Month: May 2026

From 26 May, The Hague City Council is introducing the Fietspas (“Bike Pass”): the new access pass for all bicycle parking facilities in the city. The Fietspas replaces the familiar blue keychain. Cyclists will be able to collect their new pass from the parking facilities from that date. With this move, the council is working towards a recognisable and forward-looking system for bicycle parking.

Alderman Arjen Kapteijns (Mobility): ‘More and more residents of The Hague are taking to their bikes. We’re seeing this in our cycle parking facilities too: they’re getting busier and we’re seeing an increasing variety of bikes. The new bike pass will help us keep better track of things and use the space more efficiently. This will ensure that it remains easy for everyone to park their bikes safely, both now and in the future.’

Exchange Weeks: Switching is Easy

The Fietspas replaces the blue keychain. From Tuesday, users can collect their new pass from the bike parking facilities managed by Biesieklette. During the ‘switchover weeks’ (from 26 May to 8 June), extra support will be available to make the switch as easy as possible. Even after this period, the fietspas will remain available to anyone visiting a bike parking facility.

Five Colours for Different Types of Bikes

The number of bicycles and different types of bicycles in the city is growing rapidly. That is why five different bike passes are being introduced, each with its own colour. The colour indicates the type of bicycle or vehicle the pass is intended for. This helps to keep the cycle racks organised and to allocate the available space fairly. The process of scanning in and out remains the same. Scanning remains anonymous and parking in the cycle racks remains free for the first 24 hours. The five colours will also feature in the signage in the parking facilities by the end of this year. This will make it easy for visitors to see which type of bicycle can be parked there.

Ready for the Future

With the Fietspas, The Hague is taking a step towards a modern and flexible system. During a pilot year, the council is testing various applications of the Fietspas. For example, it is investigating whether positive behaviour among cycle park users can be encouraged through a reward scheme in collaboration with local businesses and sports clubs. The council aims to use this to encourage people to make more use of cycle parks rather than parking on the street. In addition, the council is exploring the possibility of communicating anonymously with bike pass users. This could, for example, be used to share practical information or provide tips on (cycling) road safety.

More information (in Dutch):

• Den Haag Fietst!
• Den Haag Fietsparkeren
• Biesieklette

Photo Credit: Valerie Kuypers

The Dutch Cycling Embassy welcomed a group of German exchange students visiting St. Bonifatiuscollege in Utrecht today for an introduction to the Dutch approach to cycling.

As part of the school’s longstanding exchange activities with partner schools in Germany, the students attended a half-hour guest lecture delivered by International Relations Manager Chris Bruntlett. The presentation explored the history of cycling in the Netherlands, the policy decisions that shaped today’s extensive bicycle network, and the many social, economic, and environmental benefits of active mobility.

Following the presentation, the students set off on a self-guided cycling tour through Utrecht curated by the Dutch Cycling Embassy. The route highlighted key examples of the city’s cycling infrastructure and public space transformations, allowing the students to experience firsthand why Utrecht is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading cycling cities.

The visit formed part of St. Bonifatiuscollege’s active German exchange programme, which has connected students across borders for many years through cultural and educational activities.

Located in Utrecht, St. Bonifatiuscollege is a UNESCO-affiliated secondary school known for its international outlook and emphasis on intercultural learning and global citizenship.

A diverse delegation from Atlanta, Georgia (USA) visited the Netherlands last week for a Sustainable Urban Development tour, focused on cycling, micromobility and urban mobility. The visit was organised by Micromobility Atlanta and brought together a mixed group of participants, including staff from the Mayor’s Office, city council members, regional directors, and representatives from companies active in the micromobility sector.

The purpose of the visit was to gain inspiration and knowledge from Dutch cycling practice, while also exploring opportunities for collaboration and identifying potential approaches to support cycling development in Atlanta and the wider state of Georgia.

The programme was hosted by the Dutch Cycling Embassy and included a self-guided study tour in Utrecht, presentations at the Dutch Cycling Embassy office, and an informal cycling tour in Delft.

The knowledge programme featured presentations by Jeska de Ruiter (Dutch Cycling Embassy), who introduced the Netherlands as a cycling country and outlined its historical development and key policy frameworks; Johan Diepens (Mobycon), who presented on the Dutch CROW bicycle traffic design manual and the role of national design standards in ensuring safe and high-quality cycling infrastructure; and Karlijn Bruijs (Municipality of Utrecht), who shared insights into Utrecht’s approach to shared bicycle systems and their integration within the city’s wider mobility strategy. The sessions were characterised by active exchange and engagement, with particular interest in different forms of cycling infrastructure, including cargo bikes.

On 11 and 12 May 2026, the Dutch Cycling Embassy welcomed a group of changemakers from across the United Kingdom for a study visit to the Netherlands, exploring how Dutch cities transformed themselves into cycle-friendly environments over the past decades. Which challenges were overcome and how political viewpoints changed over the years.

The delegation brought together participants from a wide range of organisations and advocacy groups, all working toward safer, healthier, and more liveable streets in the United Kingdom. Among the participants were representatives from the London Cycling Campaign, Cyclox from Oxford, Action Vision Zero, and the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel in Oxfordshire.

By bringing their own bicycles, participants were able to experience Dutch cycling culture and infrastructure first-hand throughout the visit.

Exploring Delft by bicycle

On the first day of the visit, participants explored the city of Delft during a cycling tour guided by our own, local inhabitant, Chris Bruntlett. Cycling through the city together highlighted how Delft’s cycling infrastructure connects neighbourhoods, public spaces, and daily destinations in a safe and intuitive way.

Learning from Utrecht’s transformation

The programme, organised by the Dutch Cycling Embassy and guided by Shelley Bontje and Wiel Wijnen, continued in Utrecht with a presentation by Herbert Tiemens from the Municipality of Utrecht.

Herbert shared the story of Utrecht’s transformation from a car-oriented city in the 1970s and 1980s into one of the world’s leading cycling cities today. As Senior Policy Advisor, he reflected on the long-term vision, policy decisions, and gradual changes that helped shape Utrecht’s mobility culture over time.

Participants engaged in lively discussions on topics such as balancing cycling infrastructure with emergency services, connecting wider urban areas through safe cycling networks, and the effects of reducing car parking on local businesses.

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Exchange and collaboration

The visit concluded at the office of the Dutch Cycling Embassy, where Eva Groeneveld shared the story of the upcoming and current work of the Dutch Cycling Union (Fietsersbond) where she currently works as a Strategic Policy Advisor. Her perspective as someone who recently moved from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands also was a great add-on.

Together, we discussed the historical success of the Dutch cycling movement, current mobility challenges in both countries, and the importance of international exchange and collaboration. The conversations showed that while contexts may differ, many of the challenges and ambitions are shared.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Herbert Tiemen and the Municipality of Utrecht for sharing their knowledge and experiences with the group. We would also like to warmly thank Eva Groeneveld for her valuable support and contribution to the programme.

On April 20th-21, the DCE hosted a Study Visit from the US-American Georgia Institute of Transportation Engineers (GAITE). The group, consisting of transportation planners and engineers from Atlanta, Kentucky and North Carolina, spent the first two days of their week-long stay in the Netherlands with the DCE learning from Dutch cycling expertise — on two wheels, of course.

We kicked off our first day with a visit to Houten — an exemplary case of Dutch cycling in a highly planned low-traffic urban context. In Houten, the group got to learn from Arjen de Boer, Traffic Policy Officer at the Municipality of Houten about the story of Houten and how it grew from a small village to a large satellite town in response to the challenges of increased urbanisation in the post-war period. The presentations given by Nils Bruinsma (Arcadis) on retrofitting and network planning and Anne Abbing (Goudappel) highlighting the Dutch approach to traffic-calming and car management, proved very insightful, particularly later during our tour through Houten. From the venue in the historic centre of Houten, we started the tour guided by Arjen and Nils’ expertise, grounding the knowledge gained during the presentation into practice, eventually heading back up to Utrecht at the end of the day.

On our second and sunnier day, we were lucky to be hosted at the centrally-located Arcadis office in Rotterdam. There, we were joined by Maurits Lopes Cardozo (Bike-minded), who presented on infrastructure and intersection design, as well as by Lior Steinberg (Humankind) whose focus lay in quick wins and temporary to permanent solutions. After a short lunch, Lior guided the group around Rotterdam, with one participant sitting in his famous bakfiets, as he showcased cycling-centred planning in a city reconstructed for the automobile – something certainly relevant for a group coming from the US. Cycling with higher volumes of cycling traffic, alongside, but separate to motorised traffic, gave the group a sense of what cycling infrastructure can look like in urban environments with plenty of car-traffic. After the tour, we regrouped at the office to reflect on the many lessons learnt and to recap the past days. We thank everyone from GAITE for showing up fully and all the enthusiasm and expertise they showed.

We also want to extend our thanks to our experts Arjen, Nils, Anne, Lior and Maurits, without whom this visit wouldn’t be possible.

Would you like to experience Dutch cycling culture first-hand?

Get in touch with us  to organise your own study visit.

We’d be delighted to welcome you.