The Netherlands: Dutch biking turns Bostonians speechless - by Martine Powers

The intersection at De Koppeling Street is the kind of sight that might render a Bostonian speechless.

The Netherlands: a bikers paradise

“This,” howled Andrew Brunn, a burly 22-year-old engineering student   grinning like a kid at Disneyland, “is totally crazy!”

To the average American, that’s exactly how Dutch bicycle traffic seems. This is a place with more bikes than people, where about 26 percent of commuting trips are taken by bicycle, where toddlers and 85-year-olds ride happily in traffic, and where the likelihood of getting killed on a bike is among the lowest in the world, about five times less than the United States.

Almost every major street features separated bike lanes, bike-specific traffic lights, bike highways, and yield signs that, together, deliver one message: The bicycle is king.

Read more: Bicycling the Dutch Way - Metro - The Boston Globe

The Netherlands - cardiologists’ Olympics: Riding bicycle regularly keeps heart diseases away says Dr Garg from India

If you are worried about the daily consumption of petrol in the wake of price hike, you must start bicycling. By riding a bicycle, you can control the cardiac diseases and can also reduce the transportation expenses.

These views were expressed by city’s renowned cardiologist Dr Vijay Garg after he returned from Amsterdam, Netherlands recently. Dr Garg attended the conference of cardiologists’ Olympics, held between October 31 and September 4. More than 28,000 cardiologists from 82 countries attended the conference and pondered over topics of medical sciences.

Dr Garg further detailed that the government of the Netherlands supports citizens who exercise by constructing separate roads for cyclists. 

It is a matter of concern that ratio of people suffering from cardiac diseases is increasing frequently in developing countries in comparison to developed ones. If a man does exercise regularly, he can reduce 40 percent the possibility of having heart diseases.

People, who have A+ blood group, are at a higher risk to fall sick with heart diseases.

People living luxurious life have more chances of suffering from cardiac arrest. Dr Garg has been felicitated with the honor of European Society of Cardiology Fellow three years back. India has only 2500 fellows of European Society of Cardiology at present

Read more: The Freepress Journal

Tourism: Biking: Almere: No better place in the Netherlands for a biking vacation

Almere is not only the newest and most modern city in Europel but probably also the best area for biking with its hundreds of km's of safe biking trails.

Biking in the serenity of Almere nature

The city is also competing for the national  title of bike city of the Netherlands for 2014

One of the curious facts of the Netherlands is that nearly 85 percent of the population own at least one bicycle. They use it regularly, often daily. 

Today there are about 17.5 million bicycles in Holland, slightly more than one for every inhabitant. About 1.4 million new bicycles are sold every year. 

Convenience is probably one of the main reasons for the Dutch to cycle as much as they do. They take their bike to go shopping because it is easier, faster and more convenient than taking the car or another mode of transport. In order to get cycling this convenient you need good infrastructure, safe streets and a place to park your bicycle at the grocery store or any other end-destination. In the Netherlands 27 % of all trips are taken by bike. Bike paths are everywhere. In a way they are like bike highways, with their own bridges, tunnels and throu

Obviously to accomplish this you need to have a bike-friendly infrastructure and local municipality ordinances which support it. The Netherlands certainly meets that criteria and the results are obvious. 

By Dutch law, bicycles must have white front and red rear lights which must be in working order at night, and fines are payable for those who fail to observe this. Cyclists are generally required to observe the same road rules as motor vehicle users, unless there is a road sign indicating otherwise.Helmets are not required by law but recommended. 

To the Dutch there’s nothing more natural than cycling with their children. Manufacturers of Dutch baby front bike seats tell their customers they can be used from the time a baby is 6 to 9 months old, or, more accurately, when a baby is able to sit upright on its own.  Some experts say that in their eyes the time a baby is one year old is a safer starting point. But in the Netherlands much younger babies are already transported on bicycles. 

For older, school going kids there now are even apps with safe biking routes to their schools.

Recently the US government adopted Dutch-style cycling as a real American transport and health choice

The rise of the electric bike set last year continued in the Netherlands. An increase of 30 percent is expected for 2009 with more than 150,000 e-bikes. The electric bike presently has a market share of 10 percent, with an average selling price of around euro 1900 good for 25% of the total bicycle sales revenues. 
  
Obviously with the rise of the electric bike also comes the loss of health benefits achieved by "human powered" biking. Fortunately studies in the Netherlands also showed that electric bikes are mainly bought by people with health problems who still want the benefit of the fresh air associated with biking in the open air.

The generally flat Dutch terrain combined with 20,000 km of "fietspaden" bicycle paths makes cycling in the Netherlands an extraordinarily pleasant activity, and one not exclusively for the very fit or sporty. 

Safely biking everywhere in and around Almere

If you can't bring your own bike you will find them for rent near, or just about at every train station. To do an advance bike rental booking just check out the Internet. Mind you those will be more expensive than the bike rentals at the train stations. Prices vary from euro 7.00 to euro 20.00 a day depending from whom you rent your bike.

If you know how to bike and want a healthy interesting vacation Holland is your country and Almere the place to go. 

EU-Digest