Cycling In The Netherlands

Cycling is a common mode of transport in the Netherlands, with 36% of the people listing the bicycle as their most frequent mode of transport on a typical day as opposed to the car by 45% and public transport by 11% (2014).

Radfahren in den Niederlanden

Cycling has a modal share of 27% of all trips (urban and rural) nationwide. In cities this is even higher, such as Amsterdam which has 38%, though smaller Dutch cities well exceed that: for instance Zwolle (123,000 inhabitants in 2014) has 46% and the university town of Groningen (198,000 inhabitants in 2014) has 31%. This high frequency of bicycle travel is enabled by excellent cycling infrastructure such as cycle paths, cycle tracks, protected intersections, ample bicycle parking and by making cycling routes shorter, quicker and more direct than car routes.

Ciclismo en los Países Bajos

Solar e-Bike Charging Station (TU Delft, Netherlands)

Order Digital Image 13.134 on A4 scale

Fietsen in Nederland

Le Vélo aux Pays-Bas

In the countryside, a growing number of inter-city bicycle paths connect the Netherlands’ villages, towns and cities: some of these paths are part of the Dutch National Cycle Network, a network of routes for bicycle tourism which reaches all corners of the nation.

Велоспорт в Нидерландах

Ciclismo na Holanda

在荷兰骑自行车

Cycling became popular in the Netherlands a little later than it did in the United States and Britain who experienced their bike booms in the 1880s, but by the 1890s the Dutch were already building dedicated paths for cyclists. By 1911, the Dutch owned more bicycles per capita than any other country in Europe. After World War II, however, much like it had in other developed nations, the privately owned motor car became more affordable and therefore more commonly in use and bicycles as a result less popular. Even so, the number of Dutch people cycling was very high compared to other European nations.