Imagine dozens of mothers and
fathers on bicycles with one, two or even three children on board or riding
along beside their parent. Imagine babies in bassinets and toddlers riding in
special seats that attach to the front of the bike. Imagine children riding on
the back of the bicycle, the younger one sandwiched in between the adult rider
and his or her older sibling.
I observed all of this and more on my
recent trip to Holland.
Imagine dozens of youngsters pedaling to
school in the morning, many with a younger brother or sister or friend on the
back. Imagine teenagers cycling everywhere, even dating on bicycles, riding in
bike lanes wide enough for friends to ride two or three abreast with plenty of
room for a girl or boyfriend on back.
Imagine legions of
professionals in suits and fashionable business attire, women in heels, short
skirts and colorful dresses, many with a colleague or friend on back.
Imagine octogenarians and older, on bicycles; grandparents cycling with their
grandchildren on board or riding beside them. Imagine people riding with a
small dog in the front basket or a larger dog riding in the back basket or a
special doggie transport cart.
Imagine bicycles used to deliver
newspapers and pizzas; bicycles with special gear for transporting heavy loads;
bicycles with windshields in front and protective covers on top; and dozens of
styles of enormous sidesaddle bags and sturdy side baskets designed to carry
office supplies, camping or sport gear or groceries and flowers from the weekly
farmers' market.
All this and more I saw on my trip to Holland.
I spent many hours observing traffic patterns while walking through the
heart of The Hague and Amsterdam, while sitting at sidewalk cafes and while
waiting for the train, tram or bus. I also had an aerial view of the city in
several different neighborhoods ranging from a 4th story apartment in a lower
income neighborhood to the 11th story of my uncle's apartment near the beach.
What I saw was far from perfect but small towns like Ojai can learn a
lot from small countries like Holland. In Holland, fifteen million people (half
the population of California) living in an live in an area 1/10th the size of
California.
With over 10,000 miles of bicycle paths, Holland is a
model for civilized cycling. Bikes and pedestrians get as much road space as
motorized vehicles.
Environmentalists studying the Dutch
transportation system have dubbed it one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
"Bicycle Tourism" is a major industry with thousands of people taking extended
trips along country roads to enjoy
verdant landscapes and picturesque
towns.
The Dutch have a long cultural tradition of cycling for
transport, recreation, and sport. Over the years, public media campaigns have
promoted cycling and reduced auto use.
I saw first hand the viability
of Park-and-Ride systems, where cyclists park their bikes and ride the train.
Europeans use bicycles for up to 55 percent of all trips to train stations. The
train stations I saw were surrounded by
acres of bicycles.
Cycling makes up about 30 percent of all trips made in the nation, and in some
cities the percentage of cycling trips outranks all other modes of transport,
including walking, motorcycling, driving and mass transit.
