I’ve been a cycle commuter in the UK for over 4 years with stints in Exeter, Edinburgh and Oxford, and one of the aspects of moving to the Netherlands I was most excited for was upgrading my commute. After 2 months in post am I as happy as I thought I would be? Spoiler alert – yes!
My main issues in the UK can be summarised as follows
– Fear of being run over (lack of infrastructure, aggressive drivers, awful potholes)
– General hostility towards cyclists (getting shouted at from moving vehicles was happening with increasing frequency)
– Parking (having to carry my bike upstairs to my tenament flat, or lack of appropriate cycle parking when going out)
I was fortunate that my workplaces always had pretty decent cycle parking (often indoor secured racks were available to staff), showers and often extra bits like pumps and basic maintenance equipment. Lots of my colleagues also commuted by bike, so my major problem was actually getting to work safely.
Previous commutes:
- Edinburgh: 8.7km, 100m of ascent, 50m descent, ~40min of intense cycling (i.e. I needed a shower on arrival). 5.8km on cyclepaths, although this includes on-road non-segregated cycle paths. I was glad to be riding a road bike for the hill aspect, but my word was it awful on the 1 million potholes of Causewayside. I tried lots of different routes to optimise for “least steep hills”, “avoiding hillstarts” and “cobbles are not my friend”. The official quiet route intended for cyclists is a joke because it is one of the most steep hills up to Princes Street which is completely cobbled.
- Oxford: 4.75km, 20m of ascent, 30m of descent, ~20 mins of medium cycling. 3.2km on cyclepaths, and contending with the infamous The Plains roundabout (site of many fatalities). The main issue here was traffic – Iffley Road gets extremely backed up at commuting times, and car drivers think it is ok to just lurch at you, and park wherever. The high density of cyclists and lack of infrastructure also made this a relatively stressful commute. The “quiet” alternative along the river meant lots of conflict with pedestrians and other cyclists, and had no streetlights – meaning it was completely inappropriate in the winter.
Current commute:
9.01km, 10m of ascent, 10m of descent, ~ 30 minutes of medium intensity cycling. 0.6km of my cycle is not in a (mostly segregated) cycle path. There are 2 “potholes” on my route (which I would grade as minor in comparison to anything in Oxford/Edinburgh). It is a completely different experience to anything I have cycled before!
Infrastructure
The dream! I wasn’t able to fully enjoy my cycle commutes in the UK because of the fear of being runover and stress of having to interactive with cars/lorries/buses for the majority of the journey. I narrowly avoided being T-boned in Oxford, and I was increasingly getting shouted at by drivers (usually not for anything I was doing apart from existing in the road). In NL, segregated infrastructure means there are very few points where I have to interact with car drivers, and often at those interaction points I actually have priority as a cyclist! Red tarmac means cycle priority, and often when the cycle path crosses a side road the red colour continues, meaning that cars turning need to stop to let cyclists across. At most roundabouts there is an outer ring for cyclists, separated from the road by at least a kerb and usually also some plant beds, and cyclists have priority over car drivers. This makes turning left a breeze, and also in general minimises stop-starting for cyclists.
The paths themselves are high quality and mostly machine rolled resulting in an extremely smooth surface. The lanes are wide enough for 2 people to cycle alongside one another – this can either be more matey (I’ve witnessed a brave couple holding hands while cycling!), or make it very easy for faster cyclists to overtake slower ones. Along the canal the cycle path goes in both directions and is barely narrower than a road. There is no separate pavement for much of the way, but as the lanes are so wide I’ve not seen this be an issue. Now it is dark most runners and pedestrians also wear lights/high vis along the darkest bits of the canal.
Maintenance
Having segregated lanes where cars and lorries don’t drive makes maintaining the road surface much cheaper because you don’t have to do it as often! Most of the patching I have seen occurs where the surface is distorted by tree roots. When these get too bad they are smoothed over!
I’ve also seen people (I assume from the council) clearing the bike paths. At the moment there are lots of nuts and leaf litter, so this is a huge help to avoid slippery surfaces and punctures. We’ve also had a lot of heavy rain the past few weeks, and I’ve noticed that the cycle paths drain very well and quickly (often onto the flower beds/grass that is just next door). Now it is below freezing in the mornings things are a bit more slippery, but reduced leaf litter makes this less death than the equivalent cycle paths in the UK (which are typically not gritted, and if you are really lucky have ice/snow pushed off the road for cars and into a sludgy black ice mess for the cycle lane. How wonderful!)
Parking
At work there are many, many outdoor bike racks and an indoor parking area that is accessible only by campus card. This is great for leaving my bike more long term (e.g. if I travel for work), but the design of the bike racks makes it a bit hard to secure my bike and frame to the rack with just a D-lock.
At home I have a private storage shed where my bike lives. After years of carrying my bike upstairs or leaving it to get soaked in the garden, this is the dream! I roll my bike in and it is safe and dry. Most apartments I viewed came with standard sized ground floor/basement storage units for bikes. My current one could easily fit 2 more bikes, and also has mains electricity in case I decide to buy an e-bike in the future.
Other cyclists and cycling culture
The volume of cyclists is unsurprisingly very high and really all ages (kids going to school, students, people going to work, retired people, parents with children, adults with their dogs…). This makes cyclist-cyclist interactions more important than cyclist-car driver ones. Signalling to turn is much more common (and more important!) here, predominantly for the benefit of other cyclists. This is also easier to manage as many Dutch bikes have back pedal brakes rather than brakes on the handlebars. People are generally aware of other road users, and often cycle towards the edge of the lane to allow for easier overtaking. Starting off from big junctions, or arriving on the TU/e campus can feel a bit like being in a chaotic peleton due to the numbers, but I’m starting to get used to it! As well as cyclists (on standard and e-bikes) there are lots of people using mobility scooters taking advantage of the high quality infrastructure. We love to see it.
As bikes are just another mode of transport, people cycle around wearing whatever clothes they are wearing for the rest of their day, and typically don’t wear helmets. This is helped by the fact that there are no hills, people typically cycle quite slowly, and most bikes are equipped with mudguards and chain guards. My bike currently has neither of these things, and I don’t like cycling slowly. This means depending on the season I often arrive at work damp from rain or sweat. In previous workplaces I’ve often showered at work, and I usually at least change my bottom half (my back wheel likes nibbling on anything flowing and my chain loves sharing grease with me!). At TU/e there are showers at the sports centre, but not really anywhere else, and my office door has a massive glass panel and no blind. However, I have found the *best* solution to my rain woes in these cycling waterproof trousers which 1) are tight around the calf and don’t flap into my chain and 2) have overshoe bits which keep my feet somewhat dry and make me feel like a pantomime horse. Iconic fashonista, she is me.
It’s not all perfect!
My main issue stems from being a weirdo who currently rides a road bike everywhere. The vast majority of Dutch bikes are upright and have very high handlebars compared to UK bikes – this means I often have to wrestle my bike out of the bike racks when I end up parked between 2 other bikes. This happens even if I put my bike on the higher bit! Drop handlebars do get quite in the way, but I love my bike and being able to zoom around. I have also had a few issues securing my bike out and about. Most Dutch bikes are really heavy (the whole no hills thing helps here) and have built in locks which prevent the back wheel from moving. Most people combine this with a heavy duty chain. Given Dutch bikes also have kickstands, this means you often see people lock their bikes up but not attached to anything! This most often happens when the racks are full on campus or around town. With a lightweight roadbike and a D-lock this is not an option (I carried my old heavier bike upstairs for 2 years, my current bike is a feather in comparison), so I have had to do a few dodgy locking to roadsigns and railings in the absence of a rack.
The other thing I have found surprising is that mopeds/scooters often use the bike lanes! They are often driven quite quickly, and can sneak up on you if they are electric. This can be a bit disconcerting when you are cycling along in your own little world. I’ve mainly adapted by making sure to check before pulling out to overtake, and cycling on the outside of the lane where possible to allow for maximum space for anyone wanting to pass.
Final thoughts
It is unbelievable how much nicer I find cycling in NL than in the UK. I often don’t wear a helmet, and I feel able to listen to music or podcasts at a low volume because I don’t need 100% of my concentration to avoid death. I love that cycling everywhere is the norm! I’m so excited to continue to explore the Netherlands by bike, and to transport increasingly ridiculous cargo on my trusty steed (so far: a Christmas tree, and a coatstand both secondhand bargains from Facebook marketplace).
Adventures of a Mathematician 