- 1 week ago
The Netherlands' Utrecht beat Copenhagen at its own game — becoming a biking and mobility paradise. Plus: the Vietnamese woman supporting her family as an e-hailing driver.
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00:08Bicycles are on the rise worldwide.
00:10More and more people are using bikes as a practical, healthy and eco-friendly mode of transport.
00:17Major cities around the world are investing in cycling infrastructure
00:21and activists in Nairobi, Bogota, London, Paris, Barcelona and Berlin are calling for more space for bikes.
00:28Amsterdam and Copenhagen are also major cycling cities, but did you know that Utrecht is number one?
00:37Also on May, a female e-hailing driver in Hanoi,
00:42exploited Vietnamese apprentices in Germany and Japan's extreme heat and ways to stay cool.
00:59This highway filmed in 1993 now looks like this.
01:04This was part of Utrecht City's transformation from car-centric to bike and people-friendly.
01:10And this switch happened because of something that's really familiar.
01:15This means that for the first time since the war, a young generation will experience rationing and scarcity.
01:21Here in Europe, measures are being introduced to control the soaring cost of fuel.
01:26As history repeats itself, I'm here to steal the cheat codes from the city that beat all other cities at
01:31reimagining itself.
01:35I'm going to get myself a bike.
01:39This is the bike parking garage under Utrecht Central Station.
01:43Oh, and it's the biggest bike parking garage in the world.
01:47There's enough space for a tenth of the city's population to park in the garages around here.
01:52And it's mostly free to park here for 24 hours.
01:56It's part of a grand plan that has helped Utrecht, a city 35 kilometers from the Dutch capital of Amsterdam,
02:02to become the world's best city for bikes.
02:05The ranking is called the Copenhagen Ice Index, and this city sent Copenhagen into second place at the end of
02:10last year.
02:13The plan has been grand, especially the part where this canal we're walking by was brought back to life
02:18after being a massive motorway for decades.
02:21If we would have been here 20 years ago, we were probably breathing a lot of disgusting gases from the
02:29cars.
02:30We were probably just in the middle of the highway, getting hit by a car.
02:36We probably could not have heard each other.
02:39Yeah, so that's a completely different atmosphere.
02:44Around the canal, apart from the ducks, you now mainly see people relaxing and on foot
02:50because the city's government took a few clear steps.
02:53First of all, the biking infrastructure, streets and so forth.
02:57In the early 70s, Utrecht started installing a whole cycling network.
03:01This tiny city of 99 square kilometers has more than 420 kilometers of connected bike lanes.
03:07Second is also parking facilities for bikes, it's very important.
03:12And the third one is shared biking systems.
03:15You can pick up a bike outside any station with the same car you used for the train.
03:20It costs less than a one-day bus ticket.
03:23And with new shared services, you can leave these bikes anywhere.
03:26Fourth, that goes hand in hand, is also the discouraging of the use of cars.
03:32And then you can think about streets that are completely changed into bicycle streets
03:36that give priority to cyclists.
03:38And we say that the cars are guests in the street.
03:42And I have to say, they also don't feel totally welcome anymore.
03:50This street in the city center once looked like this.
03:55And this is what it looks like today.
03:59And this one around the corner now has wide sidewalks and no entry for cars anymore.
04:09If you go out on the streets at 8am on a Monday morning, there are waves and waves of bikes.
04:15Going to school, to work, having a chat on the way, falling in love.
04:2533,000 people cross this road on their bikes every day.
04:28I got myself one.
04:30And now my cameraman is going to go in there.
04:33Well, let's see.
04:39Routes include lanes where you can ride for kilometers without putting your foot down.
04:43It's called the green wave.
04:46There are sensors at intersections that not only figure out that you are coming,
04:50but even that families or groups of people are passing through together.
04:53So they stay green the whole time.
04:57Barriers like this make sure that only bikes get on here,
04:59so you can feel safe on the bike.
05:01And though car ownership in the Netherlands compares to pretty much any other western country,
05:0749% of trips in the city are taken by bike,
05:10which is so much higher than even Copenhagen, around 29%.
05:13The global average is 3%.
05:16Car drivers did protest, and the local government tried to find a balance.
05:20Some roads remained open to cars, but with strict speed limits and few parking options.
05:25At the same time, the city added park and ride facilities,
05:29improved public transport and prioritized cyclists.
05:32By 1995, car traffic had voluntarily fallen by one-third, while bike use had gone up by a third.
05:39The city made changes gradually, testing new lanes and rules,
05:42removing ideas that made roads less safe.
05:45And the resistance from car owners became minimal over time.
05:48And so the city centre looks like this now.
05:52Air pollution is down, accident deaths are significantly reduced,
05:56noise pollution isn't even a concept, except for the squawking seagulls.
06:01And mostly businesses have also seen more profit than when people could drive their cars into town.
06:13I rode on a cycle path built over a school.
06:19With biking advocate Chris Brantlett, who works with other global cities to join the Utrecht model.
06:26This wasn't always a cycling paradise, it wasn't always destined to be a cycling paradise.
06:30It's actually, you know, the product of very specific political struggle and policy objectives
06:37that they set in the 1970s after 30 or 40 years of really car-centric development.
06:43So we have two crises that come to a head in and around the same time.
06:47A road safety crisis that was killing thousands and thousands of Netherlanders.
06:52A oil crisis that came to a head in 1973, where the Netherlands was subject to an oil embargo.
06:58And in response to that, the people take to the streets, they protest,
07:03they demand something different from their elected officials.
07:07The Netherlands undeniably has many near-perfect conditions.
07:11One is the popularity of a centre-left local party that has mostly remained in power in Utrecht since the
07:1670s.
07:16Its cities are small, mostly flat.
07:18It has temperate rain and no tropical heat.
07:21Crucially, it isn't a classic car manufacturer.
07:24Contrary to countries like Germany, the US, China or India.
07:28We've seen in countries like Germany, where the car manufacturers have actively lobbied against lower speed limits
07:36or improved cycling infrastructure.
07:39But this car-centric style of urban planning is actually terrible, even for the economy.
07:45One study found that every kilometre driven by a car costs society 13 cents on average.
07:50Every kilometre cycled adds around 17 cents.
07:53This includes the impact of reduced air pollution, infrastructure operation and maintenance, and health.
08:01For example, one OECD study estimates the public healthcare system in the Netherlands sees economic benefits of 19 billion euros
08:09per year
08:10because of people cycling.
08:12That's 3% of the GDP.
08:16For its part, Utrecht overcame the backlash it faced by still giving car drivers the option to drive around the
08:22city.
08:22But gave people, including car owners, better options to get into the city.
08:27And it worked.
08:33The capital of Vietnam is anything but a bike-friendly city.
08:37In Hanoi, nearly 7 million motorcycles spew exhaust fumes into the air breathed by the city's 8 million inhabitants.
08:44The government is relying on phased bans.
08:47But people who need a cab for their daily commute often take a motorcycle taxi.
08:51And it's a money-making opportunity for a few enterprising women.
09:19It's a money-making opportunity for a few enterprising women.
09:27Well, in the Utrecht-Ban, yes, it's a money-making opportunity for a bus.
09:36So people can call you for the bus, because we have a bus and delivery.
09:47This is a business to teach you kids in the city.
09:49They drive a bus.
09:50They drive a bus, restaurants.
09:50There are jobs for a bus and their-ing.
09:51So people call you.
09:59My name is Nội Thị Mây. She is working on technology. She lives in Hà Nội, Việt Nam.
10:06My home is in Thái Bình.
10:12My husband and my husband are two children.
10:16She went to work for the children.
10:22She went to work for the children.
10:25My husband and her children were not able to learn.
10:29My husband and my husband were weak.
10:37She was not able to do anything.
10:39She went to work for a couple of hours.
10:52She went to work for a couple of hours.
10:56If she went to work for a couple of hours, she would help her to buy the children.
11:00My life is difficult.
11:03It's dark.
11:05My husband started driving from 2023.
11:09I have a woman's household.
11:13I have a woman.
11:14I have a woman.
11:14My husband is not enough.
11:18I am free to buy her.
11:24My husband is free to buy the children.
11:25My husband also loves her.
11:27My husband is free to buy her.
11:37My husband is free to buy her.
11:49When I was driving this car, my son helped me and helped me, just told me about the app.
12:00I'm going to go to the app, and I'm going to go to the app.
12:30toán cho mình là hoàn tiền theo cước đấy luôn chứ không phải tính toán gì không phải trả giá
12:36thế
12:36thì thu nhập thì nó cũng ổn định là giá ở trên cước là bao nhiêu thì mình thanh toán
12:43ở trên
12:44app luôn mình không phải trả giá mà không phải trả giò Ừ vì cô phụ nữ thì cô không
12:50chạy đêm
12:52mà cô chở một khách này người ta không hô lỗ với cô hoặc là khi lên xe thì người
12:59ta lại thở cho với cô
13:05người ta cũng có lập một nhóm Facebook nữ chẳng hạn người ta có giao lưu với nhau có cái
13:13gì không
13:14phải thì chia sẻ cho nhau trong trường hợp thế thì các bạn bảo cô là bình tĩnh và cứ
13:23xử lý theo cách
13:25của mình mình ngồi xe và im lặng thôi và chở khách đi đến nơi hoàn chuyến là được
13:35nếu như mà cô gặp khó khăn quá thì là cô cũng phải điện trên app để người ta hủy
13:41cho mình
13:42chứ cô không mình không tự hủy được em hủy thì khách cho đánh giá ừ ừ ừ ừ
13:54ừ ừ à à à à à à à ừ ừ cô đi trên đường thì lái xe này không
14:03thể nói được cái điều gì trước tất nhiên
14:05là con có lúc mà xảy ra trên thì cũng phải là cũng gặp tai nạn nhiều khi cô còn
14:12ngã thăm cả người
14:13xong mà chở xe cầm cành xuống dốc chẳng hạn thì bị đổ nhưng mà cũng được mọi người giúp
14:21đỡ và hỗ
14:22trợ nâng cô dậy và ra dựng xe cho cô và chẳng hàng lại cho cô
14:31trở thành tài xế này thì cô nghĩ là năm nay cô là 50 tuổi rồi kế hoạch của cô
14:37là hai mẹ con cô là muốn
14:42chạy thêm một hai năm nữa để cho em học thêm một cái nghề điện lạnh để em ra em
14:49mở một cái xưởng điện lạnh và
14:51là cô em thuê một cái nhà to hơn để cho gia đình khỏi vất vả khỏi chật trộn
15:07for many young people working as a motorcycle taxi driver in vietnam is too uncertain they want better
15:13prospects better living conditions and higher incomes they hope to achieve this through vocational training in
15:19germany companies specifically recruit young vietnamese people because they're considered
15:24hard-working disciplined and eager to learn but the placement process is fraught there's a real
15:30danger of getting fleeced by unscrupulous agencies these young vietnamese came to germany legally
15:38through recruitment agencies to find work but not all of them have had positive experiences
15:43I had to sleep in a cellar again it's too easy for the market to be manipulated too easy yet
15:52there are
15:52recruitment agencies that try to create fair conditions but how does it work this is the
15:57legal route recruitment agencies arrange vocational training placements visas and often
16:02accommodation as well hundreds advertise their services on tik-tok everything is shifted to
16:06facebook it's shifted to tick-tok it's shifted to chat groups so the recruitment is taking place
16:13online now they not only offer jobs but a better future beautiful homes good money and luxury cars
16:19people think everyone in germany drives a mercedes or a bmw in almost every interview I'm asked
16:25whether it's true no it isn't so once they arrive however many soon discover that germany's cold the
16:33food's unfamiliar the accommodation basic and not everyone drives a bmw that can be especially
16:38disappointing because getting to germany isn't easy anyone who wants to work in a care home for
16:43example first has to learn german in vietnam language courses alone can take up to a year and
16:48applicants have to pay for them themselves including language school the total costs comes to around
16:537,000 euros a fortune in vietnam recruitment agencies typically charge around 2,000 euros to place someone
17:01in a job in germany legally that fee should be paid by the future employer but many agencies collect the
17:06money from the young vietnamese applicants instead around 20,000 vietnamese are currently enrolled in
17:12vocational training in germany the largest group of international trainees they are vital to germany's
17:17labor market according to forecasts the country will be short of more than 700,000 skilled workers by
17:232027 the biggest shortages are expected in retail child care and social work but unreliable recruitment
17:30agencies in vietnam have left many trainers wary bang wants to become a nurse he came to germany three
17:39years ago at a cost of around 8,000 euros he lived in chemnitz and attended a vocational school in
17:44eastern
17:45germany but for his placement at the care home he repeatedly had to travel more than 600 kilometers to
17:50flensburg in the north there he says he spent weeks sleeping in a cellar
17:58it wasn't a proper apartment there were no windows the heating barely worked it was really hard
18:07for migration expert mimi vu bang's story is all too familiar where he's being put right now in the cellar
18:12that is
18:13that's um those are the accommodations i usually see for people who are being exploited for labor
18:18who are in modern slavery um who are actual victims of exploitation couldn't bang simply have found
18:25another placement he doesn't know anybody he doesn't speak german he is in debt he's stuck so he just has
18:34to keep figure out a way to keep going but that is where he is very vulnerable now because he's
18:39he can
18:40easily be exploited if he goes back to vietnam he's lost faith his money's gone and the agency
18:45responsible for his placement has disappeared bang eventually dropped out of his apprenticeship and is
18:50now trying to make a fresh start elsewhere took on the other hand has made a success of her move
18:55the 26
18:56year old is training to become a nurse she received intensive support from agency alma recruiting after
19:02arriving in stock just two months ago i love living here it's peaceful and the scenery
19:10is beautiful anytime i've had a lot of stress or need some quiet time i go over there she shares
19:19an
19:19apartment with three others so what does alma recruiting do differently the agency carefully
19:24matches trainees with employers right from the application stage but to be fair most of the
19:31students that we talked to didn't know anything about the job and why they really want to apply for
19:38it in the first place and i think it's mostly because they got told to do so um it's the
19:44best salary
19:44it's the best path it's easiest it's whatever we have to interview at least a hundred students in order
19:50to feel like to have a to feel like five of them are qualified right there's a one in twenty
19:57preparing
19:58applicants for the realities they'll face in germany that's what sets a reputable agency apart
20:04it's almost as if they're trying to convince them not to go to germany it's cold it's expensive when
20:11they arrive they take them to their accommodations they take them to um the employers they make sure
20:18they have bank accounts and registered for a mobile phone make sure they can call their contact
20:22their families back home and then they follow up and make sure that they are settling in
20:27um well not just at their jobs but also you know in their their daily life but alma recruiting also
20:35has to make money their recruitment fee is around 3000 euros paid by the employer first of all they
20:40have to understand that recruiting is not for free if you want to do it sustainably because it takes a
20:45lot to not only help qualify and find the right person but also to build the bridge and integrate them
20:51in order to for them to arrive in a way that they are not only prepared but also can stay
20:56and sustain
20:58and build a really good career took's working day starts early at the care home her trainer angela
21:03costa shows her the way you can see took needs practical experience she gets the theory at school
21:13but the practical training happens here that's how the two come together theory alone is difficult
21:19to apply especially for someone coming from abroad at the beginning it was very difficult for me
21:27i had to learn a lot before my first day here cultural differences can be just as tough as language
21:34barriers if you go to work in germany if you don't ask the question it means you understood it right
21:40if if you don't ask a question in vietnam it doesn't mean you'd understood it means that you're
21:44going to take it you go home and you study it so there's a huge misunderstanding in that and
21:51if you'd understood it then the expectation is that you can do everything fine took story shows
21:56how important close support is for a successful apprenticeship and how it can protect people
22:01from exploitation but as long as the system remains largely unregulated people like bang will continue
22:06to fall through the cracks europe is the continent warming the fastest due to climate change but even
22:18in japan which is traditionally hot heat waves are becoming increasingly intense and oppressive
22:25this has inspired a manufacturer to create some very special clothing the ventilation is built right
22:32in doesn't it look refreshing
22:37they require a little bit of assembly but once the fans are attached you're good to go
22:43these battery-powered vests called kuchifuku are designed to beat japan's brutal summer heat
22:50many visitors to the country are snapping them up nice yeah you can really feel that uh that cool
22:57breeze coming through that's great that's that's gold it's gotten my attention you know it's something
23:03that uh we don't have this at home you know and and you know the weather we get at home
23:07you could get
23:0835 degree days with absolute stinking hot still humidity of 70 80 percent what are you wearing this tokyo
23:15a store specializing in professional workwear says sales of kuchifuku have been so strong
23:19it now accounts for 70 of the business we have customers visiting us from all over the world throughout the
23:27year
23:28whilst sales do dip slightly in winter our climate control clothing sells well all year round
23:35the vests were originally designed for people in construction and other heavy-duty work but they're
23:41catching on quickly among mass market consumers the company behind the original design says it's opened
23:49up some unexpected tie-ups so uh we've been collaborating with uh fashion brands and uh we have like uh
23:58domestic
23:58brands uh brands uh in japan but uh we've been collaborating with uh international brands also
24:04and we have uh yeah so many types of uh kuchifuku nowadays and uh like for sports gear or like
24:13for any
24:14like even like very daily casual wear can be turned into kuchifuku demand is surging as temperatures
24:22climb record-breaking heat waves have prompted japan's meteorological agency to introduce
24:28a new category for blistering conditions it's called kokushobi or cool heat according to research
24:37from data interlo the global market for fan power clothing is expected to hit nearly eight billion
24:43dollars by 2034 up in just over three billion dollars last year but it's just part of a much larger
24:51segment of cooling devices in japan including portable fans neck coolers and other innovations
24:58like this spray if you'd like you can use this hand towel for example to make some ice
25:08you can use this to cool down retailers like this say their innovations have become less about comfort
25:16and more about necessity the number of days when temperatures exceed 35 degrees
25:24has risen significantly and it's now so hot that you really do risk collapsing if you don't take
25:31precautions against the heat during the day so these cooling products have also come a long way
25:38the business of staying cool it seems is just heating up
25:47that's it for today it made from utrecht the world's best cycling city to a motorbike taxi driver in hanoi
25:56to students who've been cheated in germany to refreshing jackets in japan till next time see you soon
26:05you
26:06you
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