This video was posted a few days ago, and it is a great illustration of the latest (2011) figures of the Dutch Cyclist's Union in one video. These figures show that the scale of cycling in the Netherlands is quite phenomenal.
"In the daytime on a normal working day in the Netherlands, more than a million journeys are made by bike every hour."Remember that the population of the Netherlands is just 16 million. That's only twice the population of New York or London. However, the number of journeys, spread across a whole country is much higher.
New figures from the Fietsberaad throw light on the astonishing number of journeys per day made by bike in the Netherlands. The table below gives a picture of what's going on, but there's also some more detailed text accompanying it:
Dutch people cycle a lot. Of course there is more cycling in the summer than in the autumn and winter. But cycling rates also vary between days of the week. On an average working day, 5 million people make an average of 14 million cycle journeys. Monday and Thursday are the top days with a million more journeys than on the other days of the week. On Saturday, 11.5 million cycle journeys are made, and on Sunday 6.5 million.
Through the week, between 8 in the morning and 6 in the evening, more than a million cycle journeys are made each hour. The high point is between 8 and 9 in the morning with 1.75 million cycle journeys during the hour. In that hour, many journeys to work and school are made, and more bicycles are in use than cars. Cycling on a typical week-day:
| Time | Description | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 | By 8 in the morning, 750000 cycle journeys have already been made. Most of them are to work. | 0.75 M |
| 8:30 | Most children are now at school. Another 450000 cycle journeys pass in half an hour. | 1.2 M |
| 9:00 | Most adults are now at work, and college students are now on the way. | 2.5 M |
| 12:00 | Another 2.5 million cycle journeys during the morning for a variety of reasons. | 5 M |
| 13:00 | 1.5 million more rides. Primary school children (5 - 11 years old) cycle home for lunch. | 6.5 M |
| 14:00 | Another 1.2 million cycle trips pass in the early afternoon. | 7.7 M |
| 16:00 | Most children have left school, and they cycle to friends, sports clubs etc. In the last two hours, 2.5 million cycle journeys were made. | 10 M |
| 17:00 | Another 1.2 million cycle journeys pass in the late afternoon. Many people make shopping trips and school children head home from sports clubs. The evening rush hour is about to start | 11.2 M |
| 18:00 | Most people are now home. Another 1.2 million cycle journeys have passed. | 12.4 M |
| 24:00 | Another 1.75 million cycle journeys are made in the evening. Many club (sport) cyclists go for rides, night school students ride, club members meet, and people go out on the town by bike. | Over 14 M |
In the day, 5 million cyclists have made around 14 million cycle journeys.