Cycling so far has been great. Although, we previously learned about the Netherlands in class, it is so surreal being able to experience it. Somethings that stuck out to me was the overhead signage on the highways. In Atlanta, the overhead signage tells you how many miles to the next exit or the exit sign. In the Netherlands, the overhead sign stated destinations and how many parking spaces. The next thing was the vehicles. I noticed the trucks was not the same as American trucks. Since the Netherlands has low to zero emissions, the trucks nose are flat. This means the is engine under the drive or in the back, which causes the trucks to weigh less and help with emission. The EMS alarm stuck out to me. From far out it had a calming siren, not loud and disturbing, like the US. The signs on the roads and bike paths are also interesting. It is very important to know what the signs means so when riding no accidents happen. For example, if a yield sign is facing a car it means cars yield to the cyclist. If the sign is in the bike direction, the cyclist yield to cars. The last thing is that pedestrian/cyclist overheads work. In the US, some pedestrian overheads are not in sequin with the lights or don’t work.
In the US, the main priority are vehicles. There are minimum to no designs in the US to cater to the cyclist. Especially on the outskirts/country side of Atlanta it is not likely far cyclist infrastructure to be seen. The Netherlands has design cycling infrastructure not only in the city, but in the county side too, which connects to the city. By experiencing these areas, it is a fact that the Netherlands prioritize cyclist. At the train stations, there are parking areas for bikes. The parking areas had two story parking stations, which held a lot of bikes. Also, the train had a section where bikes were allowed on the train. Cycling is a norm in the country, I have seen parents and kids on the same bikes, elderly people, and toddlers riding alongside their parents. Everywhere I have gone had parking station for bikes. The people cycling looks comfortable and content with their choice of transportation.
