!
Great documentary Anna, thanks!
35 years a 6 year Dutch girl cycled
to elementary 5 days a week. Was it raining? Raincoat on. The car was only used in dangerous weather. The same girl cycles now to work 2,3 times a week. My office has more parking for bikes then for Cars.
As a Californian, I’m very jealous of the Dutch biking infrastructure. Although we have some of the best routes in the world here for cycling as a sport, it is not safe to use our bikes for every day commute.
1:30, that Utrecht, not Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the worst duch city to cycle in. No shit that they wont show amsterdam.
Utrecht>Amsterdam. But on a worldwide perspective Amsterdam is great.
1:02 YAY, guy with electric unicycle. Good to see some people riding them.
You have put together a fascinating and informative piece. Have you considered doing a follow up in the coming years? I hope you will because your “big picture” approach is much needed for such an issue.
It's telling that a *_British_* based company like the BBC makes a documentary on cycling in Europe...without mentioning the abysmal cycling infrastructure in most British towns and cities. Last time I looked at a map, the UK was still part of Europe.
UK has left Europe!
pretty hard to include something which barely exists
@@stuartsutherland7664 from a geographic point of view you are part of Europe unless you can tow the country across the Atlantic
This is BBC World service you clown
It has never been a part of Europe, at least not England....
Hope at least something comes for good after all this, and this is veeeeeery good
Being a citizen of Seoul, struggling for daily commuting cycling, this kinda video just makes me wanna move to Europe
i lost 8 kg just 7 months after taking up cycling,
even though i eat as much as i want.
My fat tummy is gone,
and i feel more healthy and more energetic and feel more young ,
and can move around more easily .
I live in SanFrancisco and the added bike paths have been a great addition to my city. I'd say 80-90% of cyclist's here wear masks, I'm amazed how few people are wearing them in this video.
Masks are only mandatory in enclosed public places in the Netherlands right now
Me as a Dutch person watching to the rest of the world: you're about 50 years too late
Or 40
Never to late to join us ^^
Here in the U.K. we are about 100 years late.
Hold my Carlsberg.
@@TreinspotterSem Better late then never.
I commute to work on 🚲 since 2005. Here is risky.
Salute from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
I would love that here in the states.