The magic of childhood in the Netherlands
And what other countries can learn from it.
So much starts with the bike. The Dutch built cycling infrastructure that allows children to get around their neighbourhoods alone, safely.
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.
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The magic of childhood in the Netherlands
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox And what other countries can learn from it. So much starts with the bike. The Dutch built cycling infrastructure that allows children to get around their neighbourhoods alone, safely. 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.

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