5 perplexing facts about cycling in the Netherlands
Did you know that there are more bikes than Dutch in the Netherlands? Have you heard that Queen Wilhelmina was banned from cycling? If not, and you like cycling, this post will be for you.
- There are more bikes than inhabitants
The Netherlands are widely regarded as the heaven for cyclists. Visiting any of the cities or villages in the country, it is noticeable that the dense network of cycling paths are key components of the transport system. Hundreds and thousands of cyclists race their way to work or home as if there is no tomorrow.
According to studies, more than a quarter of all trips are made by bicycle in the Netherlands, moreover, the rate is even higher in Amsterdam (38%) and the northern university city of Groningen (59%). Thus, bikes are the most frequently used means of transportation for the distance up to 7.5 km. The reason is simple: 16 million inhabitants of the Netherlands possess 18 million bikes and there are more than 35,000 km of dedicated cycle paths where everyone can safely ride bikes.
2. Traffic accidents and the oil crisis led to the heyday
No one would think walking the streets of Amsterdam that the now flourishing bike culture was born in the 1970s. The love for cycling has certainly rooted deeper and dated from the beginning of the 20th century but it was not so obvious in the seventies. Similar to many countries, motorization and access to cheaper passenger cars changed the landscape of the Netherlands. Old buildings were demolished to expand the streets and inherently build wider and better roads for the cars. After the World War II, the Dutch economy rapidly grew and the high standard of living associated with higher demands. In 1946, only 47,000 cars run on the roads, in 1960, the numbers of vehicles reached to 500,000, and 2.5 million cars were registered in the country ten years later.
Using millions of cars went hand in hand with traffic jams and lots of accidents. Thousands died in traffic accidents every year, the peak was 3,300 deaths in 1971. More than 400 children were victims of car accidents that year. Dutch civil activists began a campaign to save their children’s life (“Stop de Kindermoord” or Stop the child murder) and organized protests to regain control of the streets. The movement coincided with the glory days of the “flower power”, and the hippie culture helped the cycling demonstrations’ goals.
It is inevitable to mention the effect of the 1973 oil crisis. After Egypt and Syria attacked Israel and the US supported Israel with arms, Arab oil ministers banned oil exports to the US, Britain, Japan and the Netherlands. Following the embargo, the oil prices quadrupled. Saving energy became part of the government program and the leaders of the Netherlands proclaimed car-free Sundays. Families spread the blocked motorways, children played on the roads and these happenings reminded the Dutch how their life was before cars conquered the cities.
In the 1980s, initially the Hague and Tilburg started to change their cycling policy and devised plans to build special cycle routes. The program was definitely successful, other cities thus followed the example.
If you would like to know more details, here is a short documentary about the cycling revolution:
3. Bicycle tax was in effect
Paying tax for bikes may sound now ridiculous but the Dutch had to pay three guilders per year at the post office between 1924 and 1941. In return, a copper plate with the current tax year was given that they attached to the bike. It did not last long because thieves could easily unfix the plates from bicycles and sell it on the black market. Besides that, one could also buy fake plates since counterfeiters manufactured many of them. Theoretically, the tax was a contribution to up-grade the cycling infrastructure but in reality, imposed a tax on bicycles was a very ineffective move. At last, the tax was abolished by the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in the Second World War.
4. “Dutch bike” is not Dutch at all
Apart from cycling paths, the most visible part of the uniqueness of cycling in the Netherlands is the so-called “Dutch bike”. Dutch did not participate in inventing the first prototypes of the bikes, any Dutch company did not make breakthroughs in bicycle technology, and even though, popularity of the classic “Dutch bike” (omafiets or grandmother bike) is undeniable.
The bicycle we know as “Dutch bike” is a modified English roadster. Most of the features with skirt-protectors, mudguards, and tall handlebar stems were integral parts of the women-style English “safety bike” from the end of the 19th century. While American, English, German and Italian bikes became lighter, colorful, sportier and more expensive, the Dutch stuck to their plain, black, unfashionable, practical and cheap bicycles. The attitude probably originated in their puritanical Calvinist national character; Dutch does not use their bikes as a status symbol or a luxury branded item but a form of transportation.
5. Cycling is part of the national identity
It is widely known that everyone rides bikes in the Netherlands. This is part of their national identity, so much so that the Dutch royal family does not make an exception. Since the bicycle invented, all of the three Queens and the reigning King Willem-Alexander have loved to cycle proved by photos and footages.
Queen Wilhelmina, who sat in the throne from 1890 to 1948, was obsessed with cycling but she was forbidden to ride a bike. Before she turned to 18 years old, her German-origin mother, believing that cycling is dangerous, banned her from using a bicycle. The Queen challenged her mother by going to the Council of State but the government confirmed the decision as Wilhelmina was the only heir of the royal family. The official explanation was that “cycling is not dignified enough for a Queen”. Wilhelmina obeyed the ban until the early 1930s but after her mother died, she would regularly cycle in the public places in the Hague.
When mostly workers would ride bikes in Germany and in the UK from the midst of the 20th century, cycling was never considered as a despised way of transportation in the Netherlands. All social groups have cycled from the elite to the working classes because riding bikes is a practical mode of getting from home to work, and vice versa. Every day, even if it is raining or the chilly wind freezes their faces.
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