Sub-plenary Sessions

The Dutch Experience

Bernhard Ensink, Fietsersbond, The Netherlands The Experience Of The Dutch Cyclists' Union, Twenty Five Years Dutch Cyclists' Union (Fietsersbond) At the moment the Netherlands present themselves in Germany at the EXPO 2000 with the slogan: Holland creates space for new ideas. I was there. And I was surprised. I could neither find the word fiets nor a picture or a shot of a bicycle or cyclist in the Dutch presentation at the EXPO 2000. So, you are right to be here, and not at the EXPO 2000. Here in Amsterdam, with Velo Mondial 2000, the Fietsersbond, the Dutch Cyclists Union, creates space for new ideas around an old, but still fantastic idea: moving by bike! We, the Dutch Cyclists Union, started 25 years ago. Let me tell you something about our history and our strategy. In my presentation of the Fietsersbond I will switch between the past and the present, which will give you an impression of what we did and what we do. There are three periods in the history of the Fietsersbond: the seventies, the eighties and the nineties.

Ursula Lehner-Lierz, Velo Consult, Switserland The Cycling System: Let's Make Its Invisible Parts Visible

Ton Welleman, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, The Netherlands The Dutch Experience With Governmental Bicycle Policies This contribution introducing the congress theme ‘Dutch experience’ mainly focuses on bicycle policy in The Netherlands. This policy is rooted in a culture that is almost one century old. Contrary to many other European countries, The Netherlands managed to hold on to this culture after the Second World War and even developed it further. The Bicycle Masterplan, which was initiated by the ministry of transport in 1990, was only a next phase in that development. It is too early for a final conclusion on the master plan. The presumption appears to be justified however that the plan has contributed to the fact that for another decade cycling in the Netherlands has been able to balance between the opportunities and threats that bicycle traffic is constantly exposed to in a prosperous country with a long bicycle tradition. There is still a lot to be said and discussed about those opportunities and threats in the coming decades. It is difficult to give a reliable prediction as to whether the sum will ultim