"For cyclists, a Dutch treat"

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Globe editorial, 8/9/09

THIS SPRING, I studied in a quaint village in the Netherlands, a country whose liberality with marijuana and prostitution has led many to dismiss it as an anarchic hippie haven. Dutch culture, though (especially apart from Amsterdam), cannot be so narrowly portrayed. And it includes a practical element that Americans, in a time of high energy prices and emissions consciousness, should observe: the ubiquity of bikes.

In the Netherlands, biking has minimal class implications. Three-piece-suit-wearing businessmen readily opt for two-wheeled transport, strapping their briefcases to a rack over the rear wheel and pedaling off wearing luxury shoes that may be costlier than the bike itself. Parents tow modified baby carriages behind them. The elderly find comfort in the relaxed pace of cycling, and in the sturdiness of the bikes' design. Teenagers willingly ride them to school, pride intact. Young and old, suit- and jeans-wearing alike, the Dutch love to ride.

In our culture, by contrast, bikes often function as toys, gifted to children with training wheels and tassels. If you are riding a bike, people might think you are making an effort to exercise, or to get outside more. They might think your car is in the shop. Or they might think you are joyriding. Simply getting from here to there with a bike is still, to many, a novel idea. And between infrastructure limitations - sparse bike racks and poorly marked bike lanes - and flouting of traffic laws by both drivers and cyclists, it can also be a challenging one.

The Dutch bike design strives for function over style: the handlebars are higher and closer to the chest, allowing the body to be upright and relaxed, not hunched over. Standard equipment includes a bell on the handlebars, which lets cyclists announce their presence with a warning blast. There is also a light, making bicycling safe after nightfall.

Generally, the bikes are a subdued shade of black, brown, or gray, not candy-apple red. This is only fitting. To the Dutch, a bike is not a toy: it is independence; it is necessity.

Dutch bike riders are assertive and confident, not apologetic: they own the road. And, notably, none of them wears a helmet. When you're riding on a bike path (really, just a double-wide sidewalk), you don't need to. In Holland, annoyed drivers and reckless cyclists are hard to find. Familiarity with, and acceptance of, the bicycle is a part of the Dutch DNA. Even if the Model-T is at the center of America's, there's plenty of room for bikes in our hearts. And on the road, too.

CHRISTOPHER GIRARD