Transportation and social equality

Throughout this stint in the Netherlands I haven't encountered very many homeless persons.  There have been a few panhandlers here and there in busier areas of larger cities, but nothing like I'm used to in either American or other European cities.

To see whether this perception was accurate, I looked up the stats: according to Statistics Netherland, only 0.02% of the Dutch population is homeless, compared to about 1% of the U.S. population.  In other words, a Dutch city of 500,000 people is likely to have 850 homeless persons, while a comparable American city would have closer to 5,000.

A big reason for this is the strong safety net provided by the Dutch government.  For example--and I'm not sure whether it's all residents or citizens only--but anyone making below-median income is eligible for a housing subsidy.

My purpose in posting this here is my contention that transportation plays a significant role in terms of social equality.  Someone's level of mobility can seriously impact their ability to meet their needs or improve their circumstances.  I saw this firsthand working with chronically homeless adults in Salt Lake as the program I worked for provided bus passes to clients who needed them.

Back to Holland.  A thoroughly connected and safe bike network means that all someone needs is a cheap bike to access almost the entire country.  Public transportation generally goes wherever (and whenever) you need to go, and quickly.  The region where I'm staying (Haaglanden) has a great radial tram network targeted towards average travelers, with a bus system that fills in the gaps to serve those who can't use any of the above.  With little-to-no need for a car, both poor and rich are on more equal footing, and that simply has to contribute to solving social problems like homelessness.

Houten and Utrecht

Two bits of insanity from today:

This is a video of me riding through a BICYCLE ROUNDABOUT, which is below the roundabout for cars.  I'm estimating its cost to be somewhere in the range of $0-$10,000,000,000 and the Wow Factor to be valued at $10,000,000,001.  It's located in Houten, which is just outside Utrecht and is basically a bicycle and pedestrian enthusiast's wet dream.    

And this, my friends, is a DOUBLE ARTICULATED BUS (2 accordion-looking extension things) in Utrecht - riding in a dedicated bus lane flanked by a raised bike lane and further-raised sidewalk.  All because the Dutch want to and therefore they can.    

Weekend in Dusseldorf and Cologne

So it turns out Germany is a bit less bikey than the Netherlands...

Addressing the "what-ifs" of biking

Today (which is a lie) I was reminded of one of my biggest barriers to cycling more frequently: the risk of getting a flat.  While touring through Rijkswijk and The Hague (again), the risk became reality and I had to patch the oldest and crappiest inner-tube on earth.  Long story short, this didn’t work for long, I ended up walking at least 100km, and replacing the tube took at least twice as long as anything I’ve ever done before in my life. 

“Wow,” you say.  “You’re complaining about a minor inconvenience in the middle of your two-week stay in Holland and you expect me to feel bad for you?”  You’re not done: “Get over it man; flats happen.  And while you’re at it, send me some stroopwafels to compensate me for the time I just wasted reading your e-whinings.” 

Bicycle superhighway near Delft.  Despite its awesomeness,
 flats can still happen here.

Easy there.  My point in sharing this anecdote is simply to point out that no matter how thorough, innovative, and user-friendly a city or region’s bicycle infrastructure is, it does not solve the problem of flat tires and other mishaps.  It may reduce the likelihood by providing cleaner/smoother riding surfaces, but it will not eliminate bike issues. And if the potential of incidents like this is enough to deter me from cycling, it certainly doesn’t help attract those less likely to choose a bike for more of their trips. 

Of course, complications are not unique to cycling.  People often have car troubles, buses and trains can sometimes be painfully late (or break down themselves), etc.  So no matter what mode one takes, the potential for delays is always there. 

Separate bike signal on bike path to reduce conflict.  This cyclist still didn't stop though.  

Thus, having alternatives is crucial.  Depending on where a cyclist "breaks down" in the U.S., he or she may have the option of hopping on a bus or train with their bike.  This still makes the cyclist dependent on the quality of public transportation service (here in Holland bikes are not allowed on most public transit due to capacity constraints).  According to bikeportland.org, AAA and the Better World Club offer bicycle towing services (but only to members), while some local Portland companies attempting to do so have failed.  Perhaps - just perhaps - if more people felt assured that if they encountered issues on their journey they had a reliable backup option, there would be more cycling by a wider range of populations.  

Oh beautiful for spacious Ypenburg

Jan Termorshuizen describing Ypenburg

Yes, the Netherlands is a tiny country.  I'm pretty sure you can fit 1.5 million of them in the good old USA.  Still, the Dutch have made such a concerted effort to preserve farmland and natural resources by limiting and containing growth that the country feels largely uninhabited.  Cities are usually centered around a main train station and carefully planned in terms of land use and the transportation facilities supporting it.  The result has pretty consistently been dense, compact, and navigable cities.  

Which is why Ypenburg somewhat confused me.    Redeveloped on the site of a former air force base, the town seems like a combination of Dutch planning principles and American spatial standards.  In less stupid language, the general patterns of orienting the city to transit and facilitating social interactions while embracing nature are there, but the density and compactness are not.  In fact, it almost felt like a gigantic office park:

Another crazy thing about the place is the departure from beautiful building design the Dutch are known for.  The social housing that dominates the town center is bland and institutional, which our guide Jan Termorshuizen of Stadsgewest Haaglanden (the regional government) explained by saying, “It seems that they forgot to make it look nice.” 

Social housing in Ypenburg town center

Indeed.

As we biked away from the uninspiring center, nicer townhomes emerged, which then gave way to neighborhoods of single-family homes on large lots.  So although we experienced all this on bicycles instead of in cars, I couldn’t help but think that the 4^th of July was a perfect day for this tour.  God bless you, Ypenburg.  

Ypenburg "Main Street": bike path and tramline only

View through one of the two Ypenburg train stations

To each his own (mote)

   

The Hague, or How My Mind Got Blown

I love cities - hence the whole urban planning degree thing.  When a few of my colleagues (hmm...colleagues makes them sound way too sophisticated) suggested we take a bike ride from Delft to The Hague, I was definitely excited to see yet another city I knew basically nothing about.  After a mishap provided an opportunity to MacGyver the shit out of Zef Wagner's broken bike and we got lost a few times, we finally made it to a city that is in the midst of a massive development project that has produced some unbelievable structures.  It also happens to be the home of a diverse range of ethnic populations, which was somewhat refreshing considering both Portland's and Delft's relative lack thereof.  


After staring in awe at the city's emerging core (including a building that was built OVER the tram line, as shown below), we turned around and made the 12km trek back to Delft to make it back before it got dark.  

(This is what makes this post relevant to transportation)

As it happens, a few of us headed back today to go to the beach and geek out over everything I just mentioned.  I got a few more pictures, which is really all you want to see anyway.  

What's wrong with Amsterdam?

Spending the day wandering through the streets of Amsterdam and admiring the city's virtually seamless integration of bicycles, pedestrians, transit, private vehicles, and even freight made me think: What do the local people actually traveling through these streets complain about?  I mean, it seems that no matter where someone lives, they have negative opinions about the state of their local transportation.  "Man, buses here are so much slower than in _________" or "Biking in ________ is way better" etc etc.

So I'm hoping that while I'm here I'll be able to get some perspectives from Dutch people who would take issue with my making eye-love to their traffic strategies and street design - not just because it creeps them out, but because they don't wear the same rose-colored shades.

Delft-bound

It's a strange feeling to be heading to a place in the world you know nothing about.  Well, that's not entirely true.  The following images comprise the extent of my knowledge of Delft, Netherlands:

And the second one I only know from a Google image search.  Something like 100,000 people live there, which means there are approximately 1,000,000 bicycles within the city limits--limits that I'm sure contain no more than 5,000 sq. ft.  


So yeah, in a little less than two weeks I'll be making my way across the Atlantic to spend half a month learning why the Dutch have transportation systems figured out and (presumably) why we'll never be able to re-create their success in the States.  


"Then what's the point of going?" you might ask.  Well, like someone who thinks they have an STI, I want to be proven wrong.  Who knows - perhaps I'll be optimistically inspired by the experience.  Either way I probably won't make it back alive.