Where in the world are the most satisfied motor vehicle drivers? What!! The Netherlands? For 3 years in a row? But . . . but . . . splutter. . . fap . . . bike lanes!
Check these results for 2017 from Waze.
As for the results…the best place to be a driver is (drumroll): The Netherlands. The European nation takes the top spot in our index thanks to prime traffic conditions, road quality, and infrastructure.
It seems that designing, building and promoting safe and effective transportation choices is a solid strategy. People like multi-modal travel and use it, and this makes the city better for everyone, including motor vehicle operators.
Here’s an article by Chris and Melissa Bruntlett in the DailyHive based on the 2016 Waze report.
For the second year in a row, Waze’s Driver Satisfaction Index – which analyzes the driving experiences of 65 million monthly users in 38 countries and 235 cities across the globe – named The Netherlands the most satisfying place in the world to drive, specifically referencing its “smooth traffic conditions” and “solid road quality.”
. . . With fewer motorists moving both short and long distances on the country’s roadways, space is freed up for those who really need it, such freight companies and emergency services. In addition to reducing the amount of congestion, this also decreases the need for road maintenance due to “wear and tear.” Finally, the report mentions the unparalleled safety of Dutch streets, statistically the safest in the world, having virtually eliminated deaths and serious injuries by engineering user error out of the equation.
We should copy them here – Great roads, great bike and walking facilities, great transit, great rail. And super safe for everyone. We can have it all!
We learned the dyke building from the Dutch, so why not some city building too ? Note there are almost no highrises in Holland, 6-8 stories max. Also superflat, unlike large parts of MetroVan. But they have the densest population in Europe per sq km ( except maybe these micro states like Monaco, Lichtenstein or San Marino) and have built remarkably walkable & bikable cities.
MetroVan could have been built like Holland, but wasn’t due to far lower population density 100 or even 50 years ago. The famous 4-5 storey houses along the canals in Amsterdam mostly had no elevators keeping building heights in check 300+ years ago, whereas much of Vancouver’s growth could allow very high highrises with elevators. Once you got highrises the feel on the street and from afar changes dramatically though. Plus, we now have tens of thousands of single family and low density neighbourhoods beloved by those living there.
The dutch are building highrises:
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/greathomesanddestinations/amsterdam-embraces-residential-high-rises.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_the_Netherlands
They treat their farmland with great respect. Would that we do the same.
Highrises in Holland.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/The+Hague,+Netherlands/@52.0738853,4.3202328,858a,35y,39.22t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47c5b72f4298bd71:0x400de5a8d1e6c10!8m2!3d52.0704978!4d4.3006999
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Rotterdam,+Netherlands/@51.9110744,4.5139392,2376a,35y,270h,38.81t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47c5b7605f54c47d:0x5229bbac955e4b85!8m2!3d51.9244201!4d4.4777326