Nijmegen - structured

One thing I was surprised to learn was the amount of pushback that planners still receive here about bicycle lanes. With such an extensive network, one would think that it would be easier to gain support for new or improved infrastructure. Similar to the U.S., there will always be people in opposition who don't support or envision a bicycle network. I think it's hard to talk with someone in opposition because there is a difference between the Netherlands and the U.S. We are very similar but there are still cultural differences. As with many difficult conversations, I think I would first start off with sharing the history of both the U.S. and Netherlands. During this trip, it has been very helpful to see before and after pictures of intersections. I assumed that these cities had some sort of biking infrastructure in place to put them so far ahead of us but they valued cars just as much as we do. They took away parking and lanes for cars and have found success. Below is a before and after photo of a 5-way intersection. Each mode of transportation can still navigate as needed, but bikers and pedestrians have priority. 

Intersection before 

Intersection after 

Another example I would show people would be the highway to canal in Utrecht. The highway was part of a ring highway around the city. The highway was removed and the canal was restored. You can now find boats and kayaks cruising here. 

Canal near mall 

Before and after photos / Source: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/motorway-removed-to-bring-back-original-water/ 

Both of these examples show how cars and highways existed in the Netherlands and were prioritized for a long time. Once we understand the history of how countries came to be, we can learn how to move forward.