Bikes Rule in Amsterdam

The Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular, is well know for its support of cycling as transportation. Almost half of the street traffic is bicycles, and there are routes and paths galore. Amsterdam is a traditional, dense city, making cycling and walking viable solutions to daily transportation needs to citizens and visitors. Of course, the public transportation system (trams, busses, ferries, metros!) is excellent, and accommodates bicycles for destination transportation needs.

Many of us know that Amsterdam is the bike commuting Mecca. But as the wonderful ski-epic website shows, it’s very different to experience that firsthand and take it all in. Brian, the site author and San Francisco resident, was cruising through Amsterdam at the tail end of a European motor cycle tour. He was so struck by the overwhelming presence of bicycles that he felt obliged to document the experience. What followed was 82 pictures taken in a 73-minute time span on a corner of Nieuw Markt (a square in Amsterdam).

As the site notes, there are “No Helmets. EVER.” Other oddities to an American viewer include the riders dressed in formal attire; the frequency of multiple passengers per bike; and the amount of utilitarian rigs outfitted with huge cargo-carrying capacity.

Folding, cruiser, retro, errand, taxi, commuter, circus-style, and racing bikes swirl through the square sharing the roads with automobiles in seeming harmony. The purpose of the rides is decidedly utilitarian: even the one spandex-clad racer-type is loaded up with a backpack. Women wearing dresses, carrying flowers, and talking on their cell phones is more typical.

The most remarkable quality that these photos display is the casualness the riders exhibit. I’m not advocating riding helmet-less, chatting on the phone in traffic, or front-loading helmetless small children into a work basket (!); but these people are clearly comfortable on their bikes. It’s a completely different attitude towards cycling and transportation in general, and the surrounding cars accommodate riders and share the roads. Definitely some good pointers for carectomy patients.

 

Photos courteousy of ski-epic website