Utrecht

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of the University of Oregon’s web services due to unusual activity abroad. That unusual activity is from me updating my blog, this has affected 12 or so other students so we have been able to email or blog with our university accounts. It has been for most of the time I have been in Utrecht. So, I have made a large blog post about my time here for the last four days spent here.

 

The group was able to go to the Utrecht municipal building where the group meet with Ronald, who is a bicycle planner here. He gave a presentation on Dutch infrastructure and how the Dutch adopted this form of transportation. The building we had the meeting at, was literally touching the central station, where they are currently expanding the business district. The area is home to a massive shopping mall, two underground bicycle garages, hotels and public squares. As we made it to the 21^ststory we were welcomed into a design forward office with sweeping view of western side of Utrecht. Here are things that I learned at the presentation. Copenhagen gives priority to both cars and bicyclist aka one car for a bike and one for a car. Whereas Utrecht has made the bike full priority and cars not the priority. 51% of population cycle to work/school here. After the oil embargo in the 1970’s Dutch politicians realized that the Netherlands do not have the resources to support themselves shifting their views on vehicles and more onto bikes.  This in turn has allowed the Dutch to view the bike as more of a tool then as a hobby. This understanding is what makes biking a necessity to life here. The city encourages cycling by creating a denser bike infrastructure and more ways to travel between the squares in the grid. This is done by creating bi-directional cycle paths and shortcuts, open up one-way streets for two-way cycle tracks, strategic parking (making it hard for car drivers to park), and adding laws that require houses to have storage for bikes. The Netherlands focusing on behavior and education when it comes to bike riding. They require traffic education for young children. This is also enforced with parents walking with their children together at an early age. Show children the right behavior when participating in traffic. Children copy the behavior of adults, so this step is extremely important on being accustomed to how the bike infrastructure works. After the presentation we were able to view the new underground bike garages. They hold enough bikes to hold at least 1/3 the university’s student population. I ended the day by getting dinner and having a peer attempt riding on the back of my bike. Something that the group has noticed a lot since arriving. We managed to pull it off, the hold ordeal was hilarious, heard with the cackle of laughs.

 

The group was able to go on a bike cycle tour of Utrecht looking at the new housing that is being added to the western side of the city. One of the main points that was focused on was using existing infrastructure and creating something new. This was shown with a new park that is on top of a tunnel that has a freeway in it.  Ronald mentioned how its projects like these that are important by being creative and finding a comprise. The next project he showed us was a bridge that’s ramp was on top of an elementary school. The school was there first and then the bridge was built to increase connectivity on either side of the canal. This design used the current infrastructure, allowing for a comprise in design and money spent. Here is a link to the bridge designed by NEXT architects

Seeing these two projects helped me think of ways that current infrastructure can be manipulated to best suit the population as well as fixing problems.

 

On the next day we were able to visit a community named Houten. A planned community created back in the 1970s focusing on bicycle transportation over cars. The community has a central train station, this is the center of the city. From there, bike streets are the primary streets with a ring road around the whole city that is bike and car traffic. What makes this community unique is that it is not possible to penetrate the community with a car. Because of this it is far fastest to travel via a bike then with a car. The train station is also designed to have the passengers walk through the bike parking in order to get to the train platform, enticing commuters to ride their bike to the station and then hop on a train. This community was striking to me because of the lack of cars and how easy it is to get from one side of the town to the other. Also because of the lack of cars in the community there were a lot of children playing in the streets and parents comfortably in the background. Some residents have cars but because the car is seen as a commuting tool, they are not making unnecessary trips.  And because of the density of the community it isn’t necessary to drive to the grocery store. It is far easier to bike and get groceries then having to drive. This community also had various different style homes giving diverse characteristics in each neighborhood. Here is a link to a video that gives a better in-depth look on the community.

To end the day, we went to a pancake house just outside of Utrecht to catch up on our carbs and broken up conversations that we had during the day. Overall my time in Utrecht has been thought provoking and has made me question which cities I have liked more when it comes to bike infrastructure. I still side with Copenhagen for its designated areas of travel for cars and bikes but the hierarchy of the bike in the Netherlands is far more favorable when thinking in a long-term approach. I am looking forward to seeing how Amsterdam’s biking environment will either sway my conclusion or strengthen it. Tomorrow I will set off for the 20 mile ride to Amsterdam. More to come and of course here are some photos to share.

-Chip

A fun way to charge your phone when waiting for a train. A swing that generates an electric charge.

Central Train Station in Houten with the bike parking with the train platform entrance.

A glimpse of the dutch country.