I have noticed that almost all (for us Dutch) foreigners cycle with the saddle way too low. That doesn't only reduce the speed with 16% but in the long run can destroy one's knees too.

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

"one foot can touch the ground" is the rule here, but yep - you see a lot sitting "like a frog on the watering can". And bikes that literally scream for a repair (and more tire pressure).

@marjakeizer9580

Жыл бұрын

@@kailahmann1823 Not for me coz I am just 158 cm but me it is the knee just slightly bent while sitting on the saddle and foot on the pedal.

@estherokeefe1268

Жыл бұрын

I ride in Melbourne Australia quite a lot and I sometimes wonder if I should raise my seat, but I often have to ride on roads and merge in and out of traffic and I’m terrified of losing my balance when slowing/stopping next to speeding traffic to merge. I guess I can try it on the local roads and see how safe I feel.

@buddy1155

Жыл бұрын

@@estherokeefe1268 you can simply get off your saddle, Marja is correct, if you got the ball of your foot on the paddle your knee should be slightly bent.

Nice to have you here. :) I hope you enjoyed the city and the congress. Leipzig keeps develoving and building more for the bicycle infrastructure which is very nice. Since 2019, when i started living in Leipzig, a lot of things happend. But anyway, cyclepaths are often on the road & too thin. Good thing, the city is aware of the interest in cycling for it‘s inhabitants and keeps closing road lanes, reorganising road structures and constructing cycle lanes or even cycle-roads. There is even the plan to build huge cycle roads on old abandoned train tracks around the city. :) thanks for the video

@Josukegaming

Жыл бұрын

That's so cool! Big cycle highways along rail tracks are the best

@jochemmm

Жыл бұрын

I was in Leipzig last summer and noticed that some cycling infrastructure got closed. E.g. on the Karl-Heine-Straße there used to be separated cycle paths, but they got closed off with a fence and cyclists were directed onto the street. Any idea why they did that? Seems like a downgrade to me.

Oh it is so cool to see you in my beloved Leipzig! We are one of the better places to ride with a bicycle, but no match to any random city in the Netherlands. I really wish they would be faster and bolder in the transformation of the city in to a more bicycle friendly one. And sometimes I think they authorities should just watch your videos to see how it should be done... 😊

@betula2137

Жыл бұрын

Hello from very very envious Australia 👋

@slate613

Жыл бұрын

I too wish the US would go for more bike friendly cities, but we have to remember one thing. It took the Netherlands almost 5 decades to get where they are today. It can likely be done faster, but you would need a populace that actually wanted that change. I doubt the US will ever want that sadly. Too damn car obsessed here.

Dutch here! I like the videos showing other places then the Netherlands. Come visit Luxembourg city.

Looks like a pleasant place to bike, especially those green wooded sections

BicycleDutch, dank je wel! All your work is so good to watch/learn from. May I ask you about your camera setup? Out region (northern Kentucky/Cincinnati) is beginning of bicycle culture and needs more online documentation.

Very noce tour, have a blessed week! 💚✨

Wow wonderful video sir

22:36 Believe it or not - in Poland that truck would be parking on bike lane / sidewalk, at least with one wheel.

24:50 - Almost a crash with the car stopping just in time and the cyclist evading it

Was it only me who felt ( I didn't time it ) that half the video was waiting at a traffic light 🚦⏳😀

18:49 The green arrow signboard indicates right on red is legal here though here, I assume it means straight through on red given that a right turn is not really an option here.

You’re going to make me cry…

Could be much worse, but there are several crucial faults around intersection geometry and merging of motor and bicycle traffic in locations where that did not make sense, and there were a few too many traffic lights for my liking. Nevertheless, Leipzig does well on most counts.

Go easy on us. 😇

@henna6126

Жыл бұрын

we are with you Germany keep up the good fight for Bikes and people spaces like we did and still doing to Improve more at all times love light and peace to all mankind and the health of our mother earth and victory and peace to our brothers and sister in Ukraine love from the Netherlands

Hi Mark, thanks for your videos. I love showing them to others as best practice examples for my studies. I just have one question: How are you recording them? Do you use a GoPro or something completely different? I study spatial planning (Raumplanung) in Dortmund, Germany and I'm mostly interested in cycling as a sustainable form of transport for the future of our cities. Last year the city presented a plan for 10 "Velorouten", which are supposed to connect the downtown ring road with the suburbs/villages at the edge of the city. After seeing your videos on the cycle routes in ’s-Hertogenbosch, I thought that it might be interested to do the same for Dortmund. Especially since the city is seen as (one of) worst cities of its size (about 580K people) in Germany to ride a bicycle

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

I would focus on locations, where a bike is faster than a car, because the later has to drive around something. Also traffic jams are your friends: Let cyclists go around them, maybe just in sight :) And plan this with children and elderly in mind, not for the "lycra gang". So not a single meter of painted bike lanes and where ever traffic is shared with cars 30 must be the actual limit (enforced by the road design).

@kyihko

Жыл бұрын

@@kailahmann1823 These aspects are actually always important in what I learn at university. We are always taught to plan for everybody, no matter the age, social status etc. Most of our professors like to show us examples for good design from the Netherlands, and since it's only 2h by train, there is an excursion to Enschede (or other nearby Dutch cities) every semester to experience those things first hand. Regarding the city itself: Sadly they almost exclusively use painted bike lanes, when a road is reconstructed nowadays. But a lot of older mayor roads (at least closer to the city center) have bike paths at sidewalk height with more or less separation (e.g. with greenery), which is slightly more comfortable, even though they are very narrow. But I'm from a small town (16K people), which is very mountainous has not a single painted bike lane, so even that feels like a huge upgrade to me :)

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

@@kyihko Well, painted bike lanes and "all ages" is incompatible, because it's illegal for children to use them - and once they are old enough, they probably don't have the confidence (or the parents don't allow it). ADFC results then also show this: "all ages" is the biggest weakness compared to other cities - well, together with "access to city center", where I didn't even know, you could get worse than 3… parking and obstacles on bike lanes are probably also strongly related to this designs. And when "bike theft" is the biggest "up", you are in real trouble - that basically means "there is nothing worth to steal"…

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

Yesterday I looked at a tiny wooden bridge here, the city is considering converting into a bike street because the local residents want it (!). I literally saw cyclists from "7 to 70" - and that means children cycling confidently on a very low traffic (however should be even lower…) street and some elderly, who with the same confidence go across a three-lane road, in a direction only allowed for bicycles :)

@kyihko

Жыл бұрын

@@kailahmann1823 It's nothing new to me that painted bike lanes don't work for all ages. That's why we're told not to use them :) I also lived in the Netherlands (in Zuid-Limburg) for two years, so I can at least compare the situation there to Dortmund and other places I visit. Fun fact: My hometown's grade for "access to city center" is 4.4, while the average is 4.9, making it the second to last place of its size in Germany

Strange to see, so close to cycle Walhalla Nederland, grown adults with helmets on flimsy bikes riding on too narrow lanes. Some room for improvement but luckily most Germans are law abiding predictable citizens. I would ride there.

@mr.d6465

Жыл бұрын

in some places in Germany you don't want ride bic because it is to dangerous.

Lekker zo midnight

Thanks for (first) look in Leipzig 3:19: was thinking something is strange here, much later realizing it was placement of traffic lights/buttons ;-) For a fair part looks a nice/separated route, some along walking paths (love the separating brickwork; semi blocking crossing it) and some pretty close to cars. Feeling also reflected by the helmet usage of people on bikes: fair part of commuters wearing, others feeling save enough not to do so..

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

These traffic lights are still the usual design, when there is an island. Without (and more than 2 lanes) we use a dedicated bike traffic light behind the crossing. Interestingly some later intersections use the Dutch style, which I haven't seen in Germany before. These paved half bike, half pedestrian sidewalks are very common in Germany, with the bike section often only 1 m in very old ones - while all those painted bike lanes are probably a rather recent quick fix to extend the network.

@mr.d6465

Жыл бұрын

@@kailahmann1823 the traffic lights in Germany are mostly outdatet. You have as Car driver or as Cyclist long waiting times. it can happend that you have a red traffic light middle of the night but there is no other one on the street.

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

​@@mr.d6465 yep, often detecting cars in low-volume directions is still seen as high-end. The one early on is to slow even during this daylight scenario, so nothing happens between 3:05 and 3:28.

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

@@mr.d6465 I have totally stupid one here (Lüneburg, Busstop "Pulverweg Süd"): access to a parking garage, so very very low volume compared to the main direction - and you'd usually only need to stop one or two directions, if a car is detected. But instead is does a full cycle every once in a while, stopping everything else - including the constantly congested inbound lane, which is only a conflict in one of four scenarios. And did I mention a pedestrian crossing (with button, which also stops the bus lane), which only exists for people, who want to walk a longer distance than going over the bridge? :)

9:43 that is a Death Lane. in such Lanes is the chance big that a incident happend.

@simpleton7

Жыл бұрын

Well you can just see from the paint that comes off that it's regularly encroached by motor vehicles.

@mr.d6465

Жыл бұрын

@@simpleton7 yes, some paint and markings are no Bicycle infrastructur. But it is possible at this Intersection to make it Bicycle friendly.

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

@@mr.d6465 if this intersection has enough of one thing, then its space… The right lane is SIX METER wide! WTF?

@mr.d6465

Жыл бұрын

@@kailahmann1823 Yes it is possible to put the Deathlane to the right and make a barrier between the Motor Lane and cycle Lane. on the barrier would be installed the new right turn traffic Light to make it possible to overpass without conflict motor Traffic.

The infrastructure is quite good compared to other parts of Germany but the combined cycling and footpath is asking for problems.

@donnerwetter1905

Жыл бұрын

This is like every other German city, no difference at all.

Lots to criticise, unfortunately. Lots of narrowness, illustrated by others overtaking with their bikes on the right, (when Mark tries to overtake 'correctly' at one point, it's clear it's not a social norm) and the general solution when it's even smaller, to have no separation between walking and cycling at all, creating conflict. And there are many sections with no physical protection from levels and speeds of motor traffic which would be unacceptable for many to cycle. It could also depend on the time of day, but I don't notice any small children cycling. Crossing many junctions you have to travel over several kerbs and edge paving, it's like going over speed bumps in a car. At 14:27 cars are free to go while bikes stay, cars don't seem able to turn right so I have no idea why it's organised like that, instead of merging before the junction. Because there is no space for cyclists turning right to wait at the lights at the end, people have to walk in the cycle lane. And there are even a couple of quieter streets where it doesn't seem necessary to have relegated cycling to the pavement, but it has been. Other things display an ingrained understanding of what cycling needs. The cycling/walking part doesn't unnecessarily dip to the car level on underpasses, demanding extra effort. You weren't asked to cross tram lines at really unsafe angles. There were side roads you crossed over with cobblestones where the cycling part had a smoother surface. None of this is a given and it's better than average for a german city, but a long way to go.

@kailahmann1823

Жыл бұрын

For 14:27, there is a second pedestrian crossing almost 45 m further down (where that white car stops), that's why this need a very long clearance time. But the whole Delitzscher Straße is not where I would prefer to cycle.

@slate613

Жыл бұрын

Still FAR better than most areas in the US for cycling. Riding a bike here is still viewed mostly as something kids do on toys. I have owned a few mtn bikes that would fight you for being called toys. lol

Make your city a bicycle city. Ask your local transportation planner and elected officials to support safe, protected bike lanes and trails in your community. If you don't ask and make them aware they will keep doing things the old way and prioritize cars.

Id really like to visit Leipzig, but i find it quite annoying to actually get there. Train from Benelux taxes longer than it should with transfers, and flying somewhere so close seems absurd. And thats not to mention how expensive ICE tickets are...

@rutgerb

Жыл бұрын

49 euros to travel from Enschede to Leipzig by train and back, excluding the ICE. Its not a fun journey but its cheaaap. 49 euro inc taxes;)

I’m impressed. Well done Leipzig. If they just got rid of most private cars, it would be pretty much perfect.

So, 2 rules you need to know when riding in Germany: - There has to be at least 1 meter distance in between the end of your handlebar and a parked car at all times, otherwise getting doored is legally your fault. This means many painted cycling lanes cannot be used by cyclists. - Cars have to keep 1,5 meter distance minimum when passing you while you're on the road, even if you're on a painted cycling lane. Moral of the story, just ride in the middle of the car lane in situations where parked cars are too close or too many people are passing. People will hate you, but at least you'll survive.

@wimahlers

Жыл бұрын

[] ... There has to be at least 1 meter distance in between the end of your handlebar and a parked car at all times, otherwise getting doored is legally your fault. Really? That is victim blaming madness. On top of that, let me count ... bicycle 1.5 meter (when including handlebar) from parked car + passing car 1.5 meters from cyclists = passing car 3 meters from parked car. Where, on this earth, is this a reality? Please change your victim blaming traffic rules.

@namewarvergeben

Жыл бұрын

A lot of drivers either aren't aware of the rule, have no concept of how much 1.5m is or how wide their vehicles are, or just don't care. And that's in good conditions where there IS enough space to drive safely. Add oncoming traffic, and many more will just risk your life to save their valuable seconds.

@namewarvergeben

Жыл бұрын

17:56 for example was too close, and they had plenty of space to their left. And that's just the "normal" level of negligence.

@xyzqwqxyz

Жыл бұрын

@Wim Ahlers The 1m distance to cars isn't an actual law but can be derived from court decisions. And while ruling in such a way is rediculous it still is very advisable to keep this distance from parked cars. I would rather not be involved in a crash at all, even if I was not to blame for one... And yes, if you add up the distances to parked and moving cars that are needed in order to be and feel safe, overtaking becomes impossible in a lot of places. Now we just need that realisation to sink in and infrastructure that results in safe behaviour.

@wimahlers

Жыл бұрын

@@xyzqwqxyz You just confirmed: a) Victim blaming. b) An infrastructure favoring cars above people. Change your infrastructure and get rid of the car favoritism.

The traffic noise was so obnoxious compared to your Dutch videos. :( Germany can do better.

BicycleDutch? More like BicycleDeutsch.

I think there are many uncomfortable and dangerous situations with car and also with pedestrian traffic in this video. I would not like to ride my bike there. As I can remember there are a lot of white bikes (for killed cyclist) in Leipzig wich shows how dangerous it is to ride your bike there.

Goed dicht erop zitten en knipperen. Doen die Duitsers bij ons ook.