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Some Discoveries About Equity in the Netherlands

Today I learned a few interesting things about disability and race equity in the Netherlands. Racism definitely exists here. Can't say I'm the least bit surprised, considering most of the people I have seen here have been white; well over 75%. I'm sure if I dug into the history and current political climate here, I'd find plenty of context. I also learned a bit about building public transportation with people in wheelchairs and mobility limitations in mind.

Racism in the Netherlands

Man who has lived in the Netherlands since he was four years old: "If a person from say, Morocco applies for the same job as say, someone who looks like you or as a Dutch person, that company will definitely hire the Dutch person over the immigrant any day."

Me: "Do you not have a national law similar to the Civil Rights Act here which makes discrimination like that illegal?"

Him: "We do, but it is impossible to enforce. Nobody enforces it. They will find an excuse about the interview itself like, oh, well we simply liked what the Dutch person said better in response to this question or something."

So, #BlackLivesMatter is relevant here, too. There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. Even in one of the most socialist counties in the world with the lowest rates of poverty, racism and nationalism are still deep-rooted issues.

Flags flying yesterday during Amsteram's Pride Festival.

Planning Public Transit for People with Disabilities

A  Mobility Planner with the City of Utrecht named Ron gave us a lecture today about all things transportation. One topic we got stuck on was the difference between pre-1980s light rail cars and newer cars. Before the 1990s, light rail cars were high-floor cars. In the 1990s, low-floor cars were invented and the technology became affordable and accessible to the average city.


High-floor light rail cars have an axle between the two wheels underneath the carriage. The floor of the carriage sits above the wheels. Because people with certain disabilities cannot step up onto a bus, most buses and light rail cars are designed with platforms that are flush with the floor of their carriages. Hence, high-floor cars require tall platforms with long ramps for people to get on board. They use tons of space and cost more to construct since these longer ramps use more physical space and more construction materials.

Low-floor light rail cars, on the other hand, use new technology that eliminates the need for an axle between the wheels; wheels are controlled independently. This allows the carriage to sit closer to the ground and the floor of the carriage to be situated between the wheels (see the diagram above).

These lower platforms also make it easier for people to cross to another track since stairs aren't needed to go up and over the taller platforms. Stations can be designed without multiple levels and people can walk or roll over tracks in designated areas instead if they need to cross them.

My classmate Connor is shown here standing next to a low-floor bus in Utrecht, Netherlands.

In sum, platforms for low-floor cars are shorter, they don't need stairs, and they don't restrict access when a person needs to cross over the tracks. They are thus much more wheelchair accessible than high-floor light rail cars and shorten distances between platforms. The City of Utrecht is working to phase-out their high-floor light rail cars, and at least one of their major light rail lines will switch to low-floor cars in summer 2020.

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