Bridging Bicycle Kingdoms: Dutch-Sino Collaboration in China’s Cycling Resurgence
Once known as the “Kingdom of Bicycles”, China largely abandoned cycling in the 1990s, handing their streets over to the car in the name of economic prosperity. But in recent years, policymakers have done a stunning reversal, reallocating vast amounts of space in the name of urban vitality and liveability. Furthermore, this development has been directly influenced by best practice established in the Netherlands, including the famous CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic. In the decade since Dutch consultants authored their 2015 bicycle strategy, Beijing has built a staggering 3,200-kilometres of dedicated bike routes, with over 200-kilometres of infrastructure being delivered each year. That impressive network is complemented by the availability of one million shared bicycles, which seamlessly combine cycling and public transport on a scale that rivals Amsterdam or Utrecht. Beijing has even adopted the idea of the Dutch “fietsstraat” (cycling street), where cyclists are treated as the main users and drivers as guests. An impressive new cycling highway designed by Dutch consultants also recently opened in the newly built district of Tongzhou. The 2.7-kilometre project was inspired by the Beijing Mayor’s travels to The Hague, and a directive from him that the neighbourhood should feature a world-class cycling infrastructure project like the regional doorfiets (“non-stop cycling”) routes found across the Netherlands. Designed using principles out of the CROW Manual, this spectacular international collaboration should be seen as a clear sign Chinese policymakers now see the humble bicycle not as something to aspire from, but something to aspire to.
Speakers
Chris Bruntlett is International Relations Manager at the Dutch Cycling Embassy, a public-private partnership located in Utrecht that shares the best knowledge, experience, and expertise from the Netherlands with cities and regions from around the world. He uses his diverse skills to manage the marketing and communication department, answer media and keynote requests, forge strategic diplomatic and economic relationships, and facilitate global knowledge exchanges such as workshops and study visits.
Chris is co-author of three books: “Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality”, which examines the triumphs and challenges of Dutch cycling culture while also presenting stories of North American cities already implementing lessons from across the Atlantic. “Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in our Lives”, which chronicle their experience living in the Netherlands and the benefits that result from treating cars as visitors rather than owners of the road. And “Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation”, which highlights the groundbreaking work of female mayors, planners, advocates, and policymakers in reshaping urban spaces for the better.
Dr. Lei Li mainly engages in research on transport tourism and leisure, transport culture and heritage, and modern active mobility systems.
He currently serves as Deputy Secretary-General of the Transportation Culture Working Committee of the China Highway and Transportation Society, and an adjunct expert at the Research Center for Urban Governance and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University.
He is committed to promoting the development of urban and rural active mobility in China, advocating the concepts of integration of urban and rural active mobility and the development of modern active mobility system. He presided over the compilation of the China Highway and Transportation Society Standard "Guidelines for Planning of non-motorized transportation System in Rural Areas" and has organized international forums and domestic academic exchange conferences for many times, as well as edited and published special issues and monographs.
