Velo-city 2025
Gdańsk
10-13 June 2025

Cycle with us

                 
   

Dutch Cycling Embassy: connecting through cycling

The Dutch Cycling Embassy is a network for sustainable bicycle inclusive mobility that has been promoting cycling for everyone for over a decade. It’s a long-standing Velo-city partner and, today, it represents the best of Dutch cycling: knowledge, experience and experts offered by private companies, NGOs, research institutions, national and local governments.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy is the official gold partner of Velo-city. After attending for many years, what do you believe sets Velo-city apart from other mobility events, and why do you consider it to be a must-attend? 
For us, the Velo-city Conference is the undoubted highlight of year. The entire cycling world unites for four days of connecting with friends old and new; the epitom of what the Dutch call “gezelligheid” (“cosiness”). We always bring a large delegation of public and private organisations from across the Netherlands, who are keen to share their knowledge with the rest of the world under the banner of the Dutch Cycling Pavilion.


How can Velo-city be a relevant platform to exchange knowledge? 
Velo-city brings all sorts of people involved in cycling and sustainable urban development. This leads us to having a variety of conversations on the problems that people encounter out on the bike and in the process of infrastructure planning. The diversity here makes us discover new perspectives and encourages us to think out of the box. Everyone here is so accessible and enthusiastic which makes exchanging knowledge much easier than in other contexts.


This year's theme of Velo-city is Connecting through Cycling, putting the spotlight on bringing places, sectors, commuting systems and communities together. How does the Dutch Cycling Embassy help connect through cycling? 
We strive to bring people together through cycling. In the Netherlands, the bike serves as a great equaliser. Through our study visits and ThinkBike Workshops, we work with groups of decision-makers from all over the world to show them that a cycle-friendly environment can work for them too. It’s amazing to see how projects that we have been involved in in the past years have transformed cities. Getting people on bikes allows them to connect to their community, the people and places around them.


The general view is that the Dutch are already well connected through cycling. What are some top examples of projects or principles from the Netherlands that show the connectivity of the bicycle?
In the Netherlands its often said that ‘if it's not within biking distance, then it's not worth going’. This attitude towards mobility flips many people's scripts. The Dutch don't think in terms of how to get from A to B. Instead, they decide A and B based on the various transport methods available. The Netherlands provides solutions such as last-mile bikes (OV-fiets) and extensive bike parkings. Thus, the Dutch have a great range of options to make the bike suit their needs.
 
 
In which places, regions, communities and sectors can the Dutch still improve in making the bicycle a connecting mode of transport? What is needed for that?  
There are still issues around the interactions between cyclists and cars in the Netherlands. This is especially relevant at intersections and outside built-up areas. In too many places, cyclists share the road with traffic that is allowed to drive 50 km/h or faster. Thus, more places need to lower the speed limit and safer infrastructure needs to be built to keep cars and people riding bikes separate.


New cycle-lane in Montreuil (France).

The Dutch Cycling Embassy has introduced a programme to sponsor the attendance of a non-profit organisation from a low or middle income country. Can you tell us more about the NGO featured this year as part of this programme? 
This year, we’re proud to sponsor Mohammad Nazarpoor, the BYCS Bicycle Mayor of Tehran, Iran. Nazarpoor is a researcher on urban cycling and a visiting researcher at the Urban Cycling Institute. It’s vital that the Velo-city conference includes a diverse selection of speakers to hear from all parts of the world, and we are glad to support his valuable presence. Join his presentation on "The Role of Bottom-Up Practices in Making Cycling Inclusive in Socio-Politically Challenging Contexts: Lessons from Tehran" on Tuesday 18 June at 13:45.


What are the current projects for the Dutch Cycling Embassy? Are there specific achievements since Velo-city 2023 Leipzig to celebrate altogether this year? 
This year the Dutch Cycling Embassy is celebrating 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. For example, the ThinkBike Workshop in Montreuil, France in 2019 resulting in a Dutch-inspired cycle lane or the ThinkBike Workshop in Tirana, Albania in 2022 which inspired cycling school teaching 22,000 children.
 

Cycling school in Tirana (Albania).​

What are you most looking forward to at Velo-city 2024 Ghent? 
The Bike Parade is always an exhilarating climax to the conference, with thousands of locals joining attendees for a rolling celebration through the city. The Dutch delegation is always well-represented and highly visible, with orange shirts and caps, ringing our bells and waving to everyone on the side of the road. After talking endlessly about bikes in the prior three days, it’s nice to ride one in a social, stress-free situation!
 
 
Join the Dutch Cycling Embassy at Velo-city 2024 on Wednesday 19 June at 12:00 (session 5.6: Dutch Cycling Embassy: connecting through cycling) and at 16:00 (session 7.4: Networking for young professionals in the cycling sector).