My wife and I were in Amsterdam a few weeks ago for a music festival and we were blown away by how easy it was to get around on a bike. I don't have much to add to what's in the article just to say that I was shocked by how comfortable riding a bike in Amsterdam is. I live in Austin, TX and would never in a million years ride to work here. There is so little infrastructure to make regular bicycle riding less risky.
Amsterdam is one of the worst cities to bike in (on a Dutch scale). It only get's better in other cities!
It wasn’t always this way. There’s an interesting clip from a documentary in 1972 about the neighborhood De Pijp in Amsterdam, when it was still very much a car-centric city. At the time children in the area protested how dangerous the streets had become and how they lacked safe areas to play. https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/amsterdam-chil... Compared to the situation now, it’s vastly improved. Fortunat…
> It wasn’t always this way.
I'm curious how you though the article failed to cover this issue? In fact, that's the first example that the article covers, that car-centric planning in Rotterdam post-WWII was changed to be bike-friendly in the 1970s.
Did the article get rewritten after you commented?
the bike alone doesn’t replace the private automobile, and neither does public transit, but when you combine the two, that’s when the magic happens. Then the car becomes redundant in cities. I love the picture of a guy moving a bed on an oversized and strange (to my eyes) three wheeler.
'Bakfiets'. Bike with a 'bak', which would be a container? They are mostly rentals. I think IKEA rents out bakfietsen too.
The one 'bakfiets' in the picture may be a rental, but I know a lot of people owning one. All my friends and myself included own one. When I bring the kids to school in the 'bakfiets'. There is a 'bakfiets' traffic jam. It's also great for groceries and going to the beach!
the bike alone doesn’t replace the private automobile, and neither does public transit, but when you combine the two, that’s when the magic happens. Then the car becomes redundant in cities. I love the picture of a guy moving a bed on an oversized and strange (to my eyes) three wheeler.
'Bakfiets'. Bike with a 'bak', which would be a container? They are mostly rentals. I think IKEA rents out bakfietsen too.
Thanks.
I am reading articles like this to further my diabolical plot to make my little corner of America more people-friendly, in spite of how unpopular such goals seem to be with so many Americans (which is why I am jokingly calling it a diabolical plot). So actual info is good.
>"One thing though is that our geography works well with biking." And the topography doesn't hurt - its flat as a pancake. Also isn't it possible to basically ride between every city in the Netherlands? I once biked from Rotterdam to Den Hague using only bike paths and protected bike lanes. I got the impression that I could continue riding to Amsterdam in the same fashion if wanted to.
> I got the impression that I could continue riding to Amsterdam in the same fashion if wanted to. You definitely could. A couple of years ago I've actually done a trip like that, Rotterdam to The Hague to Amsterdam (then onwards to Amersfoort) — it was about 150 km long, and all of that was on designated bike paths and lanes.
That sounds like a nice trip. Yeah the bike paths between Rotterdam and Delft were particularly memorable, you were basically biking through open farm land following a canal. It was like riding through a postcard. Cheers.
It isn't all fun and games. I had to ride the bike to school for 5 years. Over in the neighbouring city. A 45 minute ride. Alone. Through wind, rain, wind and wind. And rain. That's also part of the culture, because it's safe and ok to send kids, 12 years old, on their own, in the dark over unlit forest roads. Through the wind. Also wind. Saves on bus fare. Which is also typically Dutch. I don't own a bike any more.
My kids ride their bikes to school. During the winter we install studded tires. And yes, it saves on bus fare. Plus, they can get up a few minutes later in the morning and still be on time at school -- what an incentive.
By having flat roads and the fact that bikes are cheaper than cars? I honestly don't think one needs to do much to create a biking culture. Maybe some investment and biking lanes separated from roads are needed.
Adding bike lanes to existing infrastructure may not be as simple as it seams. Then there's culture. Kids in The Netherlands learn to ride bicycles when really small. My son is 5, cycling to and from school. My daughter is 2 years old, cycling around the house. That's important for a life long appreciation of the clean, cheap and healthy bike.
It wasn’t always this way. There’s an interesting clip from a documentary in 1972 about the neighborhood De Pijp in Amsterdam, when it was still very much a car-centric city. At the time children in the area protested how dangerous the streets had become and how they lacked safe areas to play. https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/amsterdam-chil... Compared to the situation now, it’s vastly improved. Fortunat…
> It wasn’t always this way. I'm curious how you though the article failed to cover this issue? In fact, that's the first example that the article covers, that car-centric planning in Rotterdam post-WWII was changed to be bike-friendly in the 1970s. Did the article get rewritten after you commented?
My wife and I were in Amsterdam a few weeks ago for a music festival and we were blown away by how easy it was to get around on a bike. I don't have much to add to what's in the article just to say that I was shocked by how comfortable riding a bike in Amsterdam is. I live in Austin, TX and would never in a million years ride to work here. There is so little infrastructure to make regular bicycle riding less risky.
Amsterdam is one of the worst cities to bike in (on a Dutch scale). It only get's better in other cities!
I didn’t know that, I’ve only been to Amsterdam, what is different in other cities?
As a Dutch person I am pleasantly surprised by this article, it gets basically everything right. One thing though is that our geography works well with biking. I visited the US recently and you can drive for 30 minutes in a car and you are still in LA, if you drive for 30 minutes in the Netherlands you're in a completely different city. Everything is just closer and hence more bike-able. As a dutch person I would abs…
Very select cities are pretty good for biking. Boulder CO, for instance is pretty great b/c most people there bike. But yeah for a lot of places it's a nightmare. Also our metro areas tend to spread out quite a bit, so to get from one area to another typically involves biking >5 miles.
Portland, Oregon is another great example. It has the best biking infra I've seen in the US mixed with a driving culture that, for the most part, actually affords priority consideration to pedestrians and bikers. While not perfect, a lot of best practices can and probably should be derived from what Portland has done to improve bike infra.