School transportation

Bicycles are the standard means of transportation for children in the Netherlands - particularly for those under sixteen. School transportation (both primary and secondary schools) is largely a matter of bicycle traffic. Safety issues, particularly for the youngest school children, are a real problem, but not to the extent that transportation to school by car has grown tremendously overall: Transportation behaviour of children to their primary schools. Undeniably, children are accompanied by bike for increasingly longer periods. Many projects have been realised or are being realised to improve safety on the route to and near primary schools, by various methods: United in fighting traffic dangers near schools (Verkeersonveiligheid rond scholen gezamenlijk aangepakt). In part because overall the car may play a minor role, but at specific schools impressions may differ greatly. An example of the quite unique transport modalities choices in Amsterdam school traffic is provided by Transport modalities elementary schools in Amsterdam.

The objective traffic safety of secondary school pupils is a serious problem - even though almost everyone in this age group cycles to school: Factsheet vulnerable traffic participants 12 (Factsheet Kwetsbare verkeersdeelnemers 12).  A brochure on measures that may be taken to increase (safe) bicycle use at secondary schools: Secondary cycling: help pupils get along safely.

Even for adults bicycles are an important means to ‘go to school’: students are well-known for their bicycle use. In general university towns (particularly  Groningen, Leiden, Amsterdam) have more bicycle use than other towns. This often also means using the bicycle as a means of transport to and from the train station - and there is a link between the huge numbers of bicycles parked unguarded at train stations and the increase in the number of students: Strong increase in bicycle travel to train station.