Hackney Cyclist

Right in the heart of the city what would be car parking in the UK is instead space for bike parking, greenery, and outdoor dining. When you make city centres safe and welcoming with cycle routes in every direction, you don't need endless car parks. Cities thrive when places are built for people.

If you still haven't done so then get yourself off X, and encourage your elected officials to do the same

Excellent news: work has begun on Newham’s first fully protected Dutch-style intersection, with free left turns for cycling and straight-across crossings for pedestrians. Let’s hope for a speedy construction!

Removing motor traffic from city centre streets creates places where people linger, relax, dine and enjoy being outside. Places where families can safely ride their bikes, people of all ages can get safely around, and where streets are dominated by people, not cars.

Huidenstraat, Amsterdam in 1993 and today

Dutch cycling infrastructure during the school run, showing why safe infrastructure is vital if we want children to cycle to school. From a fietsstraat, where bikes have priority, to protected cycle tracks where cars must give way to bikes at every junction. Safe, convenient cycling for everyone.

Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat, Amsterdam in 1982 and today

Halvemaansteeg, Amsterdam in 1979 and today. Today, a cycle only street crossing a tram only street.

Halvemaansteeg, Amsterdam in 1979 and today. Today, a cycle only street crossing a tram only street.

Leidseplein, Amsterdam in 1972 and today

Cycling the new F12 from Woerden to Utrecht, all 18 kilometres of it. A real-time ride along the new route in this week’s BicycleDutch video.

Eerste van der Helststraat, Amsterdam in 1978 and today

✅ Low-car city-centre streets ✅ Protected cycle tracks on main roads ✅ Ample cycle parking at shops and huge underground bike parking at the station = Streets safe enough for families to cycle, quieter neighbourhoods for residents and more welcoming cities for visitors. 📍 Delft, the Netherlands

Zeedijk, Amsterdam in 1972 and today.

Goes, Netherlands. The Terwellegang underpass opened in 2020, replacing a nearby level crossing. It includes a cycleway connecting the railway station and city centre with neighbourhoods south of the railway, with cyclists getting priority at every junction and roundabout.

Ginnekenmarkt, Breda in 1974 and today

My latest drone video is some footage of the Dutch city of Utrecht in the summer youtu.be/O1bKW1XwSPA

Gerard Douplein, Amsterdam in 1987 and today

Gerard Douplein, Amsterdam in 1987 and today

Hemonystraat, Amsterdam in 1985 and today

Hemonystraat, Amsterdam in 1985 and today

Fannius Scholtenstraat, Amsterdam in 1983 and today. The reason we have bollards is because drivers can't be trusted to park responsibly.

Fannius Scholtenstraat, Amsterdam in 1983 and today. The reason we have bollards is because drivers can't be trusted to park responsibly.

I see a lot of people complaining about the undoubtedly stressful conditions at present on London's roads. But I see few people complaining about motor vehicles. Yet in the last 24 hours three vulnerable road users have died after being hit by people driving motor vehicles.

Oudezijds Voorburgwal, Amsterdam in 1980 and today

Protected cycle tracks are not just for cyclists

Ginnekenmarkt, Breda in 1978 and today

Haarlemmerstraat, Amsterdam in 1981 and today

Car-free streets aren’t empty streets, they are full of life. People walking, cycling, browsing market stalls, sitting outside cafés, chatting and enjoying being in their city. Remove the cars, and you make space for people. 📍Middelburg, NL.

Eerste van der Helststraat, Amsterdam, in 1982 and today. A street once dominated by parked cars to a car free place for people, with children playing, greenery and cafés making use of reclaimed outdoor space. This is what’s possible when we choose to redesign our streets for life, not storage.

Eerste van der Helststraat, Amsterdam, in 1982 and today. A street once dominated by parked cars to a car free place for people, with children playing, greenery and cafés making use of reclaimed outdoor space. This is what’s possible when we choose to redesign our streets for life, not storage.

Protected cycle tracks are not just for cyclists

Amstel, Amsterdam in 1979 and today.

Floating bus stops are a simple way to make busy streets work better for everyone. Buses do not get held up by cyclists, while people cycling get a continuous, protected route instead of being forced into traffic. Safer cycling, quicker bus journeys and streets that work for people.

A very common sight in the Netherlands: entire classes cycling together with their teachers on school field trips. Made possible because safe, convenient cycle routes are built into the transport network nationwide.

A very common sight in the Netherlands: entire classes cycling together with their teachers on school field trips. Made possible because safe, convenient cycle routes are built into the transport network nationwide.

Plenty of bike parking at this swimming pool in Utrecht

Avant / Après Place Mireille, dans Paris Centre. En 1970 on se garait aux pieds de Molière, en 2026 c'est une zone piétonne - mais depuis peu. Jusqu'en 2025 on pouvait continuer à passer en voiture de gauche à droite le long de la statue.

Separate cycle tracks alongside rural main roads give the elderly or people with mobility issues far more freedom. Someone on a mobility scooter can travel safely from town to town, without having to rely on a car or public transport. This is what accessible transport infrastructure looks like.

This bridge in Amsterdam, designed by British architects, links IJBurg with the mainland. It has a bidirectional tramway, bidirectional roadway, a bidirectional cycleway - plus space already built in for another cycleway when demand increases. Build for the future, not the past.

Future drone filming spot bookmarked!

The Dutch don't just build cycle tracks, they build cycle networks. Over motorways, under junctions, then branching off to the gym, football pitches & other local destinations. Safe, direct routes connecting the places people need to go. This is how you make cycling a normal part of everyday life.

The Dutch don't just build cycle tracks, they build cycle networks. Over motorways, under junctions, then branching off to the gym, football pitches & other local destinations. Safe, direct routes connecting the places people need to go. This is how you make cycling a normal part of everyday life.

A 3 minute video of me cycling along the seafront in Vlissingen, The Netherlands. Between 2025 and 2026 this road was redeveloped into a pedestrian and cycle only street, with motor traffic now prohibited.