Rotterdam Cyclists ~ Bike Lanes in the Bigger City

Mark Wagenbuur shares his view from a bigger city's cycle paths in his latest post Rotterdam remedies a lower cycling rate...

"The cycling rate, although very high compared to any other country, is low for the Netherlands. About 25% of all trips in Rotterdam is by bicycle. This is much lower than Amsterdam, where that figure hovers around 40% or Groningen where it is almost 60%. [...] When the city was rebuilt from the late 1940s the city planned to do that 'according to the demands of modern fast traffic' and after the example of US cities. [...] Luckily a long standing Dutch tradition was also not forgotten and the new wide streets were built including separate bicycle infrastructure. But just building infrastructure has proven not to be enough."

Understanding how to build cycling-and-pedestrian-friendly megacities is crucial to our urban future, so learnings from Rotterdam are essential!