Society Are roads in the Netherlands the best in the world?

[Maciamo]

I've been following this YouTube channel for a while and every video I watch about Dutch roads, be it for cars, bicycles or pedestrians, all indicate that this may be the best country in the world for road infrastructure. Not only is the road quality exceptionally good, everything appears to be very well managed and organised. Intelligent traffic lights are the norm. They use special asphalt on the road to reduce the noise from the tyre friction. Bicycle lanes are well separated from the cars and protected at junctions. There is hardly any traffic jam.

That's a big contrast with neighbouring Belgium (especially in the French speaking part) where motorways are always undergoing some kind of repair that lasts for months as workers never seem to be working (or present) and traffic jams are the norm. Nevertheless Flemish cities in Belgium are usually well designed for bicycles too.

 

[bicicleur 2]

Often it becomes clear when you cross the border between The Netherlands and Belgium.
Most of the traffic jams in The Netherlands are caused by geography, it is near the bridges were the big rivers have to be crossed, and that is only during peak hours.
It is a big contrast with Bruxelles where there are no geographical obstacles, and there are traffic jams almost all the time.
Volkswagen is now going to close their plant in Bruxelles, and one of the arguments for this is the logistics, the traffic jams.

 

[Maciamo]

Copenhagen is usually described as one of the best cities in the world to live in. It's also one of the most bicycle friendly cities on earth. But Amsterdam and other Dutch cities are really one step ahead when it comes to bicycle lanes.

 

[Jovialis]

Regarding exercise, Americans (well the upper-middle class ones that live in NYC and surrounding area, and likely other urban hubs) really do like cycling. Peloton is very popular in gyms; I have one at home that I need to start using again. This popularity is likely due to a lack of bicycle oriented streets perhaps?

 

[Maciamo]

Regarding exercise, Americans (well the upper-middle class ones that live in NYC and surrounding area, and likely other urban hubs) really do like cycling. Peloton is very popular in gyms; I have one at home that I need to start using again. This popularity is likely do to a lack of bicycle oriented streets perhaps?

Yes, that's probably part of the reason.

 

[bicicleur 2]

I do a lot of cycling on my racebike or my gravel bike. I avoid cities. The worst car drivers are those who drive to slow. They are not focused on traffic and have no clue what's behind or next to them. Their behaviour is completely unpredictable.

 

[norbert]

I do a lot of cycling on my racebike or my gravel bike. I avoid cities. The worst car drivers are those who drive to slow. They are not focused on traffic and have no clue what's behind or next to them. Their behaviour is completely unpredictable.

It can equally be said that a lot of cyclists are behaving irresponsibly and recklessly. How often did I have to deal with a moron on a bicycle who'd be almost in the middle of the road. I have seen them in couples blocking the entire road and also had cases where they'd overtake me from the left at the traffic lights. Not to mention that most of them think that traffic rules don't apply to them by jumping the red light etc. This is not a rant against cyclists because I am a cyclist myself. My usual route is along the Danube Canal all the way into Lower Austria. I never cycle in city traffic. Roads were built for cars primarily. Cyclists are just guests on them until, maybe one day, there won't be any cars in cities.