Published by Lyn on 16 October 2013
How to become a cycle-friendly city.
This is my second blog this week – sorry! – about something that's not directly related to cycling in France (though I've managed to slip Paris and a few other cities in towards the end).
Apologies aside, one of our contrbutors, the wonderful Mark Cramer, who often pops into my inbox offering to write me something great for nothing but gratitude in return, has sent me this link to this wonderful story and video about cycling in Groningen in The Netherlands.
Groningen is arguably the best cycling city in the world. The video has some great interviews with local cyclists and cycling advocates discussing how this has happened and why it's so great to ride a bike in the city.
It's an interesting case study on what can happen when cycling is pushed to the forefront of public and social policies, and given a high priority when it comes to urban planning and infrastructure.
Some of these principles were adopted when Paris started making its transition to become a cycle-friendly city and they're being adopted in across France, including by Bordeaux, Lyon and others, as well as in other cities across the world. But if this video is anything to go by, cities everywhere have a lot of catching up to do if they're going to meet the high standards set by the Dutch in Groningen.
It'd be great to hear your thoughts on cycling in cities – both in France and in other countries across the world.