School Run

The school run, in Houten, involves riding a bicycle, regardless of the weather.    

  

Although Houten has vehicle access into the different suburbs, from a ring road, it is very difficult to drive between suburbs.    Consequently Houten is made up of hundreds of cycle paths, all beautifully maintained.   And in the morning it is very busy on the cycle paths, with adults keen to get to work, and parents and children keen to get to school.   There are people everywhere, on bikes or scooters, going very fast.     

Look 'no hands'.   I bet his mother, who is riding behind him, does not know about this!

 There are bakfiets, both two wheeled and three wheeled ones, with children sitting in the front boxes, bicycles with a child's seat on the back and another in front behind the handlebars and bicycles with trailers behind the bike.    And of course many, many small children riding their bicycles, often with the parent helping the child along by pushing against the child's back while both ride their bicycles.  

Children learn very early to be proficient cyclists but there are some near misses, and one day I heard a crash behind me, with quite a few cyclists colliding with each other.   I could not hear any crying so obviously no one was hurt.   I was too cowardly to stop and help.     

Last Friday it was raining heavily, and people put their raincoats on and off they went.   And many were cycling whilst holding umbrellas.  The people in the Netherlands never look wet either.   

 Abi, standing beside her 'Oma' bike.   A 'sit up and beg' bike.  This is a very popular bike with girls in the Netherlands.    The handle bars are much higher than the seat, and very comfortable I have been told.  Abi is very proud of her bike.    

And Raphy is sitting in the trailer, looking very comfortable.   

The school, has bike racks on both sides.   And the racks are full of bikes each day.   This picture was taken late in the afternoon, after the children had gone home.   No time for photographs in the morning.

A healthy lifestyle.    No wonder people look fit here.