If you build it, the Dutch will pedal it

Utrecht, Netherlands

WHEN city officials unveiled the first section of the world's largest bike parking garage in Utrecht, this small city in the centre of the Netherlands, late last month, the feeling of accomplishment was short-lived.

While many of the 6,000 new, state-of-the-art bike parking spots filled quickly, city engineers focused on the work ahead: creating thousands more such spots and hundreds more miles of bike paths to ensure that even more Utrecht residents can comfortably commute by bike.