In AD Haagsche Courant Delft “Driving – I do not miss it at all”
Article written by Anne Kompagnie originally in Dutch and published in the newspaper Haagsche Courant Delft on September 18th, 2021 (English translation below) (Photo credits Haagsche Courant) ORIGINAL ARTICLE AVAILABLE HERE
ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW
Cycling to work, taking children to school, shopping... For us the most normal thing, for Dr. Natalia Barbour – who moved from Florida to Delft three months ago - a mecca. She takes her Twitter followers around the world on a journey of discovery on two wheels. Sometimes it is a photo of a bicycle parking at the university, with a surprising addition: here you don't have to renew your parking permit every year. Then she posts another tutorial on how to put your bike on the top rack in a double-layer underground bike parking.
The happiest tweets are those about her daughters - 11 and 6 years old. Both grew up in America, where in many places a bicycle is comparable to a scooter – as fun children's toys, that's about it. ,,My youngest one is not yet very proficient in traffic and yet we cycle to school every day. It feels safe, especially because the paths are so separated from the rest of the traffic.”
Natalia Barbour was born 36 years ago in a small town in Poland. A place where distance was measured in walking minutes. “Everything I needed was within walking distance. If you indicated that something was far away, then everyone knew: walk for at least half an hour.”
Barbour was ambitious, studied hard, and was particularly interested in urban planning and how people adapt to it - especially in transport. This brought her to the United States, where she continued to dive deeper into scientific research about mobility and human behavior.
“Measuring distance on the basis of walking minutes was not the case in the US. For everything, really everything you need a car. Even if you want to go hiking or cycling, that is almost never possible directly from home.”
Living abroad took some adjustment. "But that's ultimately what we do as humans, we are a product of our environment and in no time, it was my second nature to move around in a car."
About one year ago, the Barbour’s came across a unique career opportunity in Delft. ,,A wonderful post became available as Assistant Professor at the TU Delft. It was an opportunity not only because it is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, but also the Dutch cycling culture was a big plus. The choice to go was a no-brainer. We flew across the ocean with the intention of permanently staying in the Netherlands.”
Barbour has now had a - not too warm - Dutch summer and from the moment she made her first meters on the bike, she tweets about it to her followers all over the world. Her ride to the university, for example (played at double speed to keep the viewers’ attention), but also about 'exotic' Dutch merchandise such as child seats and shopping bags for the bicycle.
“I find it interesting to be a part of my own scientific research. I come from a completely different part of the world: how do I adapt? How will my children cope in this new environment?”
The tweets are funny, upbeat, and have a clear message: cycling is a great way to get from A to B. ,,Whether that message has an influence on the people who follow me? Time will tell. But I do try to share my enthusiasm with people worldwide and encourage them to at least consider the bicycle as a mean of transport.”
,,In the first instance, I do this from an environmentally conscious point of view: in a car there is room for five people, but as a rule it is almost never filled with all five. When you see how much space and pollution car transport creates, it is only logical to propose alternatives.”
Exercising a lot doesn't hurt her either. “I can now easily close all daily exercise rings on my Apple Watch.”
By the way, her tweets are not just meant to convey the 'cycling gospel'. ,,I emigrated because of a career opportunity. An insanely exciting step. I want to tell the people who follow me: even if your entire living environment changes, be positively curious and have faith. It will be fine. Don't let fear of the unknown hold you back.”
She currently does not have a car in Delft. ,,What am I missing about that? Hmm, nothing at all. Seriously. I'm sure there will be a car in my life someday, but I'm really only planning to use it for a family road trip or in case of an emergency. I do my daily errands by bike.”
Is there really no disadvantage to the bicycle? ,,Well .. I have to think carefully when I go to the supermarket, because the space in my bike storage bags is limited. Shopping for a week is not possible. But that also has a positive side: I always have fresh bread.”
The Netherlands and all cycling facilities are truly unique, emphasizes Barbour. “You cannot transfer all policies and designs easily to another country because each country has a different history and culture. Just go across the border to Belgium and Germany and you can already see that the cyclist has it a lot more difficult. But you can spread awareness. Even if it is just encouraging people to consider an electric option when purchasing a new car.”
Meanwhile, the Barbour family is already fully prepared for an upcoming cycling autumn and winter with possible rain, wind, snow. ,,Yes, the raincoats are ready. Cycling in the sun is of course the best, but my children and I have also experienced the joy from riding in the rain. The feeling you have when you take a grueling bike ride with a lot of headwind and rain and then you get to a warm home and sit down on the couch. You never get that satisfaction when you get out of your car.”
