It’s not often that I share a random YouTube video, but given the snowstorm last week and its aftermath, I thought this one was worth a look.
When it snows here in Portland, only the strong and fearless remain on the bikeways — the vast majority of people opt for private motor vehicles. And, as we experienced, the result was epic gridlock and lots of unhappy people (except for some who were having fun on two wheels or walking).
Compare our experiences to this video of evening rush hour bike traffic in Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands (pop. 300,000). Lots of regular people going about their business on bikes without really paying the snow much attention. That’s what Portland should aspire to in the coming decade!
[As an aside, Utrecht and Portland have a nice little thing going. This summer, a couple of Utrecht traffic safety experts visited Portland and presented at the Safe Routes to School National Conference (remember the traffic gardens?). Also, the new-fangled “channelizing islands” installed in the Spokane Street bike boulevard come straight from Utrecht via PBOT’s unofficial Ambassador to Utrecht, Greg Raisman.]