Traffic Calming is Everywhere in the Netherlands

The most amazing thing about traffic calming in the Netherlands is just how ubiquitous it is. From city centre to suburb, from large city to small village, traffic calming is everywhere in the Netherlands.

NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel):

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Level of Service animation:

Sustainable Saftey:

Traffic Calming Strategies images from:

[NotJustBikes]

This video was one of the first videos on my channel, when I was making short videos. At the time, I assumed my whole audience knew what "traffic calming" was, but most people don't.

It may be time for a re-make of this with some more explanation and detail.

[marit-]

Being Dutch, I am so used to 'traffic calming' that I didn't even know there was a word for that...

[chaselearnslanguages]

There is a positive here for the US and Canada. We’ve made our roads so wide that we will have plenty of room for bike paths and pedestrian paths if we ever get around to giving them priority over cars.

[daanvandongen]

I love that these comment sections are all dutch people talking English to eachother.

[OsmosisHD]

Funny, it takes a foreigner to appreciate my own road network.
I never gave it much thought since it's "normal" for me. Heck it's been there since I was born

[noijze]

In Belgium traffic calming is applied to the whole highway system.

[brinkshows]

Me as a dutch person always find American and Canadian roads quite dangerous. We are not traffic calming. We just have a normal safe road for all people. XD

[kurtthewurt]

Meanwhile in Southern California, the speed limit directly outside my apartment is 60mph (102kph), and people regularly go 80 (130kph).

The road is 10 lanes across at the intersection, and is currently being widened to 12 lanes to accommodate the new triple left turn lanes. There is no public transport or bike lane available. I drive to the Starbucks across the street because I don’t feel safe crossing 20 lanes of traffic (with one high speed free-right turn). Dutch road design is a different world.

[suzan]

You videos are making me understand this "helping an old lady cross the road" phenomenon that you see in American movies/shows sometimes. I'd never seen anyone do it here irl and it seemed kind of weird an unnecessary but now I get it.

[NotJustBikes]

In addition to Amsterdam, this video has scenes from Zwolle, Diemen, Groningen, Ermelo, Haarlem, Leiden, and Lent (Nijmegen).

I wonder if I'll still get those comments claiming that everything I talk about only happens in Amsterdam? 🤔

[dennisverweij]

As someone who grew up in Canada, and now lives in the Netherlands, the difference in road width is startling. For example, the suburban road that my parents live on in Canada is 10 m wide. Meanwhile, in the city I now live in the Netherlands we have a road that is 12m wide, which doesn't just has the lane in each direction, but a separate bus lane in each direction too. You could make a whole separate video on the difference in density as well. As if you need to do shopping in Canada you might as well take the car from one side of the street to the other side. That became painfully clear when I visited my parents last year.

[EquiliMario]

During my 5 week US West Coast road trip I felt empowered in the car and vulnerable outside of it. At home, in The Netherlands, I feel the exact opposite.

[markvv]

2:45 lol i was like “ he that looks just like the one in my village” then he said, “this is a crossing in ermelo”. So thats why... it is in my Village.

[stardust-reverie]

i love how the canadian street makes SUCH a BIG fucking DEAL about being *Traffic Calmed* with basically nothing being done to the street while still having a 50kmh speed limit
just goes to show ya how deadly of a disease carbrain really is

[windmill]

3:50 "... humans will make mistakes ..." while two cyclists run into each other in the background.

[bjornl.]

I moved to the Netherlands 15 years ago, and sneered at cobbled roads, because where I come from (Germany), they mean you're on a "Fußgängerzone" (Pedestrian zone, no cars allowed).

Now, after so much time had passed, and after having discovered your channel, I am embarrassed at my own arrogance and ignorance, and notice more of the ingenious Dutch city design every day <3

[NexuJin]

I came to appreciate the Dutch traffic system since I played Cities: Skylines and was trying to optimize the traffic and came to realize the traffic system in that game is based on the traffic system used in North America.

[KarlPlesz]

This really speaks to me. I live in Calgary, a large Canadian city, and we have a serious problem with the safety of people not driving motorized vehicles. Stop signs may as well not exist, in fact our roads engineers admit that they only are obeyed 50% of the time. But they continue to use outdated approaches to traffic safety. I even joined a traffic safety committee in my neighbourhood, but even its leader has resigned to the fact that the City is ignoring the residents' pleas. There's a very vocal group here called Vision Zero who are trying to convince local roads departments to do the right thing. I hope they can make a difference.

[hhh]

I'm Dutch and what I love about our road system is that, because of the 'traffic calming', it is super easy to know how fast you're allowed to drive haha. Because often it's hardly possible to drive faster (in a comfortable way). I've never had a fine because of this. in 7 years of driving 😂

[kujiro_x]

i'm dutch and i literally didn't realise any of the things my country does were even special until i started watching your videos