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Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

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Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#31

Post by makeitsuckless »

I'm glad someone finally notices that cycling paths aren't everywhere in the Netherlands, and that a lot of our streets have to juggle cars, cyclists, pedestrians and trams in less space the US uses just for cars.

IMO, the main problem to changing traffic behavior in the US is the utter lack of respect for other types of traffic, enforced not just by culture but by law.

It's so weird to me that in a country where the majority supports "responsible gun ownership" people are perfectly okay with the notion that when driving a big hunk of metal you don't have any kind of responsibility not to hit cyclists or pedestrians.

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#32

Post by ulikunkel »

fit2rule wrote: post #29
D_Alex wrote: post #26

I don't know about Vancouver, but here in Australia you must wear a bike helmet when riding a bike. That stops many people riding bikes (please do not argue about this, it has been done to death), and unfortunately has - probably - had the unintended effect of worsening public health. The pictures from the article show not a single person wearing a helmet... there is a lesson here I'd like the Australian regulaors to…

The lesson is, people are less prone to want to wear a helmet in Australia because its very hot and you get quite sweaty. Whereas in Amsterdam, people want to leave their heads free because its mostly pretty cold, and you want to wear a proper head covering - like a beany or scarf - and this isn't always compatible with bike helments. However, I've observed many times over people wearing helmets in Amsterdam. Its not…

Nobody in Amsterdam wears a helmet while biking. The one exception might be sports cyclist who ride at high speeds. They usually won't show up in the inner city tough.

Biking in Amsterdam is pretty safe. But this is mostly because of the infrastructure, and more importantly because dutch drivers are used to cyclers on the roads. Most bike accidents in Amsterdam are caused by foreign drivers that are not used to looking out for bikes. I imagine this the number one reason biking is less safe in American cities.

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#33

Post by digi_owl »

D_Alex wrote: post #26

I don't know about Vancouver, but here in Australia you must wear a bike helmet when riding a bike. That stops many people riding bikes (please do not argue about this, it has been done to death), and unfortunately has - probably - had the unintended effect of worsening public health. The pictures from the article show not a single person wearing a helmet... there is a lesson here I'd like the Australian regulaors to…

I sometimes wonder if the issue with helmets is their looks.

A quick bike helmet image search produce a multitude of helmets that looks aimed at either high speed or off-road riding.

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#34

Post by bstrand »

fit2rule wrote: post #29
D_Alex wrote: post #26

I don't know about Vancouver, but here in Australia you must wear a bike helmet when riding a bike. That stops many people riding bikes (please do not argue about this, it has been done to death), and unfortunately has - probably - had the unintended effect of worsening public health. The pictures from the article show not a single person wearing a helmet... there is a lesson here I'd like the Australian regulaors to…

The lesson is, people are less prone to want to wear a helmet in Australia because its very hot and you get quite sweaty. Whereas in Amsterdam, people want to leave their heads free because its mostly pretty cold, and you want to wear a proper head covering - like a beany or scarf - and this isn't always compatible with bike helments. However, I've observed many times over people wearing helmets in Amsterdam. Its not…

It most certainly is a generalized circumstance that Dutch cyclists don't wear helmets. A 1998 study (1) found that 0.1% of them wore a helmet. Furthermore, search for "Amsterdam cyclist" images (2) and you'll find virtually no helmets and rather few of the head coverings you posit are the cause of reduced helmet usage.

1) https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/bikeuse_PB... 2) https://www.google.com/search?q=amsterdam+cyclist&espv=2&tbm...

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#35

Post by nomercy400 »

There is a move in the Netherlands to get old city centers free of cars. What you see in the first picture with cars everywhere is usually only for people living there and licensed goods trucks. Delft already has such a policy and some shopping areas can only be crossed by foot or by bike.

Just as not all roads have cycling lanes, not all roads are accessible to cyclists. It's usually only smaller streets with low speeds that encourage cyclists.

To be honest, Amsterdam is really cramped when it comes to traffic. It is an old city amended with all the new stuff like cycling lanes, bus stops and no space to unload cargo.

One point they are missing: The safest bike is the one that looks most worn down and has a lock more expensive than the bike. It should also be attached to a fixed object.

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#36

Post by plq »

My opinion based purely on anectodal evidence says the essential reason why bikes are highly preferred by the people of Amsterdam is that it is mostly a flat city. Compare this to Istanbul, where even seemingly trivial journeys have 100m climbs in it.

Example for a popular home to work commute: http://cycleroute.org/?slat=41.061029&slng=29.00681199999996...

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#38

Post by yiyus »

wila wrote: post #27
205guy wrote: post #20

I'm glad this article is looking at many factors that are involved in making cities cyclable and walkable. But it seems it is missing one huge factor: the average size of vehicles in the US. It works in Europe because city cars and delivery vans are small (as illustrated in the photos). Of course this is also because of the design and growth of the city predating motor vehicles. In the US, the sunk cost in oversized…

Nah, US sized cars are being driven down here in the Netherlands and it is not a problem at all.

Because there are only a few of them. If every car in Amsterdam was US sized, it would be really difficult to move around. Even if only all the delivery trucks were US sized, it would already be a huge mess.

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#39

Post by dirktheman »

As a dutchman visiting New York City a couple years back, naturally I rented a bike. A couple of random observations:

- NYC in theory is ideal for traversing by bicycle. Congested yet flat, much like (old) Amsterdam

- It's not so much the lack of bike lanes in the city, it's more the ignorance of drivers that poses a threat. I can't tell you how many times I was cut off, simply because the driver didn't see me or didn't expect a cyclist.

- On the other hand, fellow cyclists were behaving like mad men. I can totally see why people are having issues with cyclists. Running red lights, taking sidewalks, zooming in front of cars, that doesn't get you a lot of understanding.

- Cycling in Central Park is somewhat annoying: joggers use the bike lane because they're faster than normal pedestrians. I've been given a stink eye more than once because I wanted to overtake a jogger. How dare I use a bicycle on a bike lane...

- The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway is fantastic! Except for the parts where it suddenly stops and you're forced to cycle through heavy traffic to get around the UN building (taking 1st or 2nd Avenue). I get that this is an ongoing project, but can they at least alert drivers that they're sharing the road with cyclists at that point?

- I did wear a bike helmet while cycling in NYC, but I wouldn't think of it at home. Cycling is relatively safe here because of the minimal speed difference when you share the road. This is backed up by numbers: there are currently 19 million bicycles and 8 million cars on 16 million inhabitants. About 25% of all movements is made by bicycle. Last year, 212 people died in a car crash, and 112 people died in bicycle accidents. The vast majority in these cases were one-sided accidents by elderly people. In perspective: only 2 children died in bike accidents.

Re: Cycling Lessons Learned from Amsterdam

#40

Post by victorhooi »

D_Alex wrote: post #26

I don't know about Vancouver, but here in Australia you must wear a bike helmet when riding a bike. That stops many people riding bikes (please do not argue about this, it has been done to death), and unfortunately has - probably - had the unintended effect of worsening public health. The pictures from the article show not a single person wearing a helmet... there is a lesson here I'd like the Australian regulaors to…

I also live in Australia, and am an avid cyclist - I ride to work every day, and I'm sorry but no, I strongly disagree.

There is nothing wrong with wearing a helmet - I've come off my bike before and its made a potentially very bad situation painful rather than life-threatening - and really look, on the list of worries of cyclist, having to wear a helmet is the least of our worries.

(The law about "not riding on a footpath" is probably more annoying - occasionally, you need to, when its the only safe option).

However, what is an issue in Australia with cyclist is attitude particularly with car drivers. Until that changes, it will always discourage potential cyclists.

Whether it's cars who will literally chase you down and scream about how they "deserve to be on the road and you don't", or people who open doors into the bike lane without checking for cyclist etc.

Ironically, I find it actually tends to be the lower socio-economic areas that find the concept of cycling most puzzling.

In the more expensive areas, cycling seems to be more of a thing - sadly, road cycling is a rich man's hobby here - when you have groups of Cervelo and Bianchi's out on weekends, those people often tend to be a bit more considerate when you're on the road yourself during the week.

I do wish cycling was more mainstream, or at least car drivers better educated - but I don't think that removing helmets is the way to do that.

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