The Best Country in the World for Drivers

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In the Netherlands there is actually an app you can report potholes (and other ‘public malfunctions’). I once dit this and they first temporarily patched the pothole within a day (!) and then really fixed it within a week or two. And they even updated me on that on the app 😅

I've been saying this lately: That car enthusiasts should loudly support public infrastructure projects, because their hobby gets worse the more drivers there are. Thanks for documenting this insight and proving it right.

“Most people want to avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists, unless you’re a pickup driver in Houston or something.” Couldn’t have described Houston better.

"Hallo meneer de fotograaf" (Hello Mr. Photographer) at 0:05 That's adorable

I try telling this to my friends and family, but their response is always "America is bigger than those small European countries" and I'm like... that's not even a reason for any of the US's infrastructure to be so shit.

As Dutch kids are used to cycle in traffic by themselves, they are more familiar with the 'rules of the road'. This helps when they become car drivers. In other countries learners have to concentrate on how to operate a car AND how to behave in traffic.

I frequently ride my bike in the Netherlands and I have to honestly say that the trafic management and spatial plannig of the Netherlands is amongst the best, if not 'the' best, in the world. And since I'm Belgian and it almost physically pains me to praise the Dutch, you can be sure I'm telling the truth..

Dutchie here. A couiple of years ago I was in Florida, and my wife wanted to go to a large grocery store. Only about 1 km away so we decided to walk. Big mistake! Nowhere to walk along the (a I know now) stroad, crossing the stroad while fearing for my life (because some sidewalk just ended), walking further and eventually reaching my destination. We decided to take a cab home because of the danger. I was amazed, but now it just makes sense why I was amazed in the first place.

I'm an avid car enthusiant. I love the sound. I love the engineering. I love the thrill and adrenalin. I love piloting my car at my and car's limits. I love investing in my skills when it comes to fabricating professional quality bits and pieces for my car. I love the culture and the wonderful people I've met through sharing this hobby. I hate driving. I hate having to get in a car and having to sit through 4 traffic lights and 3 stop signs to get to the parts store, that is in a bike-able distance. I hate putting myself and my so beloved car at risk of getting t-boned and seriously injured every single day. I hate the feeling of being absolutely isolated from the society, sitting inside a tin can. I hate putting useless mileage on my car. I hate looking at the wasteland of asphalt. I hate having to share the road with someone who can murder me and my friends just because he/she had a bad day or didn't get enough sleep. I wouldn't mind paying higher tax for gas if i didn't have to waste it on doing day-to-day chores. I hate putting so many bicyclists and pedestrians at risk. I hate driving in the US.

The traffic lights for bikes turning green while you're coming close to it is one of the most satisfying things :)

We have 4 cars in my household, literally one for each person, not because we are “car enthusiasts” (although I do enjoy cars to an extent), but because it is the only way we can go to work/school in my asphalt garden of a city. I thought that was completely normal until your videos, suffice it to say I will be looking into learning some dutch lol

those people who designed netherland's infrastructure really deserve an applause from the world... we all come to know these stuff only because of youtube creators like you.. like seriously, this is real stuff and there is no way we can know these things from traditional media like tv.. i really appreciate your content thanks man!!!

"People don't normally like to hit pedestrians unless you're a pick-up driver in Houston." Shots fired! Luckily he's facing felony charges after much public outrage.

Most of the asphalt used in the Netherlands is zoab (zeer open asfalt beton) meaning it's actually designed to let water through in the top layer flowing it to the sides. So potholes do happen, especially in winter on the snelweg, however, we tend to fix these in a timely fasion and overnight to not cause delays during the day. Something you can do with asphalt, but not with normal concrete. Zoab has a huge safety benefit in the rain, you barely get that nasty splash up fog from the tires, improving visibility. This might even be worth a video.

People are always confused when they find out that I am both a car enthusiast and a part of the #fuckcars movement. I like driving and other cars get in the way of my driving experience.

I must say this makes me way more appreciative of our Dutch roads.

They say humor is a great way to raise awareness about an issue, especially one as absurd as car-centric traffic engineering, and your delivery was spot on. Thank you, NJB.

I don't even mind that cars need to take a longer route. Every minute you spend walking or cycling is a physical activity, and while it can be fun and healthy, for transportation it makes sense to give them the shortest route. Cars are climate controlled boxes with comfortable seats and stereos. As a driver, I don't really mind having a trip that's 5 minutes longer than the what direct route would be.

I'm dutch and i must say i was surprised how i never looked at our train system as a giant national metro system. It is true, you can go almost everywhere by train and the occasional bus or metro. Only places where the train isn't your best bet are Friesland, Drenthe and Zeeland