Tags: holland
The U.S. could learn a thing or two from the Netherlands
Every time I come to the Netherlands, I can't help think that the United States could learn a thing or two from the Dutch. Over the last week I've watched their incredible capacity to move people using their mass transit system while at the same time reaping the results of their investment into an infrastructure which encourages people to use human-energy-propulsion methods (i.e. the bicycle).
They employ a version of the “hub system” similar to what the top airlines have been forced to embrace as a cost cutting philosophy to become more efficient. The hub system develops hubs to which all feeder routes converge and connect. The Dutch do this so effectively with their cities as the natural hub where everyone wants to go. And I mean everyone.
In Amsterdam for example, there is an incredible array of choices for the commuter to get from the outer suburbs into the incredible city of Amsterdam. And all of the various forms of mass transit have been developed to feed off of and take advantage of the Dutch people's love affair with the bicycle.
The mass transit systems are well thought out and well maintained. For the commuters, this means that you get incredibly efficient, incredibly clean, safe, and very cheap mass transit to the hub city of Amsterdam, and once you are there, you can continue to rely on their mass transit system in and around the city as well. Or you can do as the natives do and grab a bike.
And when you examine the system closer, the bicycle is the key that sets Holland's system apart from any other big city with a subway or commuter trains system. One of the first things visitors to Amsterdam notice are the thousands of bikes locked everywhere they are allowed, but even more impressive to someone from the United States are the huge bicycle parking lots.
Can a bike sharing program work in the United States?
As much as I would like it to work in the United States, I have my doubts that any bicycle sharing program could work here. The first program of its kind in the U.S. was launched in Washington D.C. early this year with a mere 120 bikes. Hardly what could be considered a confident initial investment.
Amsterdam: Be careful what you wish for
Amsterdam, precious Amsterdam, be careful what you wish for and don’t seek to change too much. Don’t give in to pressure from the moral and behavior police, and don’t close your minds or your borders to freedom.
The Netherlands: Laboratory of Freedom
Today I’m flying to the Netherlands, and it is a trip I always enjoy, because it is as if you are visiting a modern day laboratory of freedom. The Dutch people are docile and relatively open-minded with a laissez-faire attitude that is refreshing in today’s world of prevalent moral and religious restrictions.
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