Category: ThinkBike

Building on five years of fruitful cooperation with the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization, this week the Dutch Cycling Embassy assembled politicians and planners from across the county for a three-day ThinkBike Workshop in Downtown West Palm Beach. The goal: cycling not as an end, but a means to shape a more liveable, inclusive, and prosperous future. In addition to International Relations Manager Chris Bruntlett, who played the role of facilitator, joining him were three experts from our public-private network:

Modacity Creative‘s Melissa Bruntlett made the case building cycling infrastructure is as much a communications challenge as a transportation one, arguing success depends on crafting compelling, inclusive narratives rather than relying solely on technical or environmental arguments. Drawing on examples from children, older adults, caregivers, women, people with disabilities, and existing riders, she reframed cycling as a tool for access to opportunity, community connection, local economic vitality, tourism, and public health—not just commuting.

Movares‘ Geert Koops introduced bike-transit inter-modality as one of the most effective ways to compete with the private car, drawing heavily on Dutch experience and lessons relevant for regions like Palm Beach. He showed how aligning bike networks with rail lines, prioritising seamless and intuitive transfers, and providing high-quality, well-located bike parking can dramatically expand station catchment areas, increasing mobility without increasing congestion.

Dick van Veen argued safer, more efficient streets come from clear road classification—arterials, collectors and local streets—each designed for a distinct function, speed and level of modal separation. Higher-speed arterials should prioritize continuous traffic flow with physically separated bike and pedestrian infrastructure, while local streets should focus on access, low speeds and “mix and mingle” principles using traffic calming, circulation and intuitive design.

Emphasising “forgiving” infrastructure that anticipates human error, the workshop concluded with hands-on design exercises, challenging participants to rethink corridors and intersections in Palm Beach to improve the experience for all modes. With exceptional local guidance from Valerie Nielsen, Brian Ruscher, and Carly Diglio, a clear vision emerged: a safer, more efficient and connected multimodal community that serves people, and not just cars. We’re excited to help realise this vision in the years ahead!

Two weeks ahead of the arrival of the 2025 Velo-city Conference, the Dutch Cycling Embassy was in Gdańsk from May 26 to 28 to lead a ThinkBike Workshop on the topic of bike-train intermodality.

Using the proposed Południe railway line as a case study, the three-day program included contributions from Edward Douma of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways), Simone Jorink of Movares, and Niels van Oort of Delft University of Technology.

The workshop follows Chris Bruntlett’s keynote at the 2023 TRAKO Railway Expo, and was commissioned by Metropolia Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot, InvestGDA, and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Poland.

Read more about the workshop (in Polish) here.

From May 20–22, 2025, the Dutch Cycling Embassy facilitated a ThinkBike Workshop in partnership with the City of Charlotte’s Department of Transportation (CDOT), and VHB. The workshop was guided by Dutch experts from Goudappel and supported by public sector insights from the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region.

Over three days, planners, engineers, policymakers, advocates, and mobility professionals (incl. CATS and Sustain Charlotte) worked together to reimagine two key corridors: Central Avenue and South Boulevard. Participants explored the full spectrum of cycling policy and design—from network planning to detailed cross-section and intersection layouts. Tools such as Goudappel’s MOVE-meter helped visualize data-driven possibilities and assess the potential impact of proposed changes.

Working both on foot and by bike, teams assessed existing conditions along the corridors and developed context-specific design interventions. These included protected cycle lanes and improved intersection designs that prioritize safety and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities. The hands-on approach fostered new ideas and helped deepen local understanding – not just of infrastructure, but of the cultural and organizational changes needed to support everyday cycling.|The third day concluded with final presentations showcasing integrated design concepts for Central Avenue and South Boulevard. These were more than illustrations, they represented practical visions for a more connected and accessible Charlotte.

The workshop wrapped up with the Charlotte Bike Awards, hosted by Sustain Charlotte and Trips for Kids at Birdsong Brewing Co. The evening featured a celebration of local cycling efforts, a screening of the Dutch documentary Together We Cycle, and a panel discussion reflecting on the week’s key insights and future directions.

The ThinkBike Workshop in Charlotte facilitated the exchange of knowledge, experience, and ambition – a great start and foundation for continued progress toward a cycle-friendlier Charlotte.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy and Arcadis hosted a mini ThinkBike Workshop in Richmond, VA on March 14, 2025. During this one-day event with the City of Richmond, we had a deep dive in Richmond’s cycling culture and infrastructure. The workshop was opened by Mayor Danny Avula who provided words of encouragement and showed political will.

The participants of the workshop discussed the positive and negative aspects of cycling that are currently present in Richmond. After establishing our starting point, we were able to look ahead and what can be improved on the short, medium, and long term. To make cycling comfortable and attractive, it is important that we look at the whole network and not just at one stretch of infrastructure. Therefore, we focused on two case study areas and designed a cycling network for all road users. The next step was to redesign intersections in the case study areas. Our cycling network is only as strong as its weakest link. Often, the intersections are forgotten in the network planning, whereas this is the point where most accidents happen. To conclude the workshop, all groups presented their plans and ideas to each other. They were encouraged to dream big and have an ambitious cycling vision for Richmond.

After the workshop, the city invited everyone who is interested in making Richmond a cycling friendly place for an open house. The public could chat with the participants of the workshop, representatives from the city, and the team from the Netherlands Marco Mulder (Arcadis) and Margot Daris (DCE). More than 100 people visited the open house, which shows how eager the residents of Richmond are to improve the cycling conditions. We encourage Richmond to keep investing in its cycling culture and to keep pushing for positive change!

Do you want to learn more? Listen to this podcast by The Mechanics of Transportation: https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/here-come-the-dutch/id1755806097?i=1000699537902

From 27th to 29th August 2024, the Dutch Cycling Embassy held a ThinkBike Workshop for the Canton of Solothurn. Over the course of three days, experts Elke Schimmel of november:city and Ruben Loendersloot of Loendersloot International, together with Emma Stubbe, project coordinator at the Dutch Cycling Embassy, worked closely with the Canton’s Office for Traffic and Civil Engineering and local municipalities to develop collaborative cycling solutions for four junctions in three locations in the Canton.

In the first municipality, Zuchwil, the Canton is planning to improve a city-centre roundabout and a crossing that form part of priority cycle routes in the region. Here, the DCE and its experts opened the workshop with presentations on the development of cycling in the Netherlands, network planning, and how the Dutch plan and problem-solve for cycling-friendly junctions. Participants then visited the junctions in question on foot and by bike. Representatives of the municipality of Zuchwil and adjacent municipalities, together with experts from the Canton’s Office for Traffic and Civil Engineering, then sat down with the DCE delegation to work out collaborative solutions for the junctions. Over the course of the day and half that the DCE spent in Zuchwil, participants became increasingly creative in their design of solutions and  brave in their prioritisation of bike users on the road. The workshop in Zuchwil closed with presentations and discussions of the solutions by Swiss participants, and an in-depth discussion of what the next steps in orgware (political and organisational coordination) should be.

The second half of the workshop took place in Olten. In this area, the Canton of Solothurn is planning to rebuild a junction in the town of Winznau that forms part of a priority cycle route. The town and a neighbouring municipality that much of the traffic stems from had different visions on the junction: the neighbouring municipality wanted to prioritise the smooth flow of all kinds of traffic, while the town was interested in building a town centre and ensuring that children could reach the nearby school safely. In the course of the workshop, which again included presentations and a cycling tour of the junctions, the DCE helped the parties identify common goals and values, and build towards collaborative problem-solving for the junction.

The final junction that the workshop tackled is a heavily used roundabout in the city of Olten. The current cycling experience is not optimal, and the Canton used the opportunity to collaboratively review different solutions for the planned priority cycle route that will lead through the area. Participants designed and discussed different routes – largely avoiding the roundabout – for their merits and shortcomings, with Dutch input. The Dutch experts also asked participants to step back from the infrastructure discussions to look at the bigger picture and consider what political and communicative strategies would be helpful to overcome challenges that may arise as the Canton takes its next steps in this project.

The three days in the Canton of Solothurn were thought-provoking, inspiring and productive, and the DCE looks forward to continuing conversations and for the region to become more cycling-friendly.

On April 30th and May 1st, 2024, the Dutch Cycling Embassy was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a ThinkBike Workshop hosted by the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and supported by Transit Alliance Miami. In addition to Chris Bruntlett from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, it featured experts Teije Gorris from Go-bility and Richard ter Avest from Goudappel. They focused on the topics of network and infrastructure design, as well as car management and bike-transit inter-modality.

The event unofficially got underway on the afternoon of April 19th with a cycling tour of Oakland Park led by the Broward MPO staff. Then on Tuesday morning, after introductions from the Dutch Cycling Embassy and a screening of Together We Cycle, the Dutch experts presented best practice in a series of plenary sessions. After a lunch break, the case studies were introduced, and breakout groups then spent the rest of the afternoon working through potential design solutions. Wednesday morning was spent rotating between plenary and breakout sessions, concluding with each group presenting solutions and answering questions.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Broward MPO in the future to ensure the successful implementation of these Dutch-inspired projects.

In 2022, the Dutch Cycling Embassy’s Margot Daris and experts Lennart Nout (Mobycon) and Roel Lenoir (3PM) travelled to Tirana, Albania for a ThinkBike Workshop.

Before the 1990s, in the communist era, the bicycle was the favored means of transport in Tirana due to a ban on car ownership. A recent increase in car usage has created a unique challenge to redevelop cycling as a viable alternative. 

Taking a wholistic approach, the focus ranged from hardware, software to orgware. The experts presented each element separately. Subsequently, breakout groups were used to work through practical solutions for Tirana.

We had the opportunity to speak with Iden Petraj, Advisor to the Mayor and Bicycle Mayor of Tirana, to delve deeper into how the ThinkBike Workshop paved the way for the further development of Tirana as a cycling city.

This year, the Dutch Cycling Embassy celebrates its 12.5-year anniversary. To document and celebrate the global impact the DCE and our network has had over that period, we are highlighting multiple projects. This article is part of the series #DCELegacy. 

Q+A with Iden Petraj|As the Bike Mayor of Tirana, you are a great ambassador for the development of cycling in the area. Has this long been a project of yours? 

I’ve been the BYCS Bicycle Mayor for the last two years, but I have been promoting cycling for 10 years. I started as a volunteer, organizing local cycling activities and then got more involved in the municipality through my passion for bike mobility. My role allows me to advocate for people riding bikes, giving them a voice in Tirana. 

What challenges have you faced when trying to implement cycling infrastructure in Tirana and how did the Thinkbike workshop fit into this? 

Tirana is a metropolis, with 40% of the Albanian population here. We also have 22,000 new people moving in each year along with 1,000 new cars. We have had a cycling culture since around 1907. But after the communist era, an influx of cars caused heavy traffic in our streets. The narrow streets and pavements are a significant challenge for bike lanes. Another issue is that motorcycles often use the lanes to skip traffic and cars often park in them when they can, making it very difficult for cyclists. 

The ThinkBike workshop helped us a lot. It educated us on community activities for example. We had already run activities, but the workshop encourages us to organize more. We now hold cycling events, also specifically with a focus on vulnerable groups, in our case women and children.

A big struggle for us is getting women to cycle. In a study we did last year we saw that women only represent 20% of the cycling community in Tirana. The main reasons that they didn’t cycle were that they were too afraid to use the bicycle lanes, that they didn’t know how to ride a bike, or they didn’t own one. We want to have more women cyclists on the streets of Tirana and when I see women, children and older people on these bike lanes, I know that they are safe and that we’ve done a good job.

A big part of the workshop in Tirana was software and orgware. What could you draw from the workshop about improving the attitude towards cycling in Tirana?  

Since the workshop, we have implemented a platform for cyclists where they can share their ideas and suggestions. These are then presented to the municipality and different decision makers so that they can improve the cycling situation here. For example, three years ago we started a bicycle parking project throughout the city. The 200 parking locations were suggested by cyclists themselves. But, from my expertise I can see that often these are not safe, considering that they are too exposed. We are discussing another option for safer parking, especially for office buildings, which in Tirana often don’t have elevators. The latter problem is keeping people from riding to work because they don’t want to have to carry their bike up and down the stairs. This could be done in spots with good lighting or other security features. 

The guidance of the experts was incredible. Margot, Lennart and Roel were very helpful. Their input was valuable for all the people from the municipality departments and local organizations that were there. 

What helped us get to where we are now was a combination of community readiness, supportive governance and expert guidance. Since the workshop, it has been easier for us. The report that we got from the experts was very useful. It helped us improve our bike lanes and sparked new ideas for community activities. 

Are there any other examples of Dutch practices and the workshop suggestions to suit the unique context of Tirana? I see that you have set up a cycling school. Can you tell us more about that? 

We actually have two! The second one will open soon and is closer to the center. We now count 22,000 children educated and trained in our cycling academy. We want to bring cycling into the school curriculum and hold tests in the seventh grade for example (like what you see in Dutch schools). This academy was sparked by the ThinkBike workshop.|One of the objectives of the workshop was to make the streets safer for children. We have started, in cooperation with the municipality of Tirana and a local organization, to implement safe streets around the schools. The project is called “Streets for Kids”, and we already have 4 to 5 schools that are a part of the program. Our plan is to extend this to all elementary schools in Tirana. I am not trying to force the children to cycle, the project also makes the areas around schools generally safer and car-free.  

We have better conditions than before, but I don’t see it as safe enough for all children to cycle yet. There are experienced children that can cycle to school, but it’s not for all of them. Step by step we will get there.

It must be nice after 10 years of working on bicycle infrastructure to be recognized by the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure? 

Of course! It’s one big step in the right direction. These are very transformative projects. For Tirana, this shows that the future is bright. Also, we are working towards the same objectives but to be recognized like this is nice. 

This prize will allow us to build 10 new safe bicycle intersections that will connect the busiest bike lanes. Not only does this improve connectivity but also safety. The BICI project had 500 applications and we were among 10 cities to be chosen as winners.

How has the local community and municipality responded to the implementation of the bicycle lanes?  

Surprisingly, the municipality is very supportive towards cycling and these goals. Not only do they put in extra infrastructure, but they also support our community meetings. Once a month, we hold a meeting with our community stakeholders, including people from different departments of the municipality. They are very open to the community’s input from everyday issues. The only hurdle we face is getting enough funding. If we had the budget to build lanes all over the city, then I’m sure we could do that! 

At first, the citizens were not very welcoming to all this change, fighting and protesting the areas that cycling infrastructure had taken over. We conducted surveys though, after the implementation of bike lanes on our busiest streets. These showed an increase in revenue for the businesses on the street, with pedestrians and cyclists more engaged in the local community. 

We have counters in a few locations and can see that the number of cyclists doubles year to year. The road should be welcoming to everyone, especially to pedestrians and cyclists. This is our focus for the moment. We are expanding the bicycle lanes and pavements for this reason. 

On the 4th of May, Iden and her team are organizing the first conference in Tirana solely focused on cycling. They are also hosting a bicycle festival in Tirana around World Bicycle Day which attracts hundreds of cyclists from across the region. 

 |Do you want to learn more about Tirana’s experience, or are you interested in engaging with the Dutch Cycling Embassy for a ThinkBike Workshop in your city? Please contact us for more info!