August Commuter Spotlight: Double Dutch Commute
As “Dutchies,” biking is in Mardi Bijleveld and her husband, Wouter Huiting’s DNA. After the duo moved from the Netherlands to California so Wouter could attend Stanford as a postdoctoral scholar in molecular biology, Mardi eventually accepted a role as an administrative associate in the Department of Sociology. The Bay Area’s warm, sunny, and mostly dry conditions made bike commuting a must, so the couple set out to find a house no more than six miles from Stanford. After moving to Mountain View, all was going according to plan. The only hitch? Their son, Matias, was attending daycare in Menlo Park, and the 10-mile journey was a bit too far.
So, Mardi and Wouter got creative. For the past year and a half, Mardi bikes thirty minutes to campus in the morning while Wouter drives Matias to daycare before heading to work.
At lunch, Mardi bikes to Wouter’s office and trades him the bike for the car key. “We get to say hello in the middle of the workday, which is nice,” she said. At the end of the day, Mardi heads to the car parked in Via Ortega Garage, picks up Matias, and it’s Wouter's turn to bike home.
Occasionally, the couple swaps commutes, giving each other more flexibility if one person has to work late or run errands. And if something comes up and they both want to drive home together, their folding Tern bicycle fits in the trunk.
“It’s a beautiful ride to campus, and biking around Stanford couldn’t be more gorgeous,” said Mardi. “We get to stay healthy and bike in great weather,” added Wouter, adding how much he appreciates the convenient bike safety repair stands located around campus.
Soon their Double Dutch commute will become a Triple Dutch affair. Come fall, Matias will start attending the Stanford Arboretum Children’s Center. “We’re excited to all bike commute together,” said Mardi.
Little did Mardi and Wouter know that their Tern bicycle has a connection to Stanford. Joshua Hon ‘89 founded the urban mobility company. Joshua has generously donated Tern bikes to Stanford’s Pedal Together Challenge for the past two years. Operating under the title "Team Captain, " Joshua's focus has been on changing how people commute and encouraging a shift from cars to bicycles for everyday short trips to lower carbon footprints. He and his wife, Florence Shen, launched the brand in 2011 after leaving Dahon, the folding bike company founded by his father, Dr. David T. Hon.
