There's More to Dutch Roads Than You Think

Please take into consideration that the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe. That is why, if you compare it with sparsely populated Scandinavia, you see that there are relatively many deaths on the road.

The Dutch way of road design started with public pressure. When I was a kid in the Netherlands in the 1970s, there were massive protests to make the roads more safe for cyclists and pedestrians. There were also car-free Sundays when the oil crisis hit and the country slowly started rethinking the role of cars in public spaces.

As a Dutch civil engineer I can say I always design within the regulations and only deviate when there is no room or maybe will result in extreme costs (though this is usually handled in a project specific requirement). When we deviate we always have to give a valid reason that will be put on paper and checked with the client. Designing within the regulations makes our work much easier. Also, we always have safety in mind and will bring it up if we see unsafe situations. For example a few months ago I had the client change a design for a small parkinglot because cars would have to back out in reverse across a bicycle lane.

1:15 A note on road fatilities: elderly on e-bikes. Dutch road fatilities rose sharply again in 2022 because of e-bikes, more specifically elderly people riding e-bikes. It was the first rise in years. Accidents tend to be more often fatal for elderly people, and because of e-bikes they cycle more, they cycle faster. It is very specific. In raw numbers there are about 700 road fatalities yearly now.

Thanks for making the point at 2:20. Many people still forget that the Netherlands is not leading just because of the quality of the infrastructure, but because of how incredibly consistent it is

I have lived in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. And as a Dutch native, I can see and notice, the difference between Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo, with all the big places in the Netherlands. The infrastructure might be great in those Scandinavian cities. But as soon as you leave the city limits and enter the rural areas, it is a complete different story. They are not a paradise, as many of the road engineers think, they are. But you need to see it for yourself.

What also plays in: The Netherlands does not have natural stone, no mountains. Instead stones had to be baked from clay. Already for centuries red 'clinkers' are laid down in a fishgrate grid. Today, residential and shopping areas, where you don't want speed, still use red clinkers by default, while through roads, where higher speeds are invited, have grey tarmac. Grey indicates fast. Red (purple) indicates slow. Those colours are used deliberately nowadays to tell people what speed is most suitable, but the distinction originated accidentally through time.

I had no idea about the sound level rules in the Netherlands. What an absolutely wonderful idea!!

From a Dutchie, you did pretty well on the pronounciation of dutch names!

There is one other factor. Before we design a road or intersection, we count traffic. Not only on the road or intersection itself but in the (wide) surroundings. Designs are data driven. If there is a lot of local (short distance) car traffic, we look if we can make an alternative which can make more people using the bicycle. Intersections will be designed in a way the main direction (if there is one) gets the most priority.

Finally someone mentions the traffic law! I've gotten tired of pointing it out as a cornerstone to all the people drooling over physical infrastructure. The law changed the mentality of car drivers towards bikes from squishes to The Bike Is Lava. Laws first, traffic calming second. I remember NJB mentioning it only once in passing and I'm still hoping for a full episode on it. Maybe he doesn't want to discourage North Americans. 😀

I think this might be my favourite video on comparative Dutch standards, fantastic work. As someone interested in safe streets, sustainable transport etc it always seemed like there was something missing from the typical story about "everybody was driving and then stop dè kindermoord happened and then they came up with Super Cool designs and enforced them and everything was great" tale. In particular looking at legislation here in the UK like LTN1/20 and trying to answer why bad designs keep being made, change is slow and new guidance is ignored. We are stuck in the Netherlands pre1990 eara, we have standards that are very difficult to change, rules that supposedly keep everything in line, so so long as The Standards are being met there's nothing else to do

"0:46 as an irritated Belgian might point it" I'm that Belgian, I feel recognized, thanks

As a dutch traffic engineer I can say you've done proper research. Good job explaining how and why we do what we do. I'd like to add the motivation for every one of my roaddesigns or solutions. We must design a road for people, not for cars. Sometimes it's the same (highways or other big roads) but more often it's not. Ask yourself soms questions: "What would I want if I live here" "What would I want if my child crosses the street here" "Do I feel safe walking here?" Whatever applies to the situation. Also, we go to the people and ask them what they want. Get their opinions and ideas and merge them with what we already know. Many politicians will only sign for roadworks if it's for the greater benefit with support. In The Netherlands traffic engineers work with legislators, it's 2-way communication.

I would be curious to see what you think of the experiment at Amsterdam Central Station by the ferries. The place where there is SO much varied traffic coming from SO many directions that the designers seem to have decided: no rules here! No markings! You guys all pay attention and figure it out for yourselves! And it magically somehow works.

Swede here - we definitely have that carbrain "central areas of larger cities only" situation. In smaller cities, as well as in suburbs, you will have bike lanes that are basically ...the sidewalk.

This got to be the most accurate video on why and how our roads became what they are. One thing that pretty much every video seems to forget though; pretty much everything essential is within biking distance for most citizens. In many countries there seem to be "zoning laws" in place. Here you'll see small areas with a few essential shops all across a city (Besides the one bigger city center)

The recent rise in accidents in Nederland is due to the advent of electric bikes and old people going to fast.

Really great production value! Most new urbanism videos from new channels sound like ai scripted garbage covering the same topics we all heard before. This was a unique take on a unique topic that was well written and illustrated! Hope to see more from you.

Wow, as a native Dutchman who has lived in 9 different countries in Europe and North America, I learned a lot from this video even about my own country! Well done!