Dutch Cycling Embassy in California, Oregon, and Nevada

From September 5th to 9th, 2022 the Dutch Cycling Embassy will visit San Francisco and Los Angeles as a part of an Economic Mission to California organized by the RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), Netherlands Consulate in San Francisco, and NBSO (Netherlands Business Support Office) Los Angeles focusing on two topics: Urban Mobility and Life Sciences & Health.

The delegation consists of 52 experts from 37 public and private organizations working in fields such as bicycle infrastructure, public transport, and shared mobility. They are joined by Minister for Foreign Trade Liesje Schreinemacher, Minister of Health Ernst Kuipers, Minister for the Environment Vivianne Heijnen, and Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma.

In addition, Her Majesty Queen Máxima will join the San Francisco portion, meeting with delegates, officials and politicians; and participating in the ‘Urban Challenges’ seminar, which looks at ongoing urbanization and shared challenges faced by the Netherlands and California in areas like health, mobility, and sustainability.

Participants from the Dutch Cycling Embassy network include the Arnhem-Nijmegen Metropolitan Region, Bike.Box, Bike-minded Design Consulting, Cargoroo, ColVitro, Fietshangar, Royal Dutch Gazelle, Goudappel, LUMIGUIDE, Mobycon, Studio Bereikbaar, and Van Raam.

Program highlights include exchanges with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), Salesforce, Uber, the City of San Jose, Stanford University, the Municipalities of Culver City and Santa Monica, Metro Los Angeles, and CoMotion LA.

This mission will also see the premiere of a virtual reality film developed in partnership with the NLinBusiness platform and members of the Dutch Cycling Embassy network. It takes viewers on an immersive journey through the Dutch cycling (r)evolution, from the road safety protests of the 1970s to the spectacular Hovenring suspended bicycle roundabout.

“The pandemic has shown cities need more resilient and equitable mobility—not just to weather this crisis, but to prepare for the climate crisis, and to provide an accessible answer to the deepening inequality in many urban areas,” says Dutch Cycling Embassy Director Lucas Harms. “The Netherlands learned first-hand cycling is not only a humble mode of transportation but also powerful transformational tool. We hope we can bring more attention to this simple solution for the complex problems faced by American cities.”

Following this week-long economic mission, a number of participants will disperse to three American cities to execute ThinkBike Workshops in Santa Cruz (California), Eugene (Oregon), and Reno (Nevada) from September 12th to 16th. In these intensive and interactive events, teams of Dutch cycling experts offer support and guidance in implementing Dutch-inspired solutions; collaborating with local transport planners to adapt these measures to their own geographical, social, and cultural contexts.

The Santa Cruz workshop is hosted by Royal Dutch Gazelle and Ecology Action. In addition to Nout Ramaekers from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, it features experts Maurits Lopes Cardozo, Lennart Nout, and Martijn te Lintelo. They will focus on the topics of infrastructure and network design, combining cycling and public transport, and traffic calming and circulation.

The Eugene workshop is hosted by the City of Eugene. In addition to Chris Bruntlett from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, it features experts Roland Kager and Sjors van Duren. They will focus on the topics of infrastructure and network design, combining cycling and public transport, traffic calming and circulation, and policies and budgets to prioritize cycling.

The Reno workshop is hosted by the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance and City of Reno. In addition to Margot Daris from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, it features experts Jasper Homrighausen and Dick van Veen. They will focus on the topics of infrastructure and network design, shared mobility and mobility hubs, and cycling to school and traffic education.

For real-time updates on these activities in the United States, please follow the Dutch Cycling Embassy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, as well as the #NLUSA hashtag. If you have any questions, please email Marketing & Communication Manager Chris Bruntlett.