I Visited the Traffic Police School in Apeldoorn
There are those who don't seem to believe that someone who is no longer young can still cycle from Jakarta to Amsterdam.
This article has been translated using AI. See Original .
About AI Translated Article
Please note that this article was automatically translated using Microsoft Azure AI, Open AI, and Google Translation AI. We cannot ensure that the entire content is translated accurately. If you spot any errors or inconsistencies, contact us at hotline@kompas.id, and we'll make every effort to address them. Thank you for your understanding.
Royke headed to the city of Apeldoorn from Amsterdam.
The city of Apeldoorn in The Netherlands is very popular among members of the traffic police in Indonesia . There is a very famous traffic police school. Some Indonesian traffic police officers also studied at this school for 10 classes.
The story about the Traffic Police School in Apeldoorn seems to never end. The tale has been echoing from year to year until now. Even from there arose the idea of establishing a Traffic Police School in Serpong, South Tangerang.
The name Apeldoorn always echoes in the minds of traffic police officers, including myself. A sense of curiosity has arisen over the years about the city and its schools, and it has only been answered now by visiting directly through cycling.
Upon returning from cycling to Volendam, a fishing village next to northeast Amsterdam, on Monday, February 5, 2024, we chose to stay in the Bullewijk area of Amsterdam city. There, we found an accommodation called Hotel Joy, with a rate of only 70 euros per night.
This rate is considered cheap for Amsterdam, because the hotel is clean, good, with free parking and breakfast available. The distance to the city's train station is also close. Other hotels that are equivalent in price are at least 100 euros, but do not offer free parking.
On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, I chose to stay in the city of Amsterdam. That afternoon, I took a bike ride, but only to look for food, namely at the Barokah Restaurant.
After 11:00, I started biking from Hotel Joy. Passing through several intersections and canals towards Restoran Barokah. The air temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius. The air was clean and the sky looked clear.
I continued pedaling forward. However, the pace was measured as I enjoyed the beauty and friendly atmosphere of Amsterdam, which is very accommodating towards cyclists and pedestrians. It only took about 35 minutes for me to arrive at Barokah Restaurant.
After finishing my meal, I chose a different route to return to Hotel Joy. The distance between both locations is only 12 kilometers. However, during my afternoon bike ride, I intentionally took detours to several points, so the total journey reached 27.2 kilometers.
CYCLING TO SAVE THE EARTH ROYKE LUMOWA
Answered curiously
The following day, Wednesday, February 7, 2024, perhaps also became a historic day for me. That day, for the first time, I visited Apeldoorn, located east of Amsterdam. I wanted to satisfy the curiosity that had been lingering in my heart for years.
The morning atmosphere was somewhat cold, as the air temperature was only 2 degrees Celsius. However, that did not dampen my spirit and intention to cycle to the city which is the oldest traffic police education center in the world.
In the past, traffic police officers in Indonesia were required to undergo education at the traffic school in Apeldoorn. After completing their education, they became teachers or instructors at the Police Traffic Education Center of Polri in Serpong, South Tangerang, for two years.
Every time they teach, they never forget to tell stories about the traffic police school in Apeldoorn. That's why I am always incredibly curious.
There are 10 generations who have received education at the Politie Verkeer Instituut (PVI) Apeldoorn. After that, the Indonesian National Police focused on improving the Traffic Police Education Center, including for officers, so the sending of education to Apeldoorn was discontinued. The idea of developing education for traffic police officers in Polri in Serpong came from Irjen (Ret.) Sonny Harsono. Therefore, the cycling trip to Apeldoorn is dedicated to Pak Sonny Harsono.
A Google search result showed that the distance from Hotel Joy to Apeldoorn is 85.41 kilometers. Quite far. That's why around 8:30 AM, I began cycling.
The route of the journey turned out to be not as flat as towards Den Haag or Volendam. The path was rather steep, passing through several hills. It was quite tiring and a bit surprising. It is understandable that after entering the western part of Europe, my cycling no longer faced any uphill challenges.
The Police Academy in the city of Apeldoorn. Decades ago, this school became a place of education for a number of Indonesian police officers to become traffic police officers.
East direction
From Amsterdam, I headed east, passing through a number of large and extensive parks. Let's call them Nelson Mandela Park, Baras Park, and De Riethoek Park. These parks are so vast that bicycles are allowed to enter and play inside. I also passed Gaasperplas Lake and several beautiful parks surrounding it.
Interestingly, only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to pass through the existing parks. This makes residents truly enjoy the natural surroundings and its beauty.
During this journey, I passed through several small towns, namely Weesp, Bussum, Hilversum, Baam, Bunschoten, Ninjkerk, Voorthouzen, Garderen, and Niew Milligen. These towns are equivalent to sub-districts in Indonesia. However, their cleanliness and tidiness are no less than those of bigger cities in the Netherlands.
Inter-city transportation always involves trains. Bicycle parking spaces are available at all train stations. Workers, students, and university students from those cities can park their bicycles at the station and then take the train to their destination city.
In transportation terminology, this is called Park and Ride. A bicycle transportation mode that connects to trains or buses. The government provides adequate, safe, and comfortable parking facilities. This is one of the strategies to reduce private vehicles on the road in order to alleviate traffic congestion.
Therefore, the community is encouraged and stimulated to use public transportation. Facilities must be provided by the government. Along the way, there are also quite a few soccer fields scattered in several areas. I often come across these soccer fields while cycling in Germany and the Netherlands. It's no wonder that these countries have produced many great soccer players in the world.
Approaching Alepdoorn City, there are still hills with a gradient of nearly four degrees. I arrived in the evening. The total cycling altitude that day reached 203 meters.
After taking a short break at the hotel, I then tried to search via Google for Indonesian restaurants in this city. It turns out there is one. Its name is Restoran Mas Surabaya.
Its location is not too far from our accommodation. We immediately went there. There were quite a lot of menus offered. The taste is no less delicious compared to other Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands. I ordered mixed rice for 14 euros.
Finally achieved it
The next day, Wednesday, February 8th, 2024, I cycled from Apeldoorn to Utrecht, heading westward. This city is located south of Amsterdam, with a distance of 71.22 km. The temperature continued to drop, reaching minus 2 degrees Celsius. I decided to leave at 9:00am.
That morning, I first cycled to the police school which is now called Politie Academie. The distance is only two kilometers from the inn.
On this campus, visitors can enter freely but only up to the main building. Can't get inside. In the courtyard of the main building I greeted a mother. It turns out he is a lecturer at the academy.
I introduced myself as a retired police officer. I also shared that many of my teachers at the Indonesian Traffic Police School had studied at the Politie Verkeer Instituut (PVI) in Apeldoorn. My mother was also very enthusiastic.
Royke met and talked about his journey with police officers who were studying at the Apeldoorn Police Academy.
Not long after, I also met with several cadets. They asked about who I was and my journey in Europe. I briefly explained about the bike journey I have been undertaking since July 8th, 2023 from Jakarta. One of the main missions is to encourage people worldwide to save the earth through environmentally friendly activities, one of which is cycling wherever we go.
Hearing the story of my journey that passed through thousands of kilometers, they were impressed. Some were incredulous that there was someone who was not young anymore but still able to cycle from Jakarta to Amsterdam, facing cold weather and thick snow.
We finally took a photo together in front of the campus. I was truly satisfied and happy, finally setting foot in the prideful school of traffic police officers. Even cooler, I came to this prestigious school with a high reputation by cycling.
After that, I continued cycling towards Utrecht. I arrived in the city, located south of Amsterdam, in the late afternoon.
