Start riding at age 3: The Netherlands, the kingdom of bicycles & how to capture stunning urban views

Everyone knows that the Netherlands is famous as the kingdom of bicycles,with a bicycle ownership rate per capita of 103%,and children start practicing cycling in their own yards from the age of 3 (some even from age 2)! Of course, they start with training wheels at first—to build a solid foundation, whether it’s balance, leg muscle training, or steering with both hands. Each step is taken slowly. Once they become skilled, they remove the training wheels and can ride with their parents on roads or bike lanes. They cycle to school every day, all the way until around the end of middle school (age 18). Even if they go to university in another city, they take their bikes with them for transportation.

Therefore, outside any major train station in the Netherlands, there will definitely be dedicated bicycle parking areas to accommodate commuters and students nearby. The scale is no smaller than that of regular car parks. The most common are outdoor parking lots around the station perimeter. This spectacular sight—where “quantity creates beauty”—is second only to the beautiful canal views and can be considered one of the iconic street scenes of Dutch cities. However, bike theft rates are extremely high in metropolitan areas, so locking your bike securely is a must. But… when crowds pour out of work or school, being able to spot your own bike at a glance becomes a true test of eyesight.

Urban bike storage 1: Surface parking outside stations

Urban bike storage 2: Multi-level parking outside stations

Urban bike storage 3: Underground parking in city centers

Urban bike storage 4: Scenic spots by the canals

Urban bike storage 5: Bicycle displays as business creativity

★Author / Boer0?》Ling, a Taiwanese daughter and Dutch daughter-in-law who has lived in the Netherlands for over 30 years, shares the delicate lifestyle, rich cultural diversity, and moments of happiness in the Netherlands through light-hearted and humorous writing in her blog. She presents all life scenes with a “Taiwanese heart and Dutch eyes.” Facebook fan page: “Crazy Dutch Life Calendar My Dutch LifeStyle””. This article is republished with the author’s permission from the similarly namedblog. Unauthorized reproduction or copying is not permitted.