Imagine a community that accommodated the bicycle as a mode of transportation as most communities accommodate the car. A community where bicycles rule, buses have their own lanes and roads are designed to decrease the volume and velocity of car travel. A community where local business establishments thrive because there are higher levels of foot traffic. Welcome to the Netherlands, where 27% of the population rides a bicycle for transportation. The city planners throughout the Netherlands had a common vision - incorporate the bicycle into every road construction project and building retrofit project. The pictures below show how the integrated system works.

Class I Cycle Track. Notice where parking is in relation to the cycle track and moving traffic	Bicycle lanes denoted with colored pavement, stripes and arrows. Notice the separate bicycle lanes for left hand turns.

Such infrastructure has been Freedom’s guiding light. We believe that integrating such infrastructure in our communities in the United States will inspire more people to ride their bicycles for transportation as well as recreation. This is the reason we have spent countless hours at city council meetings, lobbying at the state and federal levels, writing proposals for federal and state bills, and studying the Dutch method of traffic engineering. Our next big project – To incorporate Dutch road engineering standards in all federal, state and local road engineering projects in the United States. We are currently strategizing these efforts with our advocacy partners. - Words by Marcus Vyvyan