Comments on: How they roll when it snows in Utrecht http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659 Portland Oregon bicycle news, events, culture, travel and opinion. Mon, 28 May 2012 20:52:37 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: n8m http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1489563 n8m Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:17:08 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1489563 I used to live and work in Amsterdam, and I came to greatly enjoy the morning & evening rush hour commute. If only we would shed our American pride, invest heavily in actual infrastructure and learn from them. I used to live and work in Amsterdam, and I came to greatly enjoy the morning & evening rush hour commute. If only we would shed our American pride, invest heavily in actual infrastructure and learn from them.

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]]> By: Mark http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1489467 Mark Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:03:08 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1489467 Thanks for publishing my movie here! Just one comment on the text: it isn't evening rush hour you see, it is morning rush hour. In winter it is dark till about 9 in the morning in the Netherlands. This was taken in 15 minutes around 8:30 am. The rest of the movie was filmed later the same day. @spare_wheel: the moped rider wears a helmet because Dutch law states he has to. And the cyclists ride slowly here because that is the only thing you can do on such a busy junction. It is safer in the icy conditions too. It is what the moped rider does as well and I believe even you would be forced to do that here. There are hardly cars in this movie because it was filmed near the central railway station and the main bus and light rail station. That is an area of the city where there are no private cars allowed. The only cars you do see in the rush hour part are taxis. Thanks for publishing my movie here!

Just one comment on the text: it isn't evening rush hour you see, it is morning rush hour. In winter it is dark till about 9 in the morning in the Netherlands. This was taken in 15 minutes around 8:30 am. The rest of the movie was filmed later the same day.

@spare_wheel: the moped rider wears a helmet because Dutch law states he has to. And the cyclists ride slowly here because that is the only thing you can do on such a busy junction. It is safer in the icy conditions too. It is what the moped rider does as well and I believe even you would be forced to do that here.

There are hardly cars in this movie because it was filmed near the central railway station and the main bus and light rail station. That is an area of the city where there are no private cars allowed. The only cars you do see in the rush hour part are taxis.

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]]> By: Mike http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488988 Mike Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:47:06 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488988 I was on vacation with my girlfriend in Amsterdam from Dec. 22-28th and the first few days there was snow and ice on the ground but EVERYONE was still riding, and I only saw one person crash. I did not see even one helmet though! All the bikes that people ride are total pieces of crap. They told me it was because bike theft was so common. Sometimes people's locks are worth more than their bike! And yes, most of the bike lanes were completely clear, but the pedestrian paths weren't! I was on vacation with my girlfriend in Amsterdam from Dec. 22-28th and the first few days there was snow and ice on the ground but EVERYONE was still riding, and I only saw one person crash. I did not see even one helmet though! All the bikes that people ride are total pieces of crap. They told me it was because bike theft was so common. Sometimes people's locks are worth more than their bike!

And yes, most of the bike lanes were completely clear, but the pedestrian paths weren't!

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]]> By: Jim Labbe http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488957 Jim Labbe Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:15:28 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488957 I've been biking this week here in Nijmegen, Netherlands (east of Utrecht) and this abundance of snowy-weather bike commuters is a familiar scene. But here in Nijmegen they appear to be much quicker at plowing the cycle paths! I've been biking this week here in Nijmegen, Netherlands (east of Utrecht) and this abundance of snowy-weather bike commuters is a familiar scene. But here in Nijmegen they appear to be much quicker at plowing the cycle paths!

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]]> By: wsbob http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488913 wsbob Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:21:10 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488913 "I commute year round, downtown and back over the Hawthorne bridge and I see the same thing here in Portland. Cyclists on poorly maintained bikes, not wearing helmets, and going too slowly. This was a better city when there weren't so many cyclists." joe O.K. joe, so what's your recommendation for bring Portland and the Hawthorne Bridge back to where you thought they made for a better city? Hah! You seem to know how to abrade the sensibilities of people on this site. Are you saying that people in Utrecht ride around poorly maintained bikes? That 5-10 mph is too slow for their needs on the bikes they're seen to be riding in the pic above? That not wearing a helmet at those speeds represents an extraordinary risk? Speaking for myself, I don't feel much desire to ride one of those 'upright position' bikes, or ride that slowly when I need to get somewhere. For a number of reasons, I'd rather wear a helmet than not wear one. If though, there were some way of getting about 30-40 percent of the people that fill the major thoroughfares near my neighborhood in Beaverton to find those slow moving european bikes to be a feasible means of filling their home-to work/school/entertainment/shop/church needs, I'd be delighted. If and when they do, I'll find some alternative routes to go speedy on when I need to do that. Motor vehicle traffic congestion out here in B-town becomes very wearying. Lots of slow moving bikes ridden by people without helmets would be a welcome relief to this. For me, the city changed in this way could be far better city than it is now. "I commute year round, downtown and back over the Hawthorne bridge and I see the same thing here in Portland. Cyclists on poorly maintained bikes, not wearing helmets, and going too slowly. This was a better city when there weren't so many cyclists." joe

O.K. joe, so what's your recommendation for bring Portland and the Hawthorne Bridge back to where you thought they made for a better city?

Hah! You seem to know how to abrade the sensibilities of people on this site. Are you saying that people in Utrecht ride around poorly maintained bikes? That 5-10 mph is too slow for their needs on the bikes they're seen to be riding in the pic above? That not wearing a helmet at those speeds represents an extraordinary risk?

Speaking for myself, I don't feel much desire to ride one of those 'upright position' bikes, or ride that slowly when I need to get somewhere. For a number of reasons, I'd rather wear a helmet than not wear one.

If though, there were some way of getting about 30-40 percent of the people that fill the major thoroughfares near my neighborhood in Beaverton to find those slow moving european bikes to be a feasible means of filling their home-to work/school/entertainment/shop/church needs, I'd be delighted. If and when they do, I'll find some alternative routes to go speedy on when I need to do that.

Motor vehicle traffic congestion out here in B-town becomes very wearying. Lots of slow moving bikes ridden by people without helmets would be a welcome relief to this. For me, the city changed in this way could be far better city than it is now.

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]]> By: Andy B from Jersey http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488909 Andy B from Jersey Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:56:31 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488909 Slush hour! Slush hour!

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]]> By: Joe http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488888 Joe Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:36:46 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488888 I commute year round, downtown and back over the Hawthorne bridge and I see the same thing here in Portland. Cyclists on poorly maintained bikes, not wearing helmets, and going too slowly. This was a better city when there weren't so many cyclists. I commute year round, downtown and back over the Hawthorne bridge and I see the same thing here in Portland. Cyclists on poorly maintained bikes, not wearing helmets, and going too slowly. This was a better city when there weren't so many cyclists.

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]]> By: spencer http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488749 spencer Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:28:02 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488749 people riding in town are riding for transport. I was in utretcht in june and the only high speed riding thats done is outside the cities. keep in mind that there is NO sprawl there, so its very easy and quick to get out and ride quicker. as a 'roadie', i despise those who do intervals and act like jerks on the main bike routes, ie springwater and williams. people riding in town are riding for transport. I was in utretcht in june and the only high speed riding thats done is outside the cities. keep in mind that there is NO sprawl there, so its very easy and quick to get out and ride quicker. as a 'roadie', i despise those who do intervals and act like jerks on the main bike routes, ie springwater and williams.

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]]> By: Jeff http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488748 Jeff Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:24:12 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488748 spare_wheel (#8): agreed. Scooter is just trying to be inflamatory. spare_wheel (#8): agreed. Scooter is just trying to be inflamatory.

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]]> By: jered http://bikeportland.org/2010/01/04/how-they-roll-when-it-snows-in-utrecht-27659#comment-1488744 jered Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:07:37 +0000 http://bikeportland.org/?p=27659#comment-1488744 The most striking piece for me is how the bikes follow the same rules as any other wheeled vehicle and folks are moving along as traffic dictates, nobody is trying to be the uber bike racer speeding by. Lots of common sense being used. Maybe there is a difference culturally between bikes as transport and bikes as fitness, whereas in PDX those two concepts blend with mixed results. The most striking piece for me is how the bikes follow the same rules as any other wheeled vehicle and folks are moving along as traffic dictates, nobody is trying to be the uber bike racer speeding by. Lots of common sense being used. Maybe there is a difference culturally between bikes as transport and bikes as fitness, whereas in PDX those two concepts blend with mixed results.

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