Cycling Experts Maaike van Stralen From a young age, Maaike has been fascinated by the way people move through their surroundings. By looking out of her window and observing traffic flows, she enjoyed watching and analysing how people travel by car, bicycle, or other modes of transport. This curiousity led Maaike to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree in urban geography and spatial planning at Utrecht University, where she developed a strong interest in transport geography and urban mobility. Since early 2025, she has been working as a Junior Mobility and Transport advisor at Hart voor Verkeer B.V. in Zeist. She is passionate about exploring ways to stimulate sustainable mobility. For her master’s thesis, Maaike researched the promotion of children’s recreational active mobility in Utrecht. In addition, she enjoys using GIS to analyse mobility patterns and demand, for example for shared cargo bikes. Through her work, Maaike aims to contribute to the transition towards more sustainable, smart, safe and bike-friendly cities across the Netherlands and, hopefully one day, abroad.