BikePortland reader Lanette Noble is in Amsterdam on a work trip. In between meetings (she’s a product manager for Nike) Lanette has been riding a bike around the city.
She just sent me an email with some thoughts and a few photos of her experiences.
Since Portland is so Amsterdam-crazy these days, and there’s no shortage of commentary from expert planners and advocates, I thought it’d be fun to share the perspective of just a regular cyclist.
Here are Lanette’s comments on bikes and transportation planning…
“For the Dutch the bicycle is the primary form of transportation. The majority of city and country streets have bike lanes either integrated as a lane of traffic or separated as a path next to the pedestrian lane. Most intersections have both bike and pedestrian signals with a count down feature for the cyclist to prepare to cross. Unlike many US city’s that integrate cycling into their transportation plan, Amsterdam seems to integrate their transportation plan around the cyclist.”
And on bikes and families…
“All ages and classes of Amsterdam residents use the bicycle for transportation. Parents will often ride with several children on the bike. Some ride in baskets and seats, others simply sit on the rear rack and hold on tight. In Dutch schools all children receive cycling lessons and are given a certificate upon completion. Once the children complete their bike certification, they begin to ride their own bike to school as well as around town with their parents.”
And on bike parking…
“Bike parking in Holland is much like car parking in the USA. Large bike parking structures are available at train stations and every street has large bike racks. When the racks are full, cyclists will park their bikes along the sidewalks, and line them up in the courtyard squares. Most people go by bike because of the 5+ year waiting list for a parking permit and it is generally faster.“
Serious bike parking.
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Bike congestion.
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And on interaction on bike-filled streets…
“On the smaller, bike only streets, cyclists zigzag through each other at intersections; cruising rather close to each other I thought, but I learned quickly that stopping disrupted the flow of it all and was more likely to cause a collision than the slow and go technique.”
And on the lack of hills…
“I was told that the Netherlands were flat, but I didn’t imagine it would be as flat as a game board. The only time the landscape inclines is when you cross a bridge otherwise you hardly have to pedal.”
Thanks for sharing your perspectives Lanette. Perhaps when you return you can get involved with the current Bicycle Master Plan update and share your thoughts with City bike planners.
If you head srtaight East from Amsterdam, you will find a bit of an incline 70 to 100 miles away, and if you get to Luxembourg, you may get the impression (as I did) that the Netherlands as flat because all the hills have been piled on top of each other in that tiny country!
Lanette thanks for the photos as it was my mental vacation today.
For the readers of BikePortland…the photo of her is at the rear of the Rijksmuseum. Notice the bike lanes running through the building…imagine having bike access through or under large buildingsor superblocks like the Llyod Center Mall, PDX Airport, etc. – it is not uncommon in the NL. Local transortation advocates fought hard to open this north south bike link between a major arterial to a city park.
And NOBODY wears helmets!
Yes, Thanks for the photos Lanette. I’m ready to go back to Amsterdam. …and Todd, today, my wife went and picked up the kids from school in the Bakfiets! Although she could have fit all four, the oldest opted to ride on her scooter instead.
I get requests quite often from the kids to ride in the Bakfiets. It is definitely their favorite form of transportation.
Looking forward to Clever Cycles grand opening soon!
I’m going to be in Utrecht (actually a nearby suburb) for a few weeks this summer. Any bike advice from anyone who’s been there?
Regarding bike advice, I’d say it’s clear from all the photos that only the lightest carbon fiber race bike will cut it over in Amsterdam 😉
But seriously, it sure looks like a fixed gear bike would rock over there.
Ahh yes the “alternative” cycling lifestyle of the jet-setting Nike product manager.
How enlightening and informative.
brettoo,
utrecht is a great little city, a college town actually and not really a suburb of amsterdam thoug it is not far away. it’s slightly less bikeable than amsterdam though a law passed a couple of years ago requires drivers to yield to cyclists. my advice: don’t eat the space cakes.
el s
This great ‘postcard’ reminds me of a link that I have bookmarked and read from time to time for inspiration:
http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2005/11/dutch_voice_in.html
and also a reminder of what madness bicycling youngsters are up against:
http://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/index.htm
I actually had an opportunity to stay in Amsterdam for 4 days last year, in which I rented a bicycle for all 4. =)
Couple things:
there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of people in Amsterdam. You cannot ride fast, you cannot drive fast, and you cannot walk fast, otherwise you will smash into other people.
expensive bikes disappear quite quickly. Leave the race bike or fixie at home, unless you like donating it to someone
the main boulevards have quite low traffic speeds, and the bike lanes are usually segregated from the auto lanes by a raised divider – usually a 5′ wide curb, on top of which cars usually park… there is no way a car can hit you.
on the other hand, sometimes the dutch bicycle bi-directionally in a 4′ wide (or narrower) bike lane… we’re talking fractions of an inch handlebar-to-handlebar!!!
And, of course, lastly: if you DO go to Amsterdam, for the love of god don’t rent the yellow bikes!
Go to Mike’s Bikes:
http://www.mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com