Albany's sister city bike paradise
1. Nijmegen is Albany's sister city in the Netherlands.
2. And, as illustrated by the Streetfilms video above, it's also some sort of bike paradise.
Yep, the United States is not Europe, and Albany is not a mid-size Dutch city. But there are a lot of interesting bits in that video, among them the history of Nijmegen's shift toward bikes over the last handful of decades, and the idea that making a city bike and pedestrian friendly also makes it more attractive to young families and seniors.
[via]
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
I lived in Weert in the Netherlands for a time, and truly loved the ability to get anywhere via feet or bike. I bike to work, now, in Albany.
City bicycling needs to be supported by a culture shift as well as by the amenities of safer shared roads along with some protected bike lanes.
People in cars function better with bikes when they themselves have been on bikes riding in the road.
It also works MUCH BETTER when the bicyclists follow road rules - this is probably the place where most education and enforcement is needed. Albany bike police could educate bicyclists to ride on the road (it's an Albany law for anyone over 14). Bikes must act as vehicles on the road and follow road rules (stop lights, signaling, ride on the right, etc.) so we don't get killed AND so car drivers don't dislike us.
... said Jodi on Jul 18, 2017 at 4:05 PM | link
Been there! We visited Nijmegen on a trip to the Netherlands in 2009, unaware (until we got back) that it was Albany's sister city. It has a great pedestrian shopping district, a university, and a cycling museum. We were impressed with all the bike lanes and accommodations (e.g., HUGE bike racks next to the train station) for cyclists.
... said Ellen on Jul 18, 2017 at 5:02 PM | link
So interesting that we spent the last 200 years becoming an industrial giant with cars and planes and factories and the Chinese were wearing Hilary Clinton pantsuits and riding bikes everywhere....and now the tables have turned 180 degrees..........interesting.
... said BS on Jul 18, 2017 at 8:55 PM | link