The Dutch ''Fietsersbond'' (Cyclists' Union) is an organisation which represents the interests of cyclists in the Netherlands by working towards the expansion and improvement of bicycle friendly infrastructure. The ''Fietsersbond'' does this by

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

, and working with, all levels of government on

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

, policies, and laws, etc. to improve cycling conditions and make Dutch cities, towns and country areas safer and easier to get around in for anyone who rides a bike — which is a large proportion of the population: approximately 5 million Dutch people ride every day out of the country's total population of 16.8 million. The ''Fietsersbond'' lobbies politicians and the civil service on all levels — national, provincial & local — to achieve (among other things): * excellent and direct

cycling infrastructure Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of bicycle pedal, pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the ...

with a constant aim for new ideas and

innovative Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed ent ...

designs, * more and improved parking spaces for bikes, * effective action against bicycle theft, and * greater safety for cyclists. They provide and/or conduct: * development of a

crowdsourced Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digit ...

cycling route planner, maintained by volunteers
routeplanner.fietsersbond.nl
* giving advice to local, regional and national authorities about cycling policy * national and regional campaigns about cycling facilities, road safety and bike lighting. * research about cycling in the Netherlands The ''Fietsersbond'' has 32,000 members, has more than 1500 active volunteers, is organised into 150 local branches across the country, and is organised from its national office at

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

which has 25 staff members. :nl:Fietsersbond (Nederland) It is a member of the

European Cyclists' Federation The European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) is a non-profit member-based umbrella federation of local, regional and national civil society organizations that promote cycling for both transportation and leisure. ECF has around 70 member organizat ...

(ECF) and through that the World Cycling Alliance and is a principal partner of th
Dutch Cycling Embassy
It publishes a quarterly members' magazine called the ''Vogelvrije Fietser'' (a play of words meaning both "Free-as-a-bird Cyclist" and "Outlawed Cyclist"). The organisation also conducts the '' Fietsstad'' (Cycling City) awards every few years where a Dutch town or city that has done extraordinarily well in improving and expanding its cycling infrastructure, is honoured. (Note that

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, has its own cyclists' union, also called the
Fietsersbond
'.)

References

External links

*
''Vogelvrije Fietser''
the newsletter of the Dutch ''Fietsersbond''
routeplanner.fietsersbond.nl
the Dutch ''Fietsersbond'' cycling route planner {{Authority control Cycling in the Netherlands Cycling organizations Non-profit organisations based in the Netherlands Members of World Cycling Alliance

See also

References

External links