Netherlands to offer Slovakia advice on bicycle transport

The Netherlands wants to help Slovakia with the development of bicycle transport, with Dutch Ambassador to Slovakia Richard van Rijssen offering Dutch know-how to Minister of Transport, Construction and Regional Development Roman Brecely (Sieť nominee) at their meeting on Monday. "We're certainly interested in utilising the experience of the Netherlands not only as a country passing on to us the Presidency of the Council of the EU, but also as a state that has managed to integrate bicycle transport into the everyday lives of people and cities extremely well", said Brecely. The Netherlands represents a bicycle superpower, with more bicycles in the country than people. In some cities, up to 70 percent of passenger transport occurs on bicycles. The key in the development of this ecologically-friendly form of transportation is to involve also lower-level municipalities that need to actively support the concept besides Government ministries and institutions, said van Rijssen. "We're prepared to aid Slovakia with the development of this agenda at any time and share with all of you our experiences from this past six months and beyond", he claimed.