An ambitious plan by Boris Johnson to spend £100m on transforming a handful of outer-London boroughs into ‘mini Hollands’ could result in an influx of Dutch-style bikes.
Most of the budget will be spent on major improvements to infrastructure including the scrapping of gyratories and the re-connection of neighborhoods fractured by main roads, but the safer conditions for cyclists that result will make possible ways of travelling that at present seem radical.
Nurseries in London occasionally use specially-designed hand carts to transport kids to the local park, but the idea that a group of six or eight children might be carried about by bicycle would, unfortunately, be considered by most schools too foolhardy to contemplate. However, when streets are designed with a consideration for children getting to and from school, such things may soon be considered the norm.
Dutch bicycle manufacturer De Redding builds such bicycles – pedal-powered school buses capable of carrying up to eight toddlers.
The three or four winners of the mini Holland grants will be announced in March. The aim is for very high levels of spending, concentrated on relatively small areas, to transform them into places as cycle-friendly as their Dutch equivalents.
When you see pedal-powered yellow school buses on the streets, you’ll know the grants have been a success.
Are we ready to go Dutch?
Many would-be cycle commuters in Britain cite a lack of workplace showers as the reason they don’t travel by bike. It’s an excuse that would seem strange to the Dutch, who have a adopted a more relaxed, but no less efficient, approach to cycling and bicycle design. Not for them the a sweaty race to the office, or clothes splattered in rain and road muck because their commuter bike has no mudguards. Most ride the type of town bike that bears their name. Dutch bikes have mudguards, centre stands, dynamo lights and a ‘sit-up-and-beg’ seating position that encourages a comfortable and stress-free journey.
Online bicycle retailer anddutch.co.uk is the brainchild of Gert-Jan Baan, a Dutchman who plans to capitalise on an increased interest in Dutch-style bicycles in Britain by shipping the genuine article to customers directly from the ‘land of cycling’.
High-spec bikes
Dutch bicycles have a reputation for being tough and practical – attributes that make perfect town bikes. And those used to the commuting by hybrid or road bike might welcome the fact that any Dutch town bike worth its salt comes equipped as standard with full-length mudguards, stand and comfy seat.
The Netherlands produce all manner of contemporary bikes, but it is the traditional designs that will prove most popular with those who want a bicycle with a specification similar to a Pashley, but at a lower price. Burgers is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer best known for its classic-retro bicycle styles; its Nostalgia Basic model compares with the Pashley Roadster Classic.
A spokesperson for the ETA said: “The Dutch are masters of the practical bicycle – they would no sooner sell a town bicycle without mudguards and lights as a car maker would sell a city runabout without windscreen wipers.”
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Bros
Not another old fashioned bike! Please! Many more British would be happy to ‘go Dutch’ if they knew a typical Dutch bike doesn’t look like the retro/traditional type in the picture. Much more relevant to Britain are the modern good-looking high spec ‘sporthybrides’. They have the same comfortable position, providing a safe and stress free ride, but are equipped with plenty of gears. Makes: Gazelle, Sparta, Batavus. Follow the anddutch link above and look at the (Belgian) Thomson bikes to get an idea. Don’t be fooled by the label ‘City’, these bikes go everywhere! Here in Wales we cycle up the hills upright, whistling our favourite tune and enjoying the views.
Prof.I.Etsen
I agree. I have two Dutch city bikes, one with studded tyres for when it is icy. They are both Gazelles and are classed as “city lite” bikes. They have 8 hub gears, mudguards, chain case, permanently fitted lights, panniers, jacket protectors, permanently fitted lock, etc – everything to make cycling ultra-convenient and comfortable (everyday clothes, no cycle clips and, of course, no sweat). Last September I completed a 57 mile charity ride, which involved several quite steep hills (which lots of others had to walk up but not me) in 4 hours 15 minutes. (I was aiming to complete the ride in 4 hours but a stiff wind stopped me doing that.) I’m 65.
Bros
Congratulations, that is a remarkable achievement! Although I am very much Prof I.Etsen too, but only 56, I don’t think I could have done that! Anyway, I prefer to emphasize the comfortable ride these bicycles provide, rather than their abillity to go fast. There is far too much speed and fury in British cycling at the moment to make bicycling appealing to the non-cycling public. More of these superb Dutch bicycles on the British market would give cycling that feel of normality that is so urgently needed. Why is there only a handful of shops in the whole of Britain selling them? Everywhere I show my collection of (second hand) models people are taken by surprise and are full of admiration for their completeness and built quality. There is a huge market for them out there. If only the British public would be better informed! Come on ETA, let’s have less items about those useless futuristic American gadgets, less reinforcing old ideas about Dutch bikes and more showcases for bicycles that will really encourage people to get out of their cars.