A postcard from Amsterdam

Lanette in Amsterdam.

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.

Bike congestion.

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.