Cycling

Also on January 30, 2014, Ms Schippers took a cycling tour around the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium where the Netherlands won the first edition of the Hero Hockey World League Final in the third week of January. The Minister promoted the Netherlands as a nation of bicycles and showcased cycling as a healthy and nature friendly mode of transport.

“The Dutch love to cycle. It’s fun, healthy exercise, and nature-friendly. I am very happy to see that also in Delhi there are more and more cycling lanes. There is even a Dutch company that organizes cycling tours to explore Old Delhi.”

Cycling became popular in the Netherlands in the 1880s, and by the 1890s the Dutch were already building dedicated paths for cyclists. By 1911, the Dutch owned more bicycles per capita than any other country in Europe.

The popularity of cycling as it is now started in the 1970s when Dutch people took to the streets to protest against the high number of child deaths on the roads: in some cases over 500 children were killed in car accidents in the Netherlands in a single year. This protest came to be known as the "Stop the Child Murder"-movement. The success of this movement—along with other factors, such as the oil shortages of 1973-74—turned Dutch government policy around. The country began to restrict motor vehicles in its towns and cities and direct its focus on growth towards other forms of transport, with the bicycle being seen as critical in making Dutch streets safer, and its towns and cities more people-friendly and livable.