One thing that struck me was how many fietsen (bikes) there are in the Netherlands. The Dutch boast almost one bike per person. In the Hague, bike paths seem to take precedence over even the roads themselves. Generally the transportation is as follows: roads (for cars, buses, and the occasional tram), bike paths, and pedestrian paths. Bikes also have their own traffic lights at most stops. Interestingly, mopeds also seem to ride on the bike paths, which can make crossing them a bit dangerous at times…
Picturesque Delft canal bordered by homes, and a few bikes to complete the scene
The Netherlands is, as a whole, very flat. I found one “hill” in the Hague — which turned out to be a man-made bridge that was only a few feet high. In the country itself, the highest hill (the Vaalserberg) is just over 1000 feet tall.
A parking lot for bikes in Amsterdam
The reason for the high amount of bike paths is probably the fact that a majority of bike riders don’t care for traffic rules and thus aggrevate people in cars by sudden movements and such.
Ofcourse bike riders always say its not their fault and blame cars for all accidents.
So to keep some semblance of safety more and more bike paths pop up.
This is prolly not 100% true but i do know most people in cars hate bike riders 🙂
Actually, if I remember correctly, mopeds and scooters are supposed to be on the regular road. Which is equally dangerous of course. They changed this 2 years ago, but about half of the people listened and ‘changed lane’ 🙂