Here’s a video from the Dutch cycling Embassy, a promotion. Dutch education teaches children how to follow Dutch rules. It doesn’t teach them basics of bike handling or safety in traffic. The teacher makes an empty claim that it does, and the video, presented as a promotion, is an embarrassment. The video is short enough that I took my time to look right through it and comment. Almost every clip of students riding is an example of bad practice.
If cycling were being taught according to the same principles as with other skills-based activities such as swimming, ball sports or boating, then skills would be at the core of the instruction. But again, this is rules instruction. And even so, the students break many basic rules, for example turning left from the right side of the road without looking back in time to negotiate with an overtaking motorist or cyclist.
The video is of lots of short clips, some so short you can hardly see what is happening. You will have to stop the motion or look repeatedly to see some of the things I describe below. Cheerful music plays for most of the video except when teachers are making promotional statements: one more way that the video identifies itself as having everything to do with promotion.
Times here are backward because Facebook shows you the amount of time left rather than the amount of time elapsed. Yay Facebook, another subtle manipulation to keep you on the page. (A reader has indicated that clicking on the time display changes it to time elapsed — a hidden feature.)
-2:04 Kid is riding bicycle with the saddle way too low.
-1:49 Children are standing over their bicycles, in front of the saddle, which is good, but the pedals on which their feet rest are in the down position. They would have either to raise the pedal or, if that is not possible (coaster brake) switch feet or shuffle start.
-1:43 Same kid rides too close to the back of a right-angle-parked car. It could back out, or someone could walk around past its far side.
-1:42 He rides in the door zone of a parallel-parked car.
-1:39 Girl is riding with saddle so low that she is pedaling on the heels of her feet.
-1:35 Girl weaves right before a cross street, then goes straight.
-1:31 Girl turns left from the right side of the road — but she is signaling, and that will make it safe! We don’t see her do a shoulder check.
-1:29 Girl rides deep in the door zone on a narrow street with motor traffic. If the door of the SUV with dark windows opened, she would strike the door and/or be thrown into the path of an approaching car.
-1:26 Boy signals a right turn while turning rather than before turning, turns and continues edge riding.
-1:16 Girl turns left from the right side of the street. She does a shoulder check, but too late to negotiate if there is a vehicle approaching (There isn’t. There isn’t any moving motor vehicle behind a cyclist in any of these clips, other than maybe the one with the video camera in staged shots). She signals while turning rather than before turning, which would indicate her intention. A scorer is sitting by the side of the road.
-1:05 Teacher: “The traffic exam tests whether children are able safely to participate in traffic” — so, evidently, the children have already taken the course.
-1:00 “They’ve just done the national theoretical exam.”
-0:56 Child is stopped sitting on the saddle, which is too low, I can tell just by looking at her feet.
-0.54 Student is being scored by teacher using a clipboard, while riding in the door zone. Does the student get a deduction on the score?
-0:51 Boy rides over a speed bump without posting.
-0.49 Girl dismounts by jumping off to the side of the bicycle. Does she know another way? This is the fastest way and there is no other traffic here, but it is inappropriate for a traffic stop.
-0:26 Kid is riding in the door zone, fast. Were any points deducted from his score on the exam? He does look over his shoulder before merging left, probably to turn left (clip is cut at this point) but as he is in the door zone, he can’t really afford not to pay attention to the door ahead.
-0:21 Student is riding close to the back of a row of right-angle parked cars and then over a speed bump without posting. Clip abruptly ends when he is on top of the speed bump.
-0:13 Girls ride over a speed bump, closer one without posting. Nobody ever demonstrated that? She hasn’t picked it up by watching other cyclists including the one right in front of her?
-0:09 Girls mount their bicycles awkwardly. This clip is cut off before they even get moving.
-0:05 — a chicane, painted dark and not reflectorized, another view of what was shown at -0:49. Cyclist must dismount to pass through. Such chicanes are beginning to be seen in North America now too. The purpose here in the Netherlands is apparently to prevent motorcyclists from passing, but bicycles with trailers, tandems, adult tricycles also can’t. The purpose in the USA and Canada is to force cyclists on paths to dismount before intersections.
Also see my other post about the skills of adult Dutch cyclists.
