For subscribers
The magic of childhood in the Netherlands
And what other countries can learn from it.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
So much starts with the bike. The Dutch built cycling infrastructure that allows children to get around their neighbourhoods alone, safely.
PHOTO: PIXABAY
Simon Kuper
Follow topic:
When I close my eyes and think back to my childhood in the Netherlands, I am nine years old and a friend and I are cycling at top speed down our town’s high street, re-enacting the finish of the Tour de France.
He pulls a metre ahead of me and raises both arms in triumph for the imaginary cameras. Lord knows where our parents were.
