This is Jeska (yes’ kah for all you Americans) of the Dutch Cycling Embassy. She is the project director who helped put together our technical tour. I cannot compliment her and the rest of the Dutch Cycling Embassy enough for how well they assisted us on this trip. I have been on technical tours before, and this has been by far the smoothest and most professional.
The Dutch Cycling Embassy that cycling embassy is a group that helps bring the knowledge and experience of the Netherlands to other interested parties. They describe it much better so I’m just going to quote they’re about us page.
The technical tour group is comprised of 15 people: 12 from the Georgia ITE section one from Lexington, Kentucky, one from Charlotte, North Carolina and one from Mathews North Carolina. Those of us from the Atlanta region have had many informal breakouts talking about where we could apply the things we see in the locations and counties and municipalities that we are familiar with. One of the things that the Dutch cycling embassy does so well is emphasize the procedures, processes, mindsets, and incremental improvements that can successfully bring about the type of walking and cycling infrastructure that we see here in Utrecht, Rotterdam, Houten, and tomorrow, Amsterdam.
And while I just referred to walking and bicycling infrastructure, it’s not separate facilities from the motor vehicle infrastructure. They’re all together, providing mobility for all modes in the way that we talk about in the United States, but never quite achieve. Mostly because of our mindset as a car centered nation that happens to provide services to people on foot or on wheels.
One take away from this technical tour is I thought I would have more time and energy to do daily wrap ups but honestly, by the time we get back to the hotel at night I’m so wiped I’ve got nuthin’. So some more detailed discussion and examination of the things we have seen will probably have to wait until next week or later.