Dutch Cycling Embassy: “The bicycle has the transformational power to make communities more safe, liveable, inclusive, and resilient”

The Netherlands is one of the top cycling countries in the world, but what is the secret behind their success? We sat down with Lucas Harms, Director of the Dutch Cycling Embassy, and Chris Bruntlett, Marketing and Communications Manager to talk about the Dutch cycling culture and their Velo-city conference experiences.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy is a network for sustainable bicycle inclusive mobility that has been promoting cycling for everyone for over a decade. It’s a long-standing Velo-city partner and, today, it represents the best of Dutch cycling: knowledge, experience and experts offered by private companies, NGOs, research institutions, national and local governments.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy has been attending Velo-city for many years. In your opinion, what makes Velo-city an unmissable event?

[LH] For us, the Velo-city Conference is the undoubted highlight of the year. The entire cycling world unites for four days of connecting with friends old and new; the epitome of what the Dutch call “gezelligheid” (“coziness”). We always bring a large delegation of public and private organizations from across the Netherlands, who are keen to share their knowledge with the rest of the world under the banner of the Dutch Cycling Pavilion.

Everyday cycling is deeply rooted in Dutch culture. This hasn’t always been the case. How have Dutch cities transformed since the 1950s and what role has the bicycle played in this transition?

[CB] The Netherlands wasn’t always—and wasn’t always destined to be—a fietsparadijs (“bicycle paradise”). As with their counterparts, post-war planners were carving out space for the car in their cities; demolishing buildings and filling in canals. Converging (road safety and oil supply) crises in the 1970s set them off in a different direction, but it required a great deal of experimentation, as well as a few high-profile failures. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that best practices were codified in national street design and road safety policies. The resulting principles have been a “game changer”, resulting in 20,000 kilometres of separated cycle paths—over half the existing network—in the past 25 years.

Under this year’s theme Leading the Transition, Velo-city will look at the bicycle as a solution to many of the world’s most complicated challenges. Breakthrough decisions on impactful cycling policies, equitable redefinition of public space and integrated future mobility systems will take centre stage. How is the Dutch Cycling Embassy leading the transition toward a greener future?

[CB] With fifty years of experience resulting in the highest levels of cycling on the planet, the Dutch are far from resting on its laurels. In fact, this success creates new pressures around space and speed in the city, with recent developments offering opportunities to build on it. Two come to mind: the unrivaled growth of the e-bike, which enables more people to cycle further and more frequently; and the combination of cycling and public transport, which can offer an alternative to the car over longer distances.

Velo-city 2023 will turn to the inevitable question: What future do we want to live in? What is your vision for the future?

[LH] Facing their own converging crises, global cities are coming to the growing realization that private cars must play more of a background role on their streets. More than just a form of transportation, the bicycle has the transformational power to make communities more safe, liveable, inclusive, and resilient. After stumbling across that fact five decades ago, the Netherlands now has the key to unlocking that immense potential.

As the Netherlands is the world’s number one cycling country, how do you share expertise with other countries and cities?

[LH] Each week, we receive dozens of requests from around the world. Some result in short-term exchanges, such as an email, video call, interview, or webinar. But many lead to long-term relationships, starting with a study visit of decision-makers to the Netherlands. We work with them to create a tailor-made program, cycling through similar-sized Dutch cities and sitting down to discuss relevant topics with experts from our network. Inversely, we also arrange international ThinkBike Workshops, where we send teams of Dutch experts to work with local officials on the specific challenges and opportunities in their location; hopefully starting a knowledge exchange lasts years.

What are some Dutch best practices for making cycling the preferred mode of transport in a city?

[CB] When we work with a new city, we focus on five key strategies: 1) Start with a link, plan for a network: To provide for a maximum diversity of users, Dutch planners have learned to look beyond individual lanes, and think more holistically at the network level. 2) Don’t give up at the intersection: Knowing a network is only as good as its weakest link, and most collisions occur at these points, the Dutch-style “protected intersection” is a staple throughout the country. 3) The most important part of a bike plan is the car plan: As Dutch planners have discovered, measures that offer an attractive alternative to driving (“the carrot”) must be complemented with efforts to make driving indirect and inconvenient (“the stick”). 4) Design for the speed you want: When it comes to calming traffic, the reality is engineering—not education or enforcement—is the biggest influence on the success of that scheme. 5) Use cycle tracks to feed transit (and vice versa): Rather than view cycling and transit as competitors, Dutch planners have learned to embrace them as allies, capturing their synergy in a virtuous circle of sustainable travel.

What are you most looking forward to at Velo-city Leipzig?

[LH] The Mass Bike Parade is always an exhilarating climax to the conference, with thousands of locals joining attendees for a rolling celebration through the city. The Dutch delegation is always well-represented and highly visible, with orange shirts and caps, ringing our bells and waving to everyone on the side of the road. After talking endlessly about bikes in the prior three days, it’s nice to ride one in a social, stress-free situation!