“Water taxis go uncomfortably fast” - so, like regular taxis..

Yes, I pronounce "Rotterdam" the Dutch way in this video (or at least, I try to). Deal with it. Only native Dutch speakers are allowed to criticize my pronunciation. 😂

You missed a 7th way: the autonomous mini busses at Kralingse Zoom, called Park Shuttles. Also, if you're on a Watertaxi and you slip the captain a bit of beer money, they can make the ride wilder than a rollercoaster for you.

I always get major city-envy watching these videos! While in North America we dream about a bright new urbanist future, Europe has been living the dream for years...also, green tramways are the best!!

If you ever revisit Rotterdam, the tram stop at the Witte the Withstraat (halte Museumpark) is actually a piece of protest art. The stop was removed in 1993, to the displeasure of local residents, and an artist made an exact replica of the stop itself. The stop was reinstated again shortly thereafter and has remained in its original state since. It doesn't stand out, but the lack of advertising and the old analog clock betray its history. The only alteration that has been made to my knowledge is the addition of an electronic sign indicating wait times.

The most American city of The Netherlands, still doing it better than the US

When you go cycling there: don't miss the Maastunnel, a pre-war tunnel built under the river Maas that has a special bike and pedestrian tunnel as well. You'll have to take your bike on the escalator though, so good look with that ;)

3:05 wow that is amazing, they tapped the customer off and blocked the door whilst they disembark before returning the card - meanwhile another staff is walking someone holding their hand! If only my grandparents were growing old in NL

Hahaha I live for grassy tram tracks. Something about them just looks so aesthetically pleasing, and it reimplements nature a little bit into a city/concrete jungle. There's a bit in the west of Frankfurt am Main where I live and I love taking the tram there or just walking past it when going to school or work :) Great video, keep it up!

I was hoping for part two of "Why passenger trains suck in Canada". Just very curious.

Been living in Rotterdam for about 5 years now as a student, and other than Hong Kong it's my favourite city in terms of living due to the variety of things the city has to offer. I'd personally recommend cycling in Kralingen around the Vijverlaan, really nice (unbombarded) area of town. Also Noord, near zomerhofkwartier and the hofbogen is a nice area, which shows that mixing of low-income housing and artsy shops and bars doesn't always lead to a mess of gentrification. Hope to have you back here soon!

Only in the Netherlands would someone visit just for the public transit...

I love how your videos make me appreciate the things we Dutch take for granted, another great vid!

Good to see finally a video on Rotterdam. Plz do make more videos on Rotterdam. I am hopefully coming to Rotterdam to start my Masters at IHS in Erasmus University Rotterdam in Urban Management and Development. Looking forward to more videos from ur side.

5:54 So in other words, you can support the video with not just likes.

I'm so glad you talked about the Water Taxi! They're by far my favourite way to get around the city. When I worked in a cafe, I'd always recommend them to visitors - not just as a means to get around, but also as a straight up experience. They're the best!

I used to commute between Rotterdam and Amsterdam for school for a two year period, and I hardly ever was late for school unless I overslept once in a blue moon. From the neighbourhood we lived in, getting to Rotterdam Central Station I had both metro as well tram connections, and I had 3 trains to choose from in a 20 minute window to get me to a stop in Amsterdam or Schiphol for my connecting train or metro.

You should really cycle through the Maasvlakte (by which I mean the second one). As you said you can take the ferry there with your bike. The bicycle infrastructure in this port is amazing, cycling through all of those containers and ships. There is also a nice museum about this port and many beaches.

Wait, so the card works in ALL of the country? Here in Sweden each county has a different card which makes everything annoying and painful. Damn i really like the nationwide card thing.

I almost can't handle all those complements🙏💕🤗 Love from the Netherlands!

Bicycle scavenger hunt for you in Rotterdam: Find the sign that says "Roep boe tegen spookfietsers". Spot spiderman on his electric three wheeler. Take your bike onto the wooden escalators. Park your bike in the national bollards museum. Stop at a traffic light with a rain sensor, and trigger a green light with your super soaker Anything else that should be included, dear Rotterdammers? Good luck!

I live close to Hoek van Holland in the town with the unpronouncable name of 's-Gravenzande and know the area very well. It's very convenient that the metro goes from there to the city centre without having to take a million different connections. It saves a lot of time compared to a bus.

As an IT guy. It feels good to see such TCP/IP reference.

If your biking in Rotterdam and just want a chill evening cycling evening, try to bike around the 'Kralingse plas' It's a nice place and espessially in the evening/morning it looks good. You have some spots in wich you can see the tall buildings from the city centre quite nicely.

I stayed in The Netherlands a few years ago and cycled from Delft to Rotterdam with my brother. We had coffee outside the Food Market. Very easy to cycle to. As is anywhere in The Netherlands.

I'm so happy you're focusing on Rotterdam! I emigrated here (from the US) about four years ago and lived there until a month ago. I never noticed how superior the R'dam metro and tram are, compared with other cities -- I just took them for granted. I also learned from the comments that the Maastunnel is open again (after renovations) and I agree with the commenter: Definitely bike through it if you get the chance. I've heard that the escalator (which is wooden, and huge, and terrifying) is the oldest in NL.

I got on the ferry at Harwich after a near death experience with a lorry and 6 hours later I was cycling from the Hook of Holland to Amsterdam without ever leaving a bike lane. Heaven.

Rotterdam was the direct inspiration for the "light rail" concept in my hometown of Bergen, Norway. This "open-air metro, not quite a train, though" concept goes all the way out to the airport, almost an hour out of the center. It has very frequent service, and it has boosted car-free urban planning and living. The public response has been mixed, though. Since Bergen literally doesn't have enough space for a metro, the dedicated open-air lanes end up displacing a lot of other traffic. The tram-like, frequent stops combined with the long distances it covers also mean it's slower compared to, say, an express bus or a taxi.

Beautiful city, i live in Amsterdam since 2020, and stopped in Rotterdam last month on the way back from France, and it's indeed incredibly convenient that the chipcard just works in the city, and even to take the train between Rotterdam and Amsterdam, it might be "car centric" for the Netherlands, but it's incredibly better than say even Paris, let alone any city in the USA. Definitely planning to go back.

This city seriously have one of the best traffic ever, very well-organized, much more organized any other city I've seen, someday I would like to go cycle there.

I recently found your channel and I love it! As a German I'm kind of envious how traffic is handled over there. If my whole life wasn't in Germany I would totally move there! But ... when Corona is over I definitly want to have my vacations in the Netherlands (learning Dutch at the moment).

I've lived near this city my entire life and I'm studying there at the moment and this made me look at the public transport in a whole new way. I'm always complaining about it, but in perspective... it's pretty great! Really nice video.

My sister studies in Rotterdam, so I've been there a few times. The last time we went to tour Rotterdam by car, this was in april and after that we went home to Twente. She talked allot about the willemsbrug being her favorite bridge when we drove over it.

Hey buddy, I've watched every single one of your videos - even the ones with the not so compelling titles. I love the channel, I'm currently in London and looking to move to the NL. These videos help so much, seriously! All the best!

I recently started living next to Rotterdam and the metro stops near my house. It only takes 10 minutes to go from my house to the middle of Rotterdam. Such great public transport!

Lived in Rotterdam in the early seventies. I was impressed to see so much of empty space . (comming right from the then newly - beautiful- build central station you bumped on an improvised deer park for children, in the middle of what used to be the city before it was completely whiped-out by the bombs of may 1940. Hearing the stories of Rotterdammers who servived made tears in my eyes. The man who was my landlord described how they were forced to clean-up hundreds of dead bodies. 40 years later I visited Rotterdam and again tears came to my eyes seeing so much efford was done to rebuild the city ...

I was really surpised by the "tweede heinenoordtunnel" (in the south of Rotterdam) during my cycling hollyday to France. Its a bicycle and pedestrian tunnel under the river Maas. You enter and exit it by taking an elevator (also with bike). Then its several hundred meters of underground bikepath. Really amazing

I'm also dreaming of a transport network that blends all modes of transport this well in Australian cities. Love the videos and keep up the great work, they help inspire me to make transport and planning content about Australia!

"Did I ever mention that I love the Netherlands" :D Great videos, keep them coming! So much better than over-rated Danish blue paint.

Love this video and can vouch for everything you say here. I go to Rotterdam at least 3-4 times a year and have gotten to know the city quite well. In my 1st few trips, I didn't use a bike much and it was still fine to get around with the tram and walking. This cannot be said about Amsterdam or Den Haag for example. However afterwards I did find a way to rent OV Bikes through a friend and started doing that but it didn't vastly improve my movement around the city compared to the other two mentioned above! Cheers and looking forward to watching the next video!

The bit about water taxis reminded me of something: Amsterdam used to have hydrofoil ferries to Velsen, travelling at 65 km/h. Unfortunately they were taken out of service in 2014.

This is such perfect timing, i'm moving to rotterdam in a few weeks!

It makes me so happy on how you talk about the Netherlands, me as a dutchie really like the way you explain our way in the Netherlands because you explain it so good! keep it up!

Jeez louise the streets look so frigging beautiful. The trees, the trams, the grass, the lanes, dammit I'm jealous!

Glad that you went to Rotterdam, I miss it much. And I agree with you the city is somehow felt having more cars than the rest of the cities in the Netherlands so the abroad urbanplanner may look in to it, to adapt the system to what they have in their country.

Man, your videos made me want to move to the Netherlands. Great job.

Something that might be worth looking into visiting (Rotterdam is my home city after all) is taking the "Rotterdam Street Art Route". It's an art tour that takes you through the city starting at central station showing the different murals commissioned by the city itself (the walking route goes straight through a building with a sky bridge, which is fun). Also, aside from trams, metros, water taxis and water busses, there's also busses and trains that are great for other major parts of the city, like the southern part of the city. getting to Zuidplein/Ahoy and the other major parts of the city. Busses have their own dedicated lanes and in some cases even their own roads entirely. so they're an easy way to get around.

I have cycled before from England round Holland on holiday and you are absolutely right the ferry port in (harwich) England does not have any cycle paths. You either walk to the car park or train station or drive your car off the ferry!

Rotterdam center is in a constant build. You might have noticed while you were there. Next time you visit the center will be more pedestrian friendly and difficult to go around with cars.

The younger generation also gets around on the hundreds of Felyxes, Go scooters and Lev mini cars. I hope you’ve visited the ‘Fenix food factory’ and some of the city centers within Rotterdam.

Great content as always! Looking forward to the second one!

Been living in Rotterdam for close to ten years now. I've really fallen in love with the city, also how it's still growing. Not in size I mean, but as a city in progress. It's terrible what happened in WWII, and it never should have happened. But at the very least it gave way to a unique city. My hometown also got bombed in WWII (Nijmegen), but many parts were never rebuild in a right way again, which gave rise to many concrete buildings. Which makes Nijmegen such a mix between pretty old and ugly new. I feel the city never got it quite right. I think Rotterdam, in many ways (definitely not all though) did get it right, especially since the 90s.

RandstadRail has done a remarkable job of repurposing existing rail corridors for public transit. I really like lines 3 and 4 out to Zoetermeer. They show how adaptable low-floor lrt can be. Surface tram lines within the surburban and inner city parts of Den Haag, the downtown tunnel/viaduct (with the stop at the central rail station) then interlined with Rotterdam Line E, then commuter tram-train out to Zoetermeer, then a remarkable light metro system within Zoetermeer itself (I don't know of any other cities that size with a grade-separated light rail system). All on the same lines! And yeah, I really wish cities in western Canada would look at Rotterdam for how to repair our decades of car-centric planning.

Hey, congratulations on you being featured on the Dutch national radio! I was just listening to it when I heard your name, and i was quite surprised. Good job man!

Found out your channel a few days ago. Great videos, big fan.

Grassy tracks are pretty cool! I never saw them before. Great channel too, btw.

Every US city and town should have great public transit like rotterdam

OMG a sunny day in the Netherlands ?? WOW !!

Can’t wait for the next video!

You are surely a fun person to hang out with, and that is evident by some of your comments across your videos ;) Favourite so far is at 3:51, "I love shipping containers, they are the TCP/IP packets of the sea"

Been living in Rotterdam for my studies since 2015. It really is a great city in terms of public transit, modern architecture, and vibe. Actually, when you were talking about the water bus, I was secretly hoping that you meant this one: www.goudsepost.nl/nieuws/algemeen/247711/met-de-waterbus-naar-rotterdam or this one rotterdamnieuws.nl/te-doen/splashtours-de-varende-bus/ This is an actual water bus on wheels which is pretty amazing!

You could go rowing or sailing in Hillegersberg on de Rotte. It is a weird mix of modern houseboats, typical mills and expensive, mega houses. If you row past the Irenebrug, you will find peace. It is weird to think that all of this is right next to the motorways. Visit Kralingen, the old grand houses/villa’s, the Kralingsche Bos and the Kralingse Meer. I recommend you to go cycling in the Kralingsche bos, it is lovely to cycle right through the park and forest.

Be sure to take the Maastunnel while cycling, which is a tunnel you exit and enter with a escalator. no ramps. Also make sure to visit the south end of the van brienenoordbrug, where there is a two-way cycling path passing up to 5 times below the road, with up to 4 cycling intersections, without crossing any other traffic.

Thanks for showing my city i just love to watch videos like this. I live less then 5 min bike from blaak or cause you love the tram the third stop from my house is blaak. Can’t wait for part 2

Great video as usual, stay safe!!

Rotterdam is a big “modern” city with lots of support for cars. But it somehow manages to support every other form of transit completely. You can cross the city by bike in 20-30 minutes. You can be in the country side in 15 minutes. You can easily ride to a metro station or even Centraal Station from most of the core and then continue on to another city. I thought Rotterdam has done a great job at mixing it’s transit options and still building very livable neighborhoods.

Really nice to include the Watertaxi! I happen to work there, and can confirm, they're fast... If you're looking for special bike infrastructure, you might wanna look at the tunnels near Rotterdam. They all have a separate bike tunnel!

Moving to Rotterdam in two months. Incredibly excited

Good to see you in Rotterdam. You should cycle from katendrecht to the maastunnel and afterwards through Het Park and De Veerhaven (a 19th century park and old harbour with villa’s) to the museum booijmans en van beuningen and after that towards the coolsingel and the Markthal. When you are looking for a ride through nature you should cycle around the kralingse plas.

The skatepark in the middle of the city is also very nice to be (as a skater) but it's also cool if you walk pass it. It's not in the way, it nicely blends in. It's at Eendrachtsplein (metro stop).

This is awesome, love your content!

Thank you for including information about the accessibility of the public transit. One of the major pushbacks I receive when I talk about de-prioritizing the car is that bike lanes will make the streets less accessible for people with mobility impairments. That doesn't make intutitve sense to me, but I want to address the good faith argument on the occasions when I it occurs. (The video about the little wheelchair cars has been a big help on that front.)

You should make a video on how good walkability, cycling, and transit is in smaller Dutch cities, ones with even less than 100k people. You mentioned Ermelo before but a dedicated video to small cities would be really cool

Finally my nationalism for the Netherlands can be translated to localism for my hom city!

We have just come back from a week in Rotterdam and totally agree with your video. We used the public transport to travel across the city, to the beach at the Hoek van Holland and to nearby cities. We were last there in 2016, and noticed that there seemed to be fewer cars than previously

I wish all these videos were like 10 minutes cuz I love to binge watch them so much

The metro is being extended to Hoek van Holland beach so you can take the metro from downtown Rotterdam straight unto the beach, like 100 meters from the beach!

Outside China, Rotterdam is the largest port in the world. Many think this is the greatest city in the world, based on specific crtiteria.

I love this channel!

Love this! There are also a lot of services like shared e-bikes and scooters you unlock with an app.

I love trams, I wish we had more in the UK.

Take a ride along the Rotte river, the river who gave the city it's name! Especially in the northern outskirts of Rotterdam, it's an magnificent area. Nobody will image the view you have over their, if you ask what the first thing in mind is when mentioning Rotterdam.

I feel like my city is overlooked a lot but this video brings me joy. thanks :)

Hey, how good that you have been to Rotterdam. I have been watching your videos for a while now and I find it very interesting how you look at the infrastructure in the Netherlands. I was born in Canada but have lived here most of my life. two years ago I went back to Canada for the first time and found out that it was not only "Different but good", but it was much less efficient than I had thought, especially the stop signs. I am a draftsman myself and would like to do more and more with cities and infrastructure, this makes me very enthusiastic. If you are in Rotterdam again, the "Van Brienenoordeiland" is a good option to visit. And if you feel like it, you are welcome to come by, I live in Rotterdam South.

my fav part of this vid: (2:25 repurposed heavy rail line (3:01 convenient level trams - i have never thought about that - EVER, and now that i think about that, its kinda strange how i missed this. but hey, i am yet another human ;0 haha 4:16)( bicycles in ferries (4:16 payement cards working on ALL public transports throughout WHOLE country. this is my dream for india. like strange that here, we have different cards for same mode of even adjoining states (Metro: Delhi - Noida: requires different cards, and they both have an intersecting station at 2 minute walk - so like, why they didnt combine cards - it's absolute crap) - let alone a unified payment for ALL modes, or even a single mode across WHOLE country. i dont hucking care if the country is big or what, i want single card across at least all metros throughout country {or} metro + local public buses throughout an continuous region :cry: :cry: (future mono rails and trams for later extension)

Nice to see you went to Rotterdam, and i'm happy it didn't dissapoint. ;) After the pandemic make sure to come and check out the World Harbour Days which are usually the first two weeks of September. They allow you to go on ships and boats that are usually inexcessable for the public, for example the dutch royal navy, airforce and army usually have fun activities for adults and children and teach people how they work and why they are needed. it's very educational for kids (and grownups ofcourse). There are also demonstrations of the harbour companies ships, divers, helicopters and a massive fireworkshow at the end of the two weeks. The water taxi's were designed that way to be a fast way of transport between towns, cities and villages all on the water front of the Maas. they are a fun and thrilling way to get somewhere fast, relatively cheap. (they're more expensive then the public transport, but much cheaper and faster than an actual taxi.) I would concider them as a thrilling transportation system, and i ride them maybe once or twice a year as a fun thing to do with friends of family to add to our day out.

Something you might find interesting: the green tram tracks (or non paved) arefunctional as well as pretty. They are important for groundwater recharge and stormwater drainage. The water from the streets and roofs around them end up in the lower green tracks and gets to infiltrate in the soil instead of moving into the sewers to a moving watrr body. If you have any questions about water management in dutch cities, i might be able to answer them!

Finally a video about Rotterdam

This will be a great video for people wanting to go to rotterdam for eurovision thnx

WOOOO this is my city!

Great point about having to look a transit schedule vs just showing up being a short hand metic of whether public transportation in a city is good.

Glad to see you've finally visited Rotterdam! Some really nice but underrated spots that I know there are Warung Mini's (the best Surinam sandwiches and more), the nHow Hotel rooftop bar&restaurant. Also Diergaarde Blijdorp is worth a visit. As for cycling, try to avoid the city centre and you'll have a better time. You've said it in the video already it's more a car friendly city.

Drinking game: Take a shot every time he says Rotterdam. Also, have a mate with you to call the ambulance.

I love my city, it may not be perfect, it definitely is iconic

When the metro line to Hoek van Holland was still an normal railway, it used to facilitate international trains which where a connection for the ferry boat to Harwich in England. These international trains had coaches that went s4s Moscow.

I biked from Den Haag to The Hook of Holland once -- gorgeous ride along the oceanfront.

Haha so many comments in less then 10 minutes in a bike/infra video Great great channel!

In Rotterdam, there is something called "amfibiebus". It means amphibian bus. It can travel in the water and on the road.

Some places that might be interesting from a infrastructure standpoint: - Maastunnel escalators - The way to the Willemsbrug has nice ramps with minimal intersections with cars - The hofpleinvijver and coolsingel. You'll be waiting for the lights forever. It's insane they haven't made the coolsingel car free. - The entire nieuwe Binnenweg, part of it has now been closed from one side which makes it way better. But used to be really busy with cars and lots of double parking. The tram tracks are also not always in the best place I think. - Zwart Jan straat. There are multiple streets like this in Rotterdam where people just drive around in cars. But for some places it's only during weekends and in the evening. Like the witte de withstraat and the meent.

One of the most fascinating things about city design in the Netherlands is the visibility design. If you go to any neighborhood build in the 90's or later, and look for a hiding spot, you will not find a good one. This prevents all sorts of crime such as drug dealing, mugging, stalking, doing your business in a public area etc. There are countless ways city planners ensure this: closing rarely used tunnels; Bushes are kept too low to hide behind, to densely too get into, or have a fence inside them; digging small waterways between the road and a place you're not allowed to be; alleyways have either streetlights to keep them light, or are closed at one end to prevent it from being used as a shortcut. It is basically impossible to find a public space that is not directly in the line of sight of a building or a busy road.