On 2018-06-26 08:57, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Interesting article, with data, about how much the Dutch actually ride
their bikes.

https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/best...h-hardly-bike/


Turns out they average, oh, maybe a mile or two per day.


That was quite different when I lived in the Netherlands in the 80's.
Whenever I asked friends "Hey, want to have a few beers and a cheese
platter in the Kaaskelder?" the answer was usually "YES!". That meant
40mi round trip with the return part in the night yet everyone naturally
assumed we'd bike there. The decision was greatly helped by an almost
seemless bike path from A to Z.


That works for them because their cities are so dense that many
destinations are less than a mile away. That comes from having cities
that were founded in medieval times.


No, that comes from not having the stupid zoning laws we have. If I
needed groceries or nearly anything else I could walk. As in "just
across the street" which is, for example, where the grocery store was.
The bank was immediately next door, literally. The post office was
diagonally across the street. The next church was less than 500ft away.
And so on.


... When things are more than a couple
miles away, they tend to leave the bike and use other modes.

So we can get Dutch bike mode shares if we start work on our cities
early enough. Like, back in 1400 AD or so.


Last time I was there I had the impression cycling wasn't quite as
popular as in the 80's. New generations? Who knows.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/