There isn’t a city in the world with more bicyclists than Amsterdam. It’s estimated that the average Amsterdammer owns 1.5 bikes and most have never obtained an automobile driver’s license. When it takes an hour to drive across Amsterdam in a car, and only 3o minutes on a bike, it’s easy to see why this is such an two-wheeled society. Visitors can join the fun with bike rental locations on just about every other street.
People bike everywhere: to work, to shop and to visit friends. Everyone rides, not only students, but bankers, attorneys, even the judges. Despite the person’s status, everyone drives what we would refer to as “beaters”. Fancy bikes get stolen (up to 50,000 a year) so people all tend to drive coaster brake, single-speed bikes; some rusted, some just held together with baling wire.
Be prepared to see all sorts of customized bikes for delivery of produce and for additional passengers. Many bikes are pushing what looks like a wheelbarrow that might hold a dozen delivery boxes or your two children. Many more have the traditional milk crate wired to the handlebars for grocery shopping.
While it’s an ecologically marvelous way to travel, there are some real setbacks for visitors and motorists. When an Amsterdammer gets on a bike they are “hell on wheels” – not stopping for red lights and preferring not to stop for pedestrians. A moving biker doesn’t like to stop for anything.
To make matters even more interesting, motor bikes enjoy the same bike paths and sidewalks with bicycles. First time pedestrians in this city need to look over their shoulders before changing their direction even while walking to prevent being run into by a speeding motor scooter on any given sidewalk.
Besides being friendly to the environment, bikes in the Netherlands are promoting social consciousness as well. Roetz Bikes recycles a portion of the one million discarded bikes each year by employing the handicapped and long-term unemployed. BlackStar Bikes imports bamboo bike frames (seriously) from Sub-Saharan Africa which helps create employment in a country that desperately needs jobs and then manufactures highly sought after bikes that don’t rust.
While you’ve probably read about the popular bike rental operations such as Bixi Bikes in London or Toronto; those are just newborns when compared to the public bike rental business in Amsterdam. They’ve had a public bike program called the White Bike Plan since 1965.
With the looks of things, biking may have gotten too popular now. It’s often hard to find a parking place to legally lock up your bike. Interesting…sounds like the same problem I have when I try to park a car in New York City.
