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Dutch “Bicycle Buses”

39 points by atulatul 6y ago

linguaz 6y ago
Wow, pretty cool. Seems it could be a great way for kids to get to & from school, all pedaling together. Longing for this sort of transportation option here in the Bay Area... Apparently this is the manufacturer: https://www.metaalspecials.nl/ https://www.metaalspecials.nl/
kichimi 6y ago
This isn't the most important dutch bicycle innovation The netherlands has a bike lane system so extensive that you can cycle from one side of the country to the other on a bike only lane system, complete with bicycle only traffic lights, traffic signs, road markings etc You can't have the Bicycle Bus without a commitment to developing extensive infrastructure which did not happen overnight
- violetgarden 6y ago
  That is incredible! Where I live, the bike lane will exist for a mile or so, then suddenly disappear. I’m also jealous of the public transportation in a lot of places. I’d never drive a day in my life if I didn’t have to.
- jefurii 6y ago
  It also helps that the Netherlands is very very flat. Those kids look like they're having a great time.
- tonyedgecombe 6y ago
  This map shows how far ahead the Netherlands are even within Europe. https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/bdvap6/cycling_lanes_in_europe_open_street_map/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/bdvap6/cycling_lan...
  - kichimi 6y ago
    This map doesn't even do it justice. As soon as you cross the border into Germany the easy ride stops, and the bar for what qualifies a bike lane drops significantly. The Netherlands is truely a marvel.
nutshell89 6y ago
I wonder what this would look like for adults. I'm imagining a pedal assisted electric mini bus.
- breakingcups 6y ago
  Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5m51GK6O2I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5m51GK6O2I Dutch as well, unsurprisingly. It incorporates beer into the concept.
Someone 6y ago
Fun for a day outing (and, likely only used for that), but otherwise, utterly impractical. Firstly, how do you think this picks up kids at home? It’s so heavy that you need it to be (almost) fully occupied to ride it. Secondly, let’s say after school time, 3 kids want to play together at one of their homes. How do the two other ones get home for dinner? In both cases, the answer probably is “on their own bicycles!”, but for the first example, why wouldn’t they continue cycling to school on those bicycles? For the second, how do their bicycles get at their friend’s home, so that they can ride home?

39 points by atulatul 6y ago

Wow, pretty cool. Seems it could be a great way for kids to get to & from school, all pedaling together. Longing for this sort of transportation option here in the Bay Area... Apparently this is the manufacturer: https://www.metaalspecials.nl/ https://www.metaalspecials.nl/

kichimi 6y ago

This isn't the most important dutch bicycle innovation The netherlands has a bike lane system so extensive that you can cycle from one side of the country to the other on a bike only lane system, complete with bicycle only traffic lights, traffic signs, road markings etc You can't have the Bicycle Bus without a commitment to developing extensive infrastructure which did not happen overnight

violetgarden 6y ago
That is incredible! Where I live, the bike lane will exist for a mile or so, then suddenly disappear. I’m also jealous of the public transportation in a lot of places. I’d never drive a day in my life if I didn’t have to.
jefurii 6y ago
It also helps that the Netherlands is very very flat. Those kids look like they're having a great time.
tonyedgecombe 6y ago
This map shows how far ahead the Netherlands are even within Europe. https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/bdvap6/cycling_lanes_in_europe_open_street_map/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/bdvap6/cycling_lan...
- kichimi 6y ago
  This map doesn't even do it justice. As soon as you cross the border into Germany the easy ride stops, and the bar for what qualifies a bike lane drops significantly. The Netherlands is truely a marvel.

nutshell89 6y ago

I wonder what this would look like for adults. I'm imagining a pedal assisted electric mini bus.

breakingcups 6y ago
Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5m51GK6O2I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5m51GK6O2I Dutch as well, unsurprisingly. It incorporates beer into the concept.

Someone 6y ago

Fun for a day outing (and, likely only used for that), but otherwise, utterly impractical. Firstly, how do you think this picks up kids at home? It’s so heavy that you need it to be (almost) fully occupied to ride it. Secondly, let’s say after school time, 3 kids want to play together at one of their homes. How do the two other ones get home for dinner? In both cases, the answer probably is “on their own bicycles!”, but for the first example, why wouldn’t they continue cycling to school on those bicycles? For the second, how do their bicycles get at their friend’s home, so that they can ride home?