Is Biking Actually Easier Here? An Idea for my Thesis

One of the main things that drew me back to Utrecht as I'm sure most of you know is the impeccable bike infrastructure. Back home what counts as bike infrastructure is usually little more than a painted white line on the very edge of a road, but here the standards are much different. Everywhere I go, bikes are the most common form of transportation and the street design reflects this. The hierarchy of right-of-way goes something like this: Bikes first, then transit, then pedestrians, and finally cars. Back home it goes more like cars, transit, pedestrians, and bikes last. As a result, bikes are given the best infrastructure out of all the modes, and majority of street space is dedicated to cyclists at the expense of cars (and pedestrians). 

When I'm out riding in the city I often think about how different I feel riding here rather than back home in Oregon. While the bike infrastructure here is certainly superior, I don't always feel more at ease riding here than I do at home. This could be simply because I am not used to the city yet, but I feel like having so many cyclists creates its own set of challenges for riders and impacts the comfortability people feel when using two wheels to get from place to place. When I am out riding in Oregon, my two greatest concerns are cars, and if the biking routes will get me where I need to go. Here, it is other cyclists. 

When a city has such good bike infrastructure, many, many people will use it. That is the goal after all. Of course it is very easy to use, but many people (especially newcomers) feel a bit intimidated using the bikeways when there are so many people using it. The Dutch people are especially notorious for having little mercy when it comes to biking. If you stumble into a bikeway unawares, there is a good chance of getting clipped by a bike, and an even better chance of receiving some less-than-kind words tossed your way. I consider myself to be a good cyclist, and even I have come extremely close to a collision already on more than one occasion (have I already wiped out on my bike? Yes, but there's no need to get into it now). 

So even with the best bike infrastructure in the world, cycling still poses a bit of a challenge in this city. This has lead me to an idea for my impending thesis project, which is the question: How is bikeability in a city measured? Utrecht is ranked as the number one most bikeable city in the world, but it is unclear what metrics were used to come to this conclusion. Obviously the infrastructure is top-notch but most of the international students I have spoken to thus far have expressed extreme hesitancy to use it. How can a city be ranked as the most bike-friendly in the world if there is still a large population who feels too afraid to cycle? 

Some metrics I think are important to include are the obvious; Connectivity (can you get to where you need to go via bike route), safety, efficiency, micro-infrastructure (bike traffic lights, bike-mountable curbs, bike parking, wayfinding, etc). But also softer metrics like can an inexperienced rider feel comfortable biking in the city, can the elderly and children ride on their own. This idea is still very new but it is of interest to me to figure out how we can accurately compare biking in cities around the world. With a reliable way to make these comparisons it may be easier to learn from each other and to improve the bikeability of our world.