This Dutch first-person video shows the bike-clustered madness of rush hour

If bike-sharing programs are the way of the commuting future (and the physical and environmental benefits suggest they should be) we'd better get used to navigating bike traffic jams.

On Thursday, one Dutch commuter in Utrecht uploaded his daily commute to give the rest of the working world a taste of what it's like to join several thousand bicyclists to and from work.

The entire video is over 16 minutes long, so we pulled the most unnerving — and thrilling — moments.

Like this one, where the guy is pedaling fast down an empty stretch of road only to be suddenly cut off by another commuter.

Hand signals are a must. Otherwise, the whole pack could end up on the asphalt.

Luckily, a few minutes later our intrepid cyclist is back on the open road, free to pedal at full speed.

In the evening, rush hour takes over again. (Notice the swarm of bikes all around.)

 

And low-speed collisions are just one wrong turn of the handlebars away.

It's not all bad. Like any commute home, breezy stretches of uninterrupted cruising offer a needed break from the mass of people.

In a number of European cities, bikes are the default mode of transportation.

In Copenhagen, for instance, more than half the city commutes by bike, including members of parliament.

To many Danes, the act of riding a bike symbolizes the freedom to travel independently. They can go where they choose without worrying if there will be roads paved for them, and they can rest assured they are getting exercise without polluting the air.

Others simply want to save money on gas or bus fares, the only cost being a few minor panic attacks on the way to the office.