In the Netherlands the car remains by far the most popular means of transportation to go to work. Last year, three out of the five trips were by car.
This share has been constant for many years. This is evident from statistics published by the Central Bureau of Statistics today.
Taking the bicycle on the subway*
Cycling to work over short distances remains popular. In 2007, a quarter of all trips to work were done by bike. On average they were over four kilometers. This share has long been constant.
In 2000, the number of trips per bike also took up one quarter of all trips. One out of ten times the distance to work was covered by public transportation.
Cycling
If the distance is less than one kilometer, the Dutch often walk or cycle to work. However, almost one in five trips under one kilometer is done by car (see the 6th bicycle promotion commercial in this video compilation that deals with that problem)*.
Daily cyclists outnumber cars in Amsterdam*
If the distance to work is between one and five kilometers, workers hardly go on foot, and half of the movements are by bicycle. At distances beyond 15 kilometers workers almost exclusively choose the car or public transportation. For more than three-quarters of all bicycle travel to work it involves a distance of less than five kilometers. In one fifth of the bicycle travel the distance is between five and ten kilometers and 5 percent of the distances is greater than ten kilometers.
Movements to and from work, transportation modes, 2007
(Auto=car, Fiets=bicycle, Openbaar vervoer=public transportation, Lopen=walking, Overig=other)*
Means of transportion relating to distances, 2007
Movements by bicycle relating to distances, 2007
By Ilona Bouhuijs and Ger Sleijpen
Source: Statistics, Mobility Dutch population
Update: Karl posted “Amsterdam it Ain’t“, taking the above Dutch national data on home to work mobility and simplifying the same type of data of where he lives (Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK) to visualize a good comparison (including the statistics for Amsterdam that I gave him), resulting in this very clear picture. Thanks, Karl, good stuff!
In other news, from Sofia, Bulgaria: European Mobility Week Starts September 16
Taking the census of the cyclists in Sofia, bike parade in formal clothes, one in informal outfits and various competitions are among the events that will take place in Sofia during the European Mobility Week 2008. It takes place throughout Europe every year between September 16 and September 22, its culmination being the World Carfree Day, when many capitals close their centres for motor-driven traffic.
* Inserted by Amsterdamize
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