ABU DHABI // Dutch embassy workers were quite at home in The National's #cycletoworkuae campaign on Tuesday.
“You could say that we are almost born on a bike because it’s a transport for young and old, those who do very well in life, and those who have average jobs,” said Jennes de Mol, the Netherlands ambassador.
“I love being back home to cycle but I also love to see people biking more and more here.
“I think it’s very positive. I think the Government is on the right track but it has to stimulate the construction of cycle paths.”
Mr de Mol said bikes created a sense of equality in the community, and a more democratic landscape for those commuting or just enjoying a ride.
But he said infrastructure must be provided to make riders feel safe and see cycling as a viable mode of transport.
Mr de Mol has two bicycles and regularly takes them to the Corniche to gain a better perspective of the city.
Staff at the Netherlands mission organised a team-building event at the Crowne Plaza on Hamdan Street after riding from the ambassador’s house on Tuesday.
Boudewijn Dijkman, an economic officer at the embassy, said that cycling could be one of the best ways to get from A to B, apart from being great exercise.
“Aside from just being a form of sport it’s a mode of transportation,” he said. “In Amsterdam it can often be the fastest way to go to work.”
Mr Dijkman said that children in the Netherlands learnt to ride a bike as soon as they could walk, and that it developed a sense of independence in young people.
“It’s very nice because with cycling you become quite independent as a kid,” he said. “You can go anywhere without your parents.”
Mr Dijkman said providing an environment where biking was as safe as walking allowed for an alternative to driving that many preferred.
“What you’re seeing here is more and more biking paths, and I think the Government here is doing a great job,” he said.
“Not slowly and surely, but fast and surely the UAE is becoming more bike-friendly.”
nalwasmi@thenational.ae