Utrecht Winter Evening Rush hour
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- [Ep. 1056] Even on a dark evening at just 0.3°C (32.5°F), this Utrecht intersection is busy with cyclists. The only sounds are the quiet hum of movement-until distant shouting breaks the calm. Watch to the end to find out what’s going on.
More information in the blog post: bicycledutch.w...
I can't be the only one picturing how much space and how many traffic lights/waiting time would be required if everyone were driving.
@@SharedSpacesCities it would be massive gridlock
In every major city in the world, there are massive traffic Jams. Soon enough, there will be cars in great numbers, in gridlocks lasting hours. This will be common occurance .I stopped driving fifteen years ago. Learned from the Dutch. A car is not necessary to live. Cars are a monster that need to be fed and a big financial loss.
And this is not even the busiest cycle path in the city.
And diabetes medicine
That’s exactly what I’m occasionally thinking wagen cycling through Amsterdam around 17 hrs, joined with thousands of others cyclists and hundreds of car drivers.
0:50 It's hard to express to someone from a non cycling nation how rewarding it is to bike with your young children seated in front of and/or behind you. I still long for that period when mine had that age and we were exchanging all the things we saw and heard (preferably fire trucks!) just like the father and his two kids in this video.
Children really like it to sit in the front and dont care about the weather.
The endless conversations i had with my children while riding a bike. They were always disappointed when we went by car.
Happiest kids in the world 💕
Misschien kun jij dat weer als je grootouder wordt 😉
@@tedsteinerIk hoop van wel. En waarschijnlijk genieten grootouders er nog veel meer van omdat ze beseffen hoe tijdelijk en bijzonder het is.
I wonder what he's showing to his dad. Can anyone translate ?
Kudos to you for getting the camera to capture clear images in low light.
As someone who films bad video in the dark, I bow down to a true master of the craft.
Wonderful! Some observations from a Minnesotan: 1) I think I counted maybe 4 people wearing helmets. 2) Front and rear lights are mandatory, I take it. 3) No noticeably overweight riders. I’ll be bringing my bike to the Netherlands in 3 months and can’t wait!
helmet are (mostly) only worn by "special circumstance" people.
for example: small children that are still learning to (confidently) cycle, older people who want some extra protection in case they fall or people with disabilities.
normal able bodied people don't need a helmet.
yes, lights are mandatory, but only during specific times of day. so if you cycle at noon, you don't need to have a working light.
a easy way to know if you need to turn on your light: when the street lighting is on, so should your bike lights be.
or if the weather conditions make it advisable to turn them on, like in heavy fog.
we still have a overweight pandemic, but the people with really heavy/noticeable overweight won't cycle.
they rather use a scooter (what the English language calls mopeds) or a car, because they take less effort to ride.
enjoy your stay in The Netherlands and have fun cycling around, it's amazing and freeing.
Enjoy your stay here!
Cycling here is great...if you combine it with trains you can get anywhere...have fun!
Lights are mandatory in dark hours only, but more and more people carelessly drive without them, until they get hit by a car that is...
The Dutch Cycling Union (de Fietsersbond) is very much against cyclists having to wear helmets. First of we have a very save cycling infrastructure, but most important: forcing cyclists to wear a helmet will make a lot of people cycle a lot less. For instance, people don't want their hair to be flattened by a helmet, or carry around a helmet anywhere.
@@GuusJanssen and as a result, people will take car, and more people die!
You know, this looks so incredibly soothing
Bravo! I never cease to be amazed while watching these videos of yours at busy intersections.
Wonderful demonstration of the total efficiency of the bicycle in an urban setting.
I was aware that these uncontrolled intersections work but I am still amazed how uneventful it is. no one looks scared or angry and I don't hear anyone yelling or ringing bells.
It's technically not uncontrolled. The road over the bridge is the main throughroad and has right of way. The other two roads have sharkteeth (right where the cameraman is standing and on the opposit road. you can see people on these roads yielding for the cyclists that have right of way. There might not be any traffic lights, but there are other ways to control traffic, as seen here.
@@eeffiieejj Yes, but i cross this intersection daily and i hardly ever have to stop. Usually i just slow down a bit and squeeze though the cross traffic.
Imagine uncontrolled intersections with this amount of people with cars!
This is so satisfying to watch... Very calming. Am so jealous.
Utrecht, mijn schone stadsie ❤
Behalve in de Drakenburgstraat, daar wordt regelmatig afval op straat gedumpd en niet snel opgehaald.
This used to be a rather quiet spot... Used to row on the merwede canal going under the bridge. The building at the other side is the "Munt" where Dutch coins were made.
Enjoyable video! Great to see so many people using bicycles for everyday life. That water was pretty close to freezing! 🙂
nah, temperatures haven't reached that low this year. Only stagnant waters like in didges and very shallow lakes were able to have some ice on them this year. A bigger (flowing) canal like the one this bridge spans will need at least -5 before ice can grab a hold on it and that will need to last a few days including during day time. I haven't seen lasting natural ice in years.
@@mavadelo Check out the temperature he posted at the beginning of the video.
@@ravingcyclist624 I did, it is above freezing.And I know, this is quite literally a "trust me bro" ;) I have passed that point 340 out of 365 days of the year for the past 40 something years. It will not freeze shut there untill it is proper freezing, It never has before. It was nowhere near to freezing shut. as I said, -5 is about what it will need to be (at night) and during the day it needs to remain below 0 celcius. "water freezes at -0;1 celcius" .. yeah.. given the proper conditions and purety of the water it does. Change some variables and it won't.
@@mavadelo Hopefully he'll give us water temperature next time.
So civilized and pleasant. Basically the opposite of the U.S.
'WhY dOn'T eUrOpEaNs BuY oUr CaRs?!'
This is why. No tariff will change that.
Not entirely true. There is a Dodge RAM parked just around the corner quite often. It takes up about three parking spots, not cheap in a city.
Where did I say there isn't a single one?
@europeangardenflower9812 Where did I state you did?
But that dodge was bought by a Dutchman, a European.
Just beautiful to watch, with no lights, and a great number of cyclists manage cross-junction extremely cordially.
Good to see so many fit and healthy people.
Such relaxing video. Nice details with day time and temperature. Keep it uploading videos. Greetings from Argentina South Ameria.
Surely the guy at 3:27 is not Dutch. He's waiting ages to cross the intersection. He could have crossed several times
I can Watch this for hours, so relaxing! For people from the US who like their bikes and want to see more, Watch ACTIVE TOWNS !
🥰
Thank you so much!
"but nobody bikes in winter!" cry those, who don't even bike at 20°C (aka perfect weather).
This proves that there is very little need for cars and car-centric infrastructure when you have safe cycle paths. And weather is only a secondary factor and not a deterrent to ride. Brave crowd taking a dip in the cold water.
I grew up there. Lombok.
Every winter we went skating there.
The shouting comes from the trainers of the rowing club(s). They use this part of the canal for training purposes. Crossing Kanaalweg/Leidseweg, with view at "De Munt".
I can tell you haven't watched until the end. That is what the shouting normally is about, but not the day I filmed.
Love these vids ❤
Very beautiful video again. So many people passing by. I wonder if there will be reactions of people that were visible in this video. Cycling, running (or swimmig and shouting)
I got one response. My colleague later said: "you filmed me" and sure enough, while editing I did see him ;-)
Probably the guy at 3:32 ?
@@idem0davidno not him. I did notice him
beautiful
@0:55 the kid is probably pointing at a telecom-mast on the rooftop of a building nearby.
He is, if you look at the street view
THIS IS HOW LIFE SHOULD BE 🥰🥰🥰
Müthiş. Bu kadar çok sayıda insanın bisiklet kullanması harika🎉🎉🎉 otomobil hem gürültü hem hava kirliliği hemde sıkışık trafik demek. Türkiye'de bisiklet kullanmak gerçekten zorlayıcı çünkü araçlar yol vermiyor.
..... bisiklet...... otomobil..... trafik.... bisiklet... Yes.
Yesterday our news had a report of San Mateo California removing a bike lane
I live in the UK.But seeing this you don't realise how far the Dutch have become regarding traffic.Good quality roads no potholes like in the UK.Iam Dutch this is making me jealous.
When the vehicles are bicycles instead of Range Rovers then I bet the road lasts much longer
@@TMC1358the roads for cars and highways are also pretty immaculate in the Netherlands.
Its so clean! Love Holland!
This is not in Holland, but in Utrecht.
Parents, check the lights of your kids bicycles! Dark cloths and no lights is a bad combination. A few Euros and they are much more visible! (On battery with auto on when dark are the best.)
So quiet ❤❤
People swimming in the canals?! Brrrrrrr! 🥶
Student hazing maybe?
I live around the corner from this intersection and there are people swimming all winter. I haven't seen a bigger group like this before though. Normally it's just loners.
@@ffqm Blimey! Tougher people than me. I do hope the loners let somebody know that they are going to swim.
@@tiapina7048 I don't think they always do. But there's plenty of people walking and cycling around at all times.
I also wouldn't swim there in winter. 😅
Wow! Fantastic
I have (and still do) commuted on a bike in Utrecht since late '70's. I started counting with/without lights during the trips. It went from 10 % with and 90 % without to almost the other way around at 2020's. Nice to see, people do take riding in the dark seriously now. Mind you: it was ALWAYS mandotory to have lights on in the dark hours of the day. But students prefered more to bye a beer than a light for a bike. Watch the signs at 08:18: Top in blue "Cycleroute, cars are guests". Underneath, round and red circle > Forbidden for cars (as the poles in the middle of the street clearly indicates). Do not think that 2-wheel motortraffic will obey that sign...
as a student, i can tell you that reason to not have a light is not so much the cost but either "damn it i forgot to bring a light again" or "damn it someone stole my light again"
A big step forward in people having lights on their bicycles is the hub generator and the LED lamp. Both are much more reliable than the old bottle dynamo with its sensitive, unprotected wires and the light bulbs that would burn out every year or so.
Ironically people now need to learn their sweet LED lamps are so bright, that you can blind others with it. Very often they point them straight forward, but they need to be tilted down a bit so the light cone shines about 15m in front of you, rather than straight ahead like the high beams of a car.
I ❤ trains, trams, take a ride, I have a folder on ''transportation''
(folder 2, in playlists) you will love them too :)
At 8:00: "Cycle street, cars are guests. But no cars allowed btw..."
Cars are allowed to come from the other side of those bollards. So be aware that there can be cars is what the sign on this end says.
The occasional (and annoying) motor scooters are really earshattering!
thanks to the rising popularity of fatbikes the number of noisy mopeds is going down rapidly. Fatbikes can be a good thing after all #unpopularopinion
@@ArjenHaaymanDe enige goede ding achter die lelijkerts
@@ArjenHaayman For all the negative options that fatbikes have - near entirely due to illegal modifications to their speed and lack of pedal assistance - one aspect I appreciate fatbikes for is practically always having built-in lights and, as such, increasing the number of people cycling with functioning lights in the dark.
Hey BicycleDutch, I have a question!
I was wondering what the experience is for Dutch children and mobility - what are the different age ranges for different levels of mobility and independence?
I live in the USA, and it’s common in my area for children to never leave the house unless a parent drives them by car. It’s tragic to know how much our kids have lost to the automobile’s dominance in policy and infrastructure in the USA. I would love to know how the experience is different for children in the Netherlands.
Dutch children are voted the happiest in the world and their mobility is exactly the reason why. They can and will go wherever they want from a very young age…
42 years ago i would go alone to my friends and school on my bike. it hasnt changed, except better bike roads
age 8
My answer disappeared completely, one more try.
Depending on where you live, children will go to school walking or biking age 6 and up.
I was 5 years old (first time my mum following me off course) and walking.
By the time I was 7 I went everywhere on my bike within the neighbourhood.
And schools and shops are often nearby.
Children learn to be in traffic by sitting on their parents bike an visualize their surroundings.
And although this traffic looks chaotic, when you are in it it is very logical.
Off course children are raised with traffic-rules.
Off course you do not see children in the busiest time of rush-hour, but children can be more independent here because we have a completely different infrastructure.
Not Just Bikes explaines a lot about Dutch infrastructure (I learned a lot and I am Dutch and taking everything for granted) and why it is saver.
And yes accidents happen a lot, but are often less serious, because of cars driving slower...
0:56 what was that on the roof? An antenna or something?
Telecom antenne, (4G/5G) for mobile telephony. See street view
Are lights required by regulation after dark? Most have them, some do not. Also, outlaw gas mopeds!
When the streetlights are on, you are indeed supposed to ride with lights. (mandatory yes.) But it looks like it is still bright, and good chance a bunch of people were already on their bikes and didn't bother switching them on. When the police is active checking (and fining) it is almost always when it is darker.
And I am looking forward to the time those will be outlawed. Doesn't look to be happening anytime soon, unfortunately.
In Amsterdam, gas mopeds are already "banned": i.e. those registered in 2014-2024 are still allowed, but any gas mopeds registered in 2025 or later are no longer allowed (and not just in the city centre but the entire city), and I think the start of the exemption will be raised each year so in 2035 no gas scooters are allowed at all anymore.
Of course we have regulations concerning visibility after dark :)
You must have:
- a white light at the front
- a red light at the back
- a red reflector at the back
- yellow or orange reflectors on both pedals (front and back)
- white or yellow reflector stripes on the tires
I don’t see any e-bikes! Everyone using their legs and lungs, how great.
Trust me, you may not see them but they definitely are there. I feel like about 25% of all bicycles are e-bikes these days. Sometimes they're hard to spot from a distance, because the batteries are either neatly packaged in the front down tube, or mounted under the luggage rack.
Sadly, also a lot of kids ride e-bikes, and i feel that's a bit of an issue - they will never build the muscle mass and bone structure benefits you get from actually cycling. The kids put assist on maximum and pedal maybe at 60rpm and let the motor do all the work. But that's their problem.
A bigger issue is the popularity of chinese import e-bikes (often "fatbikes" but you can also find chinese electronics in conventional ones). These are literally childishly easy to remove the 25km/h restrictor from - kids do it by themselves. This leads to 14 year old kids with no high speed traffic experience at all, without helmets or suits, to get into accidents at very high rates. The made in europe e-bikes are rarely de-restricted, the chinese ones are rarely restricted. The kids have no moped license (required if you wanna do more than 25km/h on a motorized bicycle) nor insurance. E-bikes that can do 45km/h are required to ride on the car road and have insurance.
@@mfbfreakI think about this issue all the time. I see so many kids on e-powered scooters, unicycles and bicycles flying through my neighborhood and I imagine that many orthopedic surgeons make a good living off them.
Swiming at 0.5°C...
🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶
😆😆😆😆😆
Interesting to see so few cyclists wearing woollie hats. I tend to assume I'll be OK and go without hat or gloves, although our lowest temps are around 5 degrees. The gloves are in my coat pockets so it's just me being lazy. But I live on a south facing house so it's easy to forget temps can change just around the corner!
Morning rush hour is much busier (and stressful) at that crossing! Wish there were some traffic lights for in the morning because lots of accidents happening there. Also doesn’t help that not everyone sticks out their arm to show what direction they’re going in. Oh well funny there’s a video about it.
Very fun video :)
oh... and maybe it is a fun idea to record the "unoffical crossing" at de Balijebrug? If this blows your viewers minds, that "crossing" will absolutely horrify them lmao
5:35 woman in pink signals left.
Man behind: better speed up so I can overtake her where she's trying to turn.
So...what is this about?? Looks perfectly normal, could be in any city..
Any city in the Netherland, yes. Pretty much nowhere else. That's what this is about.
If a nation were building cycle paths de novo, would you think installing roundabout intersections versus cross streets safer, more fluid?
I'm trying to wrap my mind around the idea of bicycle-roundabouts. It feels wrong to me. When biking, you aim to benefit from being able to ride 'the shortest distance possible'. Roundabouts feel like an unnessecary complication. When biking, you don't ride up to a crossing and see what's happening. You scan the crossing in advance and adjust your speed, so you can use gaps between other bikers and stay in your 'flow'. There's a guy somewhere in the middle of the video who waits a very long time before he makes a left turn. He missed about 5 chances to go earlier. It's also a matter of seizing opportunities. Everyone is used to having to adjust to other cyclists all the time. So my answer would be: no roundabouts. I cycle in Amsterdam daily by the way ; )
@@wielzimmermans1556 Dutch are pioneering masters of urban cycling. Imagine if you had to start again with a hypercompetitive, time-constrained, armed culture with infantilized military-age males and karenites, divided by psychopathic leaders and foreign enemies that exploit personal externalities in identity politics. You know, USA. Think deconfliction.
I've ridden on bicycle roundabouts and I think they're good for very high traffic volumes. But I think the default should still be these kind of intersections.
The municipality is trying to make cycling as easy as possible here with as many uneventful, straight stretches where people can just speed up. So I think roundabouts would take away from that, unless the crossing is shared with lots of cars.
Crossings with a high volume of cyclist seem chaotic but it is not dangerous. Cyclists are quite capable to cope with this situation for a few reasons. They are manoeuvrable with a slow speed. Furthermore they can see other cyclists in the eye which enhances the interaction considerably, i.e. cyclists know instantly what the intentions of other cyclists are so both can anticipate immediately and avoid danger. This video shows a kind of organised chaos but not an unsafe one. I cannot find any collision. Therefore roundabout doesn't bring more safety but it is costly and takes space which is, like in this case, not always available. I'm not sure whether a roundabout solely for bikes would bring more fluidity. I think roundabouts are helpful though when there is a significant volume of cars.
My old city. I know this bridge
With the Mint it's very recognizable! Beautiful building.
wow
Do y’all hate the moped riders? They ruin the vibe.
Yes, and they are very polluting for their size onto a space where a lot of people are very actively exercising/cycling whilst also commuting.
Yeah, but ppl using their phone are worse
There's the good thing; because of electric bikes there are less mopeds around.
Now the electric bikes need some regulation, but they're still better than the mopeds.
Yes! Not only because of the noise and smell, but also because moped riders by and large suffer the most from entitlement e.g. not willing to reduce speed or waiting to overtake until there's enough space to do so. Doesn't help that the overwhelming majority of people riding those things is in the young adult demographic, so being self-centered is kind of part of the deal (I know how I was at that age :P)
Like the person above me said: fatbike riders suffer from the same attitude, but at least they don't produce noise and pollution so that's a win.
Consider the possibility that not everyone is equally fit to ride a bicycle. I've just spent 3 months barely cycling at all because of a knee injury, and there are plenty of people with chronic joint problems. You never know who has a disability and who doesn't - temporary or permanent. You don't realize how limiting it is, until it happens to you.
Furthermore, some moped commuters do trips that would take over an hour to do by bicycle.
Yes, there are lazy fucks around, but using a 70kg vehicle to transport yourself is still better than hauling around 1300kg of steel, which is for them the alternative.
I'm not bothered by them. When i'm cycling i hear them approach, and 15 seconds later they're gone again.
Weaving Dutch style
No 'drop' handlebars there...
You'll find those with commuters who do longer distances. I have two coworkers who run them, but my place of work is on the outskirts of a city with as good asphalt as you can expect. Typically bicycles with drop bars are very uncomfortable over old city streets, and only about half of cycle paths within cities are nice and smooth asphalt. It is also harder to look over your shoulder on one. I've commuted to university in Amsterdam on an old touring bike with drop bars i got for free because i was poor, but that kind of bicycle is hell over old street pavers or tram tracks.
I still have one, it's great to go from city to city if you wanna get somewhere as fast as you'd get there with public transport, but more reliably.
One of my least favorite cycle intersections in Utrecht. It is one of the few ones I actually don't trust most of the cyclers. Itis the entire set-up, both sides of the bridge are iffy, maybe the other side with the skinny little bridge to Lombok even more than this side as that bridge also is in use by cars.
In summer however, despite it even being worse than in iwnter, this is one of my favorite locations (along the entire waterline) to hang out and enjoy the weather.
I especially don't like the narrow bridge as a pedestrian. There's not really room to walk and you need to change sides with all the mad cycling going on.
So nice. Now it's time to eliminate the bike-lane privileges for gas scooters.
In the UK you'd get the "Bully Bikers" thinking they own the road and stuff others as "They" are obviously more important than you 🙄.
It's a joy to watch how the cyclists just seemlessly blend together 😊.
Likely because cycling there can be a lot more hostile due to the threat of cars. I don't think Brits are inherently more aggressive, it's just that cars provide the triple whammy in that
1) It limits who is willing to ride - skews towards fast/confident/aggressive/testosterone-fueled riders, as slower less confident riders may find trying to keep up with traffic too discouraging.
2) the risk of injury from "bully" car drivers has one in a constant state of fight-or-flight. I find this myself, often shouting things I later regret due to the adrenaline rush of nearly being run over.
3) Even the aggressive/bully types that do ride might tone it down/be tempered in an environment where it's not necessary and is likely frowned upon
If it wasn't for the cars, I'm sure, the attitudes and behaviour of those cycling in the UK would probably be more similar to what you might see in a busy underground station
👍
Ah yes. The Dutch braid.
Also I just hate mopeds
What is the Dutch braid?
Its so relaxing to watch people going to places. Except the mopets frick them, so loud and noisy. Lazy people.
Some people can't cycle very far because they're old or have a health problem. Nothing lazy about it.
Well, those mopeds with yellow plates are mostly driven by people who have to drive longer distances. But there are electric mopeds out there. No reason to be really dependent of fossil fusl mopeds! I personally think they should be improved when it comes to fastcharging. Small vehicles ahold also be able to handle q5 minutes charges!
"A bold (and illegal) shortcut". Do Dutch people report these behaviours?
No, the police does not fines these infractions, because the police is understaffed and politicians have instructed the police not to fine cyclists, so cycling will not reduced.
@ But I'm not talking about cyclists. The sentence comes from the blog and it's about the car.
@@tiapina7048 Ok, I understand now.
I don't like people not indicating where they are going. looks ok at this location, but in Zeist for instance cyclists (mainly children and parents bringing their children to school) behave very badly and sometimes quite dangerous.
I suppose that is probably due to the fact you rarely use your bike. This was filmed during rush hour. Everyone had places to go: And people on those bikes know, stop pedaling means a change in direction...
@@paulc8799 LOL, I use my bicycle almost daily.
I don't like the petrol mopeds sharing though.
That so nice to see, and I hope you don't mind, but Ihave saved some of it and set it to music to hide the sounds of the motorised scooters, so I could show it to my local Councillors in Bristol, UK, in the hope that they might be able to make cycling safer for us, as here - ▶ ua-cam.com/video/DP5goKzsFa0/v-deo.html
Echt niemand kijkt naar links en rechts bij de haaientanden.
Why are some cutting through the opposite direction (2:53, 5:05) while taking the left turn after that bridge. Only a few like the one at 10:32, takes the left turn in an ethical way. Or, maybe the camera angles were not doing the justice here.
Because it can, there is not a conflict at that moment, no one comes from the opposite direction and therefore the way is safe. It is taking the opportunity instead of being strict following traffic rules.
To be fair, that one on the 5 minute mark looks dangerous. I wouldn't be happy as the person coming from the camera direction.
(And I am a Dutch person)
Cycling in the Netherlands is very much a "go with the flow" type of driving. At points like this there is no right or wrong way, only a safe or unsafe way. the "right way" can be the "unsafe way" depending on the situation. Ichecked both examples and found both drivers to be doing the correct move at the time even though technically it wasn't.
I have to admit I would do the same, just to avoid any conflict with those waiting on the side street and to not be in their way. One quick scan into the road that there is nobody on a head on course, easy decision.
But I also move left or right to help pedestrians cross the road, after checking there is nobody behind me. Much easier to be out of their path then assuring they have seen you and wait.
Unless one is driving one of these bulky car thingies there are many ways to keep traffic flowing around each other.
10:10 Diehards ...