The yellow school bus that’s a bicycle

An ambitious plan by Boris Johnson to spend £100m on transforming a handful of outer-London boroughs into ‘mini Hollands’ could result in an influx of Dutch-style bikes.

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Most of the budget will be spent on major improvements to infrastructure including the scrapping of gyratories and the re-connection of neighborhoods fractured by main roads, but the safer conditions for cyclists that result will make possible ways of travelling that at present seem radical.

Nurseries in London occasionally use specially-designed hand carts to transport kids to the local park, but the idea that a group of six or eight children might be carried about by bicycle would, unfortunately, be considered by most schools too foolhardy to contemplate. However, when streets are designed with a consideration for children getting to and from school, such things may soon be considered the norm.

Dutch bicycle manufacturer De Redding builds such bicycles - pedal-powered school buses capable of carrying up to eight toddlers.

The three or four winners of the mini Holland grants will be announced in March. The aim is for very high levels of spending, concentrated on relatively small areas, to transform them into places as cycle-friendly as their Dutch equivalents.

When you see pedal-powered yellow school buses on the streets, you’ll know the grants have been a success.

Are we ready to go Dutch?

Many would-be cycle commuters in Britain cite a lack of workplace showers as the reason they don't travel by bike. It's an excuse that would seem strange to the Dutch, who have a adopted a more relaxed, but no less efficient, approach to cycling and bicycle design. Not for them the a sweaty race to the office, or clothes splattered in rain and road muck because their commuter bike has no mudguards. Most ride the type of town bike that bears their name. Dutch bikes have mudguards, centre stands, dynamo lights and a 'sit-up-and-beg' seating position that encourages a comfortable and stress-free journey.

Online bicycle retailer anddutch.co.uk is the brainchild of Gert-Jan Baan, a Dutchman who plans to capitalise on an increased interest in Dutch-style bicycles in Britain by shipping the genuine article to customers directly from the 'land of cycling'.

High-spec bikes

Dutch bicycles have a reputation for being tough and practical – attributes that make perfect town bikes. And those used to the commuting by hybrid or road bike might welcome the fact that any Dutch town bike worth its salt comes equipped as standard with full-length mudguards, stand and comfy seat.

The Netherlands produce all manner of contemporary bikes, but it is the traditional designs that will prove most popular with those who want a bicycle with a specification similar to a Pashley, but at a lower price. Burgers is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer best known for its classic-retro bicycle styles; its Nostalgia Basic model compares with the Pashley Roadster Classic.

A spokesperson for the ETA said: “The Dutch are masters of the practical bicycle – they would no sooner sell a town bicycle without mudguards and lights as a car maker would sell a city runabout without windscreen wipers.”

How does your cycle insurance match up?

Cycle insurance from the ETA includes, amongst other things, new-for-old, third party cover, personal accident cover, race event cover and if you suffer a mechanical breakdown, they will come out and recover you and your bike. Get an instant, no obligation quote.

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