Fighting like an American for Dutch-inspired transportation changes
We can learn from the Dutch about WHAT specific changes to fight for, but the way we fight for those changes must adapt to the U.S. context
JUN 7, 2023
Throughout my last month exploring a huge swath of the Netherlands by bike and train, I consistently thought about what lessons we can learn from the extremely successful Dutch biking & transit system, and what lessons do not apply for making American communities easier places to get around.
The single most important lesson American advocates can learn is: If you build it, they will come. If you build a robust network of safe bike routes, then tons of people of all sorts will use it. If you build a transit network with frequent service to key locations, then tons of people will use it.
The Dutch bike & transit systems aren’t successful because the Dutch are Dutch. They are successful because the infrastructure is good. The Dutch are not inherently or genetically pro-bike/transit and Americans don’t have gasoline in our blood. It is not inevitable that the Netherlands became a bike & transit-dominated place; and there is nothing inevitable about the United States being car-dominated. These systems were made by millions of choices and can be changed by making different choices. The choices shape the infrastructure and the culture, and the culture and infrastructure shape the choices. Infrastructure systems and culture shape each other and we can build the culture and systems we want to have.
The Dutch don’t bike because everyone loves bikes, hates climate change, and wants to hug every tree– they bike because it’s often their best and easiest option– regardless of the person’s political ideology. In fact– in the most recent election a new Dutch party, the BBB, swept into power while predominantly running on a platform of repealing environmental protections.
The second lesson is that there are solutions which can fit all sorts of situations to help make biking and transit the easiest options for a huge range of communities. Need to run a million errands each day? Need to get your products to your customers? Need to accommodate millions of people living dynamic, rich, complicated lives? We as a society can figure it out and make it work. With enough time, thought, effort, and political will– pretty much everything is possible. (I’ll write more posts about various technical solutions I saw– like bikes with platforms so kids in wheelchairs can still be biked around by parents— and the Dutch Cycling Embassy has gobs of info about technical solutions too!)
So that’s two nice big lessons from the Dutch: 1) If we change our systems, we’ll get different results and 2) There are a huge range of changes we can make to fit local needs and context. A better world for all is possible and we can build it if we work for it.
There are tons of technical solutions we can copy from the Dutch that will work in our communities, including how to make non-car transportation modes more accessible for disabled and elderly people. But how to win the political battles to get those changes implemented… those are lessons we must learn from our fellow Americans and people in our communities.
Because right now, advocates of all types in the U.S. need to remember an ugly truth about our nation: we are in the midst of a huge surge of right-wing aggression and reactionary conservatism that rejects change. In our cities, suburbs, and rural communities there are extremely vocal reactionaries who are vitriolic in their opposition to change– and particularly oppose change that they view is not explicitly for their direct benefit. And our systems are currently set up so it is easy for those reactionaries to hijack the political agenda and influence weak-willed decision-makers.
So, yes, there are tons of great Dutch lessons on technical solutions that save lives and increase mobility for all (like protected intersections) that Americans can point to to educate decision-makers. But the hardest lessons we have to learn is how to overcome opposition to progress from that vocal minority of reactionary Americans.
Fortunately, there are Americans working every day on that hard question of “how do we overcome that vocal minority and implement changes to improve everyone’s lives?” And a big part of the answer to that question is to engage the disaffected and disengaged majority. People are working to expand the conversation and be better communicators so more people tune in and join up. They are working on stiffening the spines of politicians who share our values, enlighten those who haven’t seen the light, and replace the ones who are recalcitrant. These advocates are across the U.S. and have so many learnings to share.
So if you want to win changes to your community but aren’t sure how, look to people like the Californians holding mock funerals for transit systems to try and incite elected officials to fix the transit budget crisis. Or look to leaders like Minnesota Governor Walz who consistently, unabashedly crows about his successes to improve the lives of his constituents.
Lessons are everywhere and I am excited to help you bring in the learnings you need to win the changes you want.
Want to strengthen your advocacy skills so you can win the changes you want to see in your community? Let me know and we can schedule a session– email me at Carter@carterlavin.com
Dutch anti-rail project protest banner spotter near the Hague.