It’s planning, not DNA
June 14, 2012
Via Jay Walljasper:
It’s planning, not DNA. Holland may seem unique, but there’s nothing all that special about Dutch bikers. Rather, almost all of the bike-friendly innovations Holland now boasts stem from careful government planning. The spark was the 1970s oil crisis. Desperate to find alternatives to a car-dependent culture, Holland embarked on a generation-long experiment that’s now bearing fruit. The takeaway, says Walljasper, is that this success can be repeated anywhere—even here.
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Brooklyn Spoke 
Exactly! I’m looking forward to my second trip to the Netherlands, next week. On our last trip we rented bikes to get us around Amsterdam, and the experience changed the way I think about biking around NY. I don’t *have to* race for my life when I’m just trying to get from point A to point B. I can just take it easy and enjoy the ride, and we should have more separated bike paths so that cyclists are comfortable doing this. This trip we’re including a bike trip down to Amersfoort, over to Utrecht, and back up to Amsterdam — can’t wait!
Enjoy! It is definitely amazing how a visit over there changes your perspective. It certainly changed mine.