It actually goes well
beyond just cycling. There is a lot less aggression
in society here as a whole. I think it comes down
to spending the years since the second world war with
an interest in making society work rather than with
the main concern being an arms race. There are also
such surprising things as primary schools lacking
gates, let alone intercom systems for access, and
teachers telling the kids their new address when they
move. With very few exceptions, people feel safe in
their homes at night or wandering about outside them,
and the openness and accountability of the political
system results even in politicians being trusted to
do what they say they're going to do to a much greater
extent than in the UK.
Of course, cyclists still complain
about conditions over here, however there really is
no comparison with the state of cycling in the UK.
Cyclists actually matter here. I keep noticing little
things that added together are clearly attempts to
make life considerably better for cycling. I knew
well before moving that there were a lot of people
riding bikes in the Netherlands, but not until I got
here did I realise just how much.
Life
here is good, and I hope to be able to share this
with other English speaking cyclists. We're organising
recreational cycling tours in this area next year
and also a study tour for campaigners and transport
professionals. You can read about these on
my website here.
I've
also put a set of photos
of parts of the local cycle network on the camcycle
website.
.david
hembrow 
