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Assen and Groningen Cycling Study Tours 2013

Our Study Tours are for interested politicians, transport planners, transport campaigners, cycling co-ordinators and individuals. The tours are in the English language and take place in Assen and Groningen in The Netherlands (Holland). These locations boast some of the best cycling infrastructure in the world.

Assen is the capital of the "Cycling Province" of the Netherlands, Drenthe. Although it is not a university city, more journeys are made by bicycle within the city than by any other single mode of transport: 41% of the total. A few kilometres further North is Groningen, where is is claimed that nearly 60% of all journeys are made by bicycle.

In the three day study tour we give you the benefit of our years of experience of cycling in the Netherlands and comparing with other nations. In this short time we take you to the right places to see a wide range of different aspects of design. We spend two days in and around Assen, a compact city in which it is possible to rapidly demonstrate many different aspects of good cycling infrastructure, and one day in Groningen. The tours are intended for groups of between six and twelve people. We can work with smaller or larger groups, but contact us about this.

Whatever group size or requirement you have, please ask for details, letting us know the size and composition of your group and an approximate date.

The next public study tour, open to anyone who wishes to book, will be between the 27th and 29th of August 2013. It requires that you travel to Assen on Monday the 26th of August ready for an early start on Tuesday 27th and start your return home on Friday the 30th.

If you are not sure if a Study Tour is for you, please check the feedback. You can also find booking information below.

The object

Figures from "Cycling in the Netherlands", an article from the Fietsberaad, downloadable from our cycling articles page.

Our tour really is a tour. A short presentation explains some aspects of what we look at and offers a chance to present questions in a more formal setting. However, because presentations, videos, photographs and looking at Google Streetview can only only give a vague and sometimes misleading impression, most of our time is spent on bicycles. This "hands on" approach means that you get to experience for yourself what it is that makes the Netherlands a far more attractive place to cycle than other countries. Aspects of infrastructure design and use are pointed out and explained during the tour.

You will see cyclists young and old, male and female, of all races and religions confidently going about their daily business by bike. Everyone cycles here and they do so in amazing numbers.

Just over 41% of journeys in Assen are made by bicycle. i.e. each of Assen's 67000 residents make an average of 8 bicycle journeys per week. Assen is a good example of how consistent favourable policy has fostered a high modal share for cycling, and how continued investment in cycling infrastructure continues to attract people to cycling even if they live in new developments further from the centre of the city. Assen is still being transformed. Groningen has even higher cycle usage with nearly 60% of journeys by bike: The 180000 population of the city make an average of over 250000 journeys each day by bike. At Groningen's main railway station there is parking for 10000 bicycles.

Virtually all children here cycle to school. Some make journeys as long as 20 km in each direction. This is possible only because cycling conditions are such that parents can be confident that their children will be safe.

On the Study Tour you will see all these things with your own eyes.

It goes without saying that there are many health and environmental benefits from such a level of physical activity.

There is much debate in English speaking countries about the best way of providing for cyclists. This debate doesn't happen here. The Dutch have achieved the highest rates of cycling in the world by providing high quality specific infrastructure for cycling. Where cyclists are not on separate cycle paths, they ride on roads which emphasize cycling over driving. This approach works. Dutch cyclists are the safest in the world and Dutch people cycle more than those from any other country in the world.

To understand it, you have to see it and have it explained. This is why we offer a tour. "The proof is in the eating".

Three Day Study Tour Schedule

You will travel on a Monday, arriving in the evening before the tour at pre-arranged accomodation. The tour itself starts on Tuesday morning at 9 am and runs through to the end of Thursday. Your accommodation is booked until Friday morning, allowing for a return home before the weekend.

It is also possible to add extra days of holiday to the tour. Ask us for further details.

Flexibility is built into the plans to allow participants to take photos or otherwise take note of what is happening at different places. We do not have a fixed distance which must be covered each day by bike, so there is no need to rush anywhere. We will have planned cafe stops for lunchtime and we will return to the city centre in good time for an evening meal. Assen is a small city but has a large number of cafes and restaurants reachable by foot or by bike.

The distances ridden each day are not long and the speeds ridden are not fast. Time has to be allowed for discussion and asking of questions. However we split the group for part of the last day in order to allow those interested in cycling further or faster to have this experience.

Please note that the description of the tour below is intended to be illustrative but not an exact itinerary. This depends on the size of the group, events in the city and specific interests of participants:

Tuesday

Introductions and a short discussion are followed by taking to our bikes and for our first quick look around the city centre. We will take time to watch how interactions between cyclists and motorists take place, and how "Sustainable Safety" principles including segregation of modes allows for cyclists to make more direct and efficient journeys than are possible by car.

Our journey takes us out of the city, using commuting and school run routes and to a brand new housing estate which is built around an efficient cycle path network. We see the extent of cycle parking at a secondary school and also have a chance to watch how primary school children get to school by bike (video here).

We return to the centre using a "bicycle road" which gives priority to cyclists and there is an optional additional ride on very scenic recreational paths outside of the city. If the aim is to encourage all types of cycling and creative a real cycling culture then all types of cycling have to be catered for here, not just the practical.

Wednesday

On Wednesday we visit residential areas. These include woonerven (living streets or home zones) built in the 1980s, more modern residential areas which are not so extreme but influenced by that work. We will also visit older areas dating from the 1950s and before which though they were designed before cycling was a part of design, now prioritize cycling and don't allow through motor traffic.

We will also see cycle facilities in an industrial estate and an outlying village from which there is a lot of commuting by bike.

It is easier to encourage people to make short journeys by bike and more difficult to encourage them to make longer journeys. However, cycle infrastructure does not stop at the city boundary. Those who wish to make longer journeys are supported in this choice and this results in a higher percentage of "long" journeys by bike in the Netherlands than in other countries.

In the evening we present photos and videos. This gives a chance for questions and answers, open discussion and sharing of ideas.

Thursday

In the morning we ride directly to Groningen, an inter-city journey of 30 km. This gives a chance to experience a longer journey than most people would make on a daily basis. We have two guides so that faster cyclists can experience the efficiency of the direct cycle paths at higher speed for a part of the distance. On the way to Groningen we pass through an area of "Shared Space".

In Groningen we will see the exceptional provision for cycle parking at the railway station and experience the busy car-free centre of the city. After lunch we take a tour of the city, through industrial, recreational and residential areas, showing how these are linked to the centre.

Exceptional measures have been taken in Groningen, such as providing a bypass to a bridge on a busy cycling route so that cyclists can continue to cross a canal even when the bridge opens for passing ships.

The evening meal is taken together in Groningen (at a restaurant which includes options for vegetarians/vegans/coeliacs). After the meal we provide the choice of cycling back to Assen by a different route or returning by train. Usually the group splits at this point and meets at a cafe in Assen so that notes can be compared about the rural routes and the service on the trains.

Photos

We have a collection of photos and videos of cycling in the Netherlands. Many of these locations will be covered on the Study Tour. There are also some photos on the page of a book we reviewed which shows how Assen has changed.

When you are on the tour you are encouraged to take photos and make videos as we visit different areas of interest. Also you are encouraged to ask questions so that you are clear about what you are seeing.

Bicycles

You have the option of hiring a bicycle or bringing your own. We recommend the hire option as the hire bicycles are the same practical machines as used by most people daily in this country. They are efficient and reliable machines for utility journeys, fitted with mudguards and racks, have comfortable saddles and are entirely suitable for this tour. The easy availability of practical bicycles is one of the things that defines the Dutch cycling experience.

We can arrange for bicycles to be at your accommodation for you.

If you prefer to bring you own bicycle, in order that that the holiday goes without any snags we ask that you please make sure in advance that it is well maintained, possibly by asking a bike shop to service the bike. Also, we ask that you carry with you any required spare parts and that you consider how you will carry your day luggage on the bike. We recommend mudguards as they help to keep those you're riding with clean as well as yourself.

About us

Judith and David Hembrow are experienced British campaigners with a keen interest in how planning changes behaviour. It was only after several years of holidaying in The Netherlands and being rather overwhelmed by how pleasant it was to get around this country by bike that we organised our first study tour in 2006, bringing British campaigners and council cycling officers to see what is possible.

Since moving here in 2007, our experience and knowledge has grown each year and the Study Tours cover more ground each year.

We have lived in and cycled in both the UK and the Netherlands. This brings us a unique formed by cycling many tens of thousands of kilometres in both countries and experiencing the differences for ourselves. We have commuted on, toured with and raced bicycles. We have ridden extensively with children, in groups of adults and alone.

Feedback / Background information

2012
September: A group of six participants from the UK. Read the summarising blog post and see our photo album from this tour.

May: A mixed group with participants from Brazil, France, Ireland, the UK and the USA. Read our blog post about the tour or Claire Prospert's blog post about the tour which includes many photos and videos.

March: A group from Norway including high-school students came for a tour with special emphasis on how Dutch children and teenagers have an extraordinary amount of freedom due to the safe design of infrastructure.

This group will report to the Norwegian government on what is required for Norwegian youngsters to benefit from the same degrees of freedom and safety as the Dutch already have (link to blog post about this tour).

2011
October: A group of officials from Vilnius in Lithuania visited for a Study Tour in Assen.

September: A group of campaigners from the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain and the Cycling Advocates Network of New Zealand came on a study tour. Read their feedback, and ours, and especially read a review posted a few weeks later.

May: The Cycling Dutch Style group from Australia, including both campaigners and politicians, took a Study Tour in Assen as part of their larger tour.

As well as reading our own report on this tour, you can also watch the video made by their film-maker and see a set of photos from another participant.

We also organised several smaller tours in 2011 including a small group of Australians in February, an individual from the UK in March and two Germans in August. It is possible to organise tours for any size of group.

2010
This year we had small groups of campaigners from the UK.

2009
Several small groups of campaigners from the UK. Two from the USA.

2008
Two large study tours. Participants from campaign groups and council cycling officers from Bristol, Bromley, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton.

Articles about the May 2008 tours:

A cyclist's paradise on earth. Short summary of the tour.
Co-ordinator's comment. Cambridge cycling campaign co-ordinator comment about the tour.

2006
tour with the Cambridge Cycling Campaign.

Summary of the 2006 Study Tour
Participant's views of the 2006 Study Tour
Cambridge Cycling Campaign Co-ordinator's comment on the 2006 Study Tour
Photos taken on the 2006 Study Tour

You may also be interested in a set of Dutch Articles about cycling written in English and photos of Dutch cycling infrastructure.

Anything Else ?

If you have special dietary needs, such as being a vegetarian or vegan, or you have any questions at all, we can help. Just let us know.

Cycling in the Netherlands is very safe. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend that participants have both travel insurance and third party liability insurance.

How to book

If you would like to book a private tour, please contact us.

Booking is now open for the August 2013 Study Tour.

We offer two levels of accommodation on the tour, either Bed and Breakfast accommodation or Hotel accommodation. We calculate a price for either option to include breakfast but not lunch or the evening meal.

Note that the bed and breakfast accommodation is limited to just four places at the price shown. The Bed and Breakfast is very clean and pleasant in a family home. The bathroom is shared. If you wish to use this cheaper option you should book as soon as possible. Hotel spaces are not so limited and it is generally possible for us to book the hotel option up to a week before the tour starts, but of course we would appreciate as much advance notice as possible.

Please book with us and wait for confirmation before making your travel arrangements.

Please contact us directly by email to make a booking.

Bed & Breakfast Option

With Bed & Breakfast accommodation, the Study Tour costs per participant to include four nights of Bed and Breakfast accommodation. A deposit of is required on booking and full payment one month in advance of the tour.

You will need to arrange your own transport to and from Assen and will need to pay for lunch, evening meals, transport of your bicycle or bicycle hire, and any other small expenses. If you ask us, we can assist with bicycle hire.

Please contact us directly by email, or click on ONE of the paypal buttons below:

Study Tour full payment for Bed and Breakfast accommodation: .
Study Tour deposit for Bed and Breakfast accommodation of . You will be asked for the balance of a month before the tour begins.
Hire of Dutch bicycle for the duration of the Study Tour, The price includes deposit returned after the tour if the bike is undamaged. These bikes have "normal" handlebar mounted brakes and are similar to those in most photos on this page. The bikes are delivered to your accommodation ready for the tour.
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Hotel option

If you are making a multiple booking and wish to share a hotel room, this can be much more economical. Please contact us.

With hotel accommodation, the Study Tour costs per participant to include four nights of accommodation and breakfast in a hotel, based on one person per room. A deposit of is required on booking and full payment one month in advance of the tour.

You will need to arrange your own transport to and from Assen and will need to buy your own lunch and evening meals either in the hotel or at other restaurants on Assen. You will also need to bring a bicycle or to hire one and cover any other small expenses that you may have. If you ask us, we can assist with bicycle hire.

To book, please click on ONE of the paypal buttons below:

Study Tour full payment for hotel option: .
Study Tour deposit for hotel option: . You will be asked for the balance of a month before the tour begins.
Hire of Dutch bicycle for the duration of the Study Tour, The price includes deposit returned after the tour if the bike is undamaged. These bikes have "normal" handlebar mounted brakes and are similar to those in most photos on this page. The bikes are delivered to your accommodation ready for the tour.
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How to get here

Please book the study tour first and wait for confirmation before booking your transport. After we have confirmed your place you can book your transport. You will need to travel to Assen on the Monday before the tour and leave on the Friday after the tour as we start at 9 am on Tuesday and end in the evening of Thursday.

Do you want to ride further ? Do you want a holiday rather than a Study Tour ? Would you be interested on a different date ? Click for information on our other tours...