A view from the cycle path: King of the world

Sunday, 30 June 2013

King of the world

I came across this great music and video on our local TV station yesterday evening. It's a local Dutch band, Anthony's Putsch, singing about "going for a ride with my mother". Not all their songs are about cycling of course, but Dutch bands often seem to sing about cycling because it's something they all do.

It's absolutely vital to get children to cycle. To encourage parents to ride with their children confidently and with a feeling of security and safety as shown in this video requires comprehensive safe conditions for cycling which are normal in the Netherlands. This is what has made cycling into a common experience which binds the nation. Why is this not normal everywhere ?

5 comments:

Jim Moore said...: Thanks David. That video brought a smile to my face and some tears to my eyes. I'm looking forward to seeing some happy faces like those on my travels.; 30 June 2013 at 13:21
highwayman said...: Nice video --save for a skip in the middle. It would have fit on an album by Queen. They could have had a second bicycle song. I wonder if Queen was one of Anthony's Putsch's inspirations as far as their general sound is concerned?

Anyway, I'll replay that video along with A Day in Alkmaar (and Surrounding Areas).; 30 June 2013 at 19:30
ubringliten said...: Thanks for the great video!

This is what child well-being is about as nicely put by you.; 4 July 2013 at 07:39
Anonymous said...: A golden oldie: Paul van Vliet's 'Veilig achterop bij vader op de fiets' from 1977. So intimately recognisable for virtually all Dutch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsmSsPNzq7Y

It's a song about an adult who now and then longs back to the time when he would be a child, 'safe, riding with my father on the back of his bicycle'.

Heck, I'll give you the entire lyrics:

Ik heb soms van die akelige dagen
Dat alles me te groot wordt en te veel
En wat ik aangehaald heb, kan ik slecht verdragen
En alles wat ik nog moet doen, dat grijpt me naar de keel
Ik word al zenuwachtig wakker
Dat wordt alleen maar erger door dat driftige gejakker
En een koffer vol verantwoordelijkheid waaraan ik me vertil
En honderdduizend dingen die ik eigenlijk niet wil
En ik moet nog zo veel doen, ik moet nog zo veel doen
Kan ik nou vandaag niet weer eens even net als toen

refrain:
Veilig achterop bij vader op de fiets
Vader weet de weg en ik weet nog van niets
Veilig achterop, ik ben niet alleen
Vader weet de weg, vader weet waarheen
Ik weet nog hoe het rook, ik weet nog hoe het was
Met m'n armen om 'm heen, m'n wang tegen z'n jas
Vader weet de weg en ik weet nog van niets
Veilig achterop bij vader op de fiets

En ik heb zo vaak een onbestemd verlangen
Een zeurderig gevoel van droevigheid
En dat verlangen dat kan dagen blijven hangen
En waar ik ga of lig of sta, ik raak het niet meer kwijt
Niks is leuk en niks is boeiend
Alles is vervelend en mateloos vermoeiend
Een lusteloze, levenloze, wezenloze heer
Die treurig zit te kijken naar de wereld en het weer
En ik moet nog zoveel doen, ik moet nog zoveel doen
Kan ik nou vandaag niet weer eens even net als toen

refrain

------

So recognisable... I have but a few handfulls of clear childhood memories, but siting on the back of my father's bike, holding his coat, leaning my cheek against it and smelling the safe smell of him... That is one of the most enduring memories, and one that I, as I've said before, share with virtually every man, woman and child in the Netherlands.

(sorry, I'm a bit nostalgic.. My dad died ten years ago and my mum passed away last november. I'm very glad to hear that your mum is healthy and hale enough to cycle with you, David!); 5 July 2013 at 21:30
David Hembrow said...: Thanks for your lovely comment Marion. I have heard the song before but other readers won't have.; 5 July 2013 at 22:09

Posts sorted by subject

The positive stuff
Three types of safety - As well as preventing injuries and death, high quality cycling infrastructure addresses both subjective safety and social safety which are of vital importance in encouraging people to cycle.
A second revolution took place on Dutch streets in the late 20th century, transforming streets which were just as clogged by cars as those of other nations.
Pedestrians are well catered for in the Netherlands and pedestrianized shopping streets are common. Usually they allow cycling for access.
Dutch Safety Figures - Cyclists in the Netherlands are the safest in the world, but it has little if anything to do with "safety in numbers".
Sustainable safety - the principles which have lead to Dutch roads, streets and cycle-paths being safe.
A million per hour - The scale of cycling in the Netherlands is enormous. Dutch people make more cycle journeys each day than the entire English speaking world put together.
Campaigning - a collection of posts about how to campaign for more cycling. Primarily campaigning should be for children to be able to cycle. These links include reference to "Stop the child murder", a successful campaign from the 1970s.
What Works - examples of policy, infrastructure and campaigning which have made a different in the Netherlands.
Superhighways - "Cycling superhighways" are not a new idea in the Netherlands
Cycle Paths - Well designed cycle paths benefit all cyclists, regardless of experience or speed
Segregation without cycle paths - you don't always need a cycle path to keep cyclists safe from motorists
Unravelling of routes is vitally important
History - how the Netherlands got to where it is now. See especially "Stop the child murder"
Before and After - views of places before and after they have been transformed for cycling
Directness - examples of prioritising cycling
Traffic Lights - examples of how cyclists can be prioritised and kept safe at traffic light junctions. Note that it's almost always possible to turn right on a red light when cycling in the Netherlands.
Roundabouts - roundabouts in the Netherlands have one very important feature to learn from: They keep cyclists away from motor vehicles. This is far more important than the differences in geometry vs. roundabouts in other countries.
Exceptional infrastructure is always nice to see, but remember that a dense network of mundane routes is far more important to boost cycling modal share
Gritting of cycle paths - dealing with snow and ice.
Children - It may seem hackneyed, but children really are the future. If they can't cycle safely then where will future adult cyclists come from ? This is why children should be the primary focus of campaigners. Note also that according to UNICEF, Dutch children are the happiest in the world.
School travel - Everyone knows that Dutch children cycle to school, but it's a surprise to many people that school trips are also usually by bike.
Cycle Parking - including our favourite design of stand.
Cycle Parking at railway stations, see in particular Groningen and Assen as each have multiple posts showing how the cycle parking has grown over time.
Health effects of cycling
Road Works - It's important that cyclists are thought of when there are road works. If the environment becomes hostile for cyclists then they may stop cycling and never start again.
Commuting - Commuting cyclists are interesting, but they're not the only people who should ride bikes.
Anatomy of a reliable everyday bicycle - the common features of bikes used by nearly every person every day in the Netherlands.
Speed - Some people have the idea that Dutch cyclists are slow. This isn't true. It is just that in the Netherlands, everyone cycles, including the slow people. Fast cyclists are as fast as anywhere. These posts show people who ride faster than average, using the same infrastructure as those who ride slower.

The less positive stuff
What not to do if you want a cycling "revolution" - Long list of interventions and policies which are not helpful.
Copy the best examples from the Netherlands - a short list summarising the above. Important to copy the best examples, not just anything "Dutch". Bear in mind that the Netherlands is not perfect.
Shared Space - this much hyped idea simply does not work well. It disenfranchises the vulnerable and claims of safety are exaggerated. Don't confuse the concept with far more successful nearly car free streets.
Shared Use Paths designed to be used by pedestrians and cyclists together. These rarely work well because the two user groups are too different and it leads to conflicts. They are not built in the Netherlands (but cycle access to pedestrianized zones is good).
Strict (or presumed) liability - If you think this is an important part of why people cycle in the Netherlands then it is probably not what you think it is.
Helmets - one of several ways of scaremongering about the supposed dangers of what is actually a very safe means of transport

Myths about cycling

Long list of myths and Excuses - Various reasons that many people, even existing cyclists, give for why the cycling rate is low in their country, including:
  "our streets are too narrow"
  "it's too expensive"
  "our population is too spread out"
  "we have hills
  "our distances are too great"
  "it took decades in the Netherlands"
  "it's because of the price of gas"
  "it's the weather"
  "Cycle-paths cause indirect journeys"
  "Cycle-paths make people slow"
Cycling is "booming" in Britain - a claim we hear remarkably frequently, but it'll take a lot more than the action taken now before it will be true.
The Truth about Copenhagen - Pretty pictures and nice branding are all very well, but facts are important too. Denmark has no explanation of why the cycling modal share is falling in Copenhagen. The Netherlands has avoided this problem and sets a much better example of how to achieve a high cycling rate.
The Truth about Cambridge - Cambridge in the UK has made claims of being a true cycling city. The city does have the highest cycling rate in the English speaking world, but there are special reasons for its high cycling rate which cannot be copied elsewhere. Most people don't talk about this. I do.
London Superhighways - Unfortunately, London seems to be having trouble coming to grips with the idea of prioritizing cyclists.
Boris Bikes - London's bike share scheme, just like others worldwide, lacks the capacity to make any real change, and makes up for it with hype.