From As Easy As Riding A Bike:
… the safety record of the Netherlands for cycling is almost entirely attributable to the physical environment people cycle in, and that it isn’t down to exemplary behaviour …
.
That’s for sure:
.
See more bad behaviour from the Netherlands here.
I am not necessarily condoning this behaviour – my point was that the superior Dutch safety record is achieved in spite of it.
Gordon, I also think that vehicle behaviour is different in regard to cyclists in cities in the Netherlands as well. I am very grateful to the Municipality of Amsterdam and their planners, who took me out on bicycles to learn “the knowledge” of how to deport myself on the bike.
Vehicles were more accepting of left hand turns with bicyclists, and seemed to have more care and attention to cyclist behaviour.
It just goes to show the people for the most part respond to the design of their surroundings. I had a friend tell me that the tourists walking near English Bay were so inconsiderate compared to the tourists walking near Yaletown. (Mostly complaining about walking on the cycle path.) Now they’re the same people, the only difference is that near English Bay the cycle path and the pedestrian path are separated only by a thin line whereas in the Yaletown area of the Seawall, there’s a very wide strip with grass, benches and bushes. It’s not fair to blame people for bad behaviour when they’re just going along with the design of the place.