BROADENING YOUR HORIZONS
Amsterdam: A Cyclist’s Dream City
Introduction
Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. Just about everyone cycles instead of driving a motorised vehicle. The residents of this Dutch capital are said to be “born on bikes”, so if you ever visit Amsterdam, you will see them whizzing by at breakneck speeds as if they were born to cycle! There are so many cycling paths in the city that pedal power is all you need to discover the city on your own or join a guided cycling tour. More than 60% and 38% of all trips in Amsterdam are made on bicycles in the city centre and the greater city area respectively. The narrow, winding streets of Amsterdam’s historically endowed 17th-century city centre are unquestionably best covered by cycling. Here, pedestrians and cyclists alike have a clear advantage over motorists and most residents swear by their bicycles as the best and often their only means of transport. Cycling paths are painted brown to differentiate them from footpaths.
Cityscape with a Difference
Amsterdam has a huge network of traffic-calmed streets and topnotch facilities for cyclists. Everywhere you look, you will find cycling paths and bicycle racks, and guarded bicycle parking stations that charge a reasonable fee. Just imagine there are 881,000 bicycles in a city of 799,000 residents, which means that there are more bicycles than people!
All kinds of people cycle in Amsterdam because of the ease the bicycle offers in navigating the smooth terrain of compact capital city with its extensive network of cycling paths. Driving an automobile can be costly because parking fees are exorbitant. Many streets are either not car-friendly or are one-way streets. With a vibrant cycling culture, residents in the capital avail themselves with an impressive array of bicycles, including the traditional Omafiets, which is the most common bicycle with a step-through frame. There are also modern city bicycles, road bicycles, mountain bicycles and even recumbent bicycles.
How did Amsterdam Become a Cycling City? A Walk (or perhaps in this case, a Cycle) Through History…
Before bicycles were introduced to Amsterdam in the late 19th century, the city had already gone through six centuries of urban development, unintentionally shaping an ideal environment for the use of the bicycle as a suitable means of transport. The population of the small capital has grown significantly over the years while its dense semi-circular city centre and surrounding inner suburbs offered great opportunities for the development of cycling networks. The size of a city is a significant factor in the promotion of cycling as a feasible mode of transport, especially for making short trips. 85% of all cycling trips in Amsterdam are shorter than five kilometres. Interestingly, Amsterdam is also noted as a city of islands; it has a system of canals connected by some 1,500 bridges throughout its city centre. Many canals were built to facilitate the development of residential and commercial projects, with most inner city roads running along with the river on one side and buildings on the other. Consequently, town planners found road widening to be a rather daunting and perhaps simply impossible task. The capital is therefore not particularly suited for driving.
In the 1960s, the town planners’ decision to stop building more roads by discouraging car ownership led to the widespread use of bicycles by residents. An extensive network of cycling facilities and bicycle friendly policies eventually transformed most of roads into an extensive and evidently impressive cycling network.
On narrower roads, cyclists had to share their space with other forms of traffic. This, as one can imagine, could easily cause problems. Thus, many of the narrower roads in the city centre have been converted into ‘bicycle streets’ so that cyclists have priority over the entire width of the lane. Cars can be driven on these lanes, but drivers have to observe the speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour and they must always give way to cyclists. As a result, residents prefer to ride bicycles wherever possible.
By 2012, cycling in Amsterdam had become remarkably popular, having increased by 40% over the previous 20 years. The city’s 490,000 cyclists cover two million kilometres on average daily. This has caused some problems as, even though Amsterdam possesses 35,000 kilometres of cycling paths, the country’s 18 million bicycles are jamming up its streets during peak periods and parked bicycles continually overload train stations and other areas. Hence, even more cycling lanes and parking stations are being constructed today to tackle this issue.
You Can Join In!
Singaporeans visiting Amsterdam may discover the Dutch capital on bicycles too. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when in Amsterdam, cycle! Hiring a bicycle to tour the city is a great adventure not to be missed as you should be convinced by now that cycling is better and cheaper compared even to using public transport. You get to see more in a day while blending in with other city dwellers.
If you are travelling on your own with lots of time to take in the sights, be sure to purchase useful cycling guides and maps from any bicycle rental companies as well as Tourist Information Centres. You may rent a bicycle from almost anywhere in the city. Bicycle rental companies are conveniently located near key activity hubs such as Central Station, Leidseplein and Dam Square. Shortterm rentals for about three hours or more are available and you may even have the bicycle at your disposal for
the whole day from as low as 8 Euros – which is less than SGD16. There are many types of bicycles for hire, ranging from touring bicycles to tandems and children bicycles to kick-scooters.
Bicycle tour companies also offer thematic guided tours. This is another fantastic way to see the city’s most renowned sights. One is spoilt for choice for there are many themes to pick from: historic tours, culinary tours, whole-city tours, harbour tours and so on. For a relaxing full-day outing, consider taking a tour of the countryside and pedal past windmills through expansive, green fields.
How Safe is it to Cycle in Amsterdam?
It is reasonably safe for a foreign tourist to cycle in Amsterdam if you obey cycling rules and regulations. A safety helmet is never truly needed. Cyclists and pedestrians keep a lookout for each other. It is not surprising to find that almost everyone cycles – the young, the old and even pregnant cyclists - within the first hour upon one’s arrival in the city!
Most motorists are also cyclists, so they are better able to anticipate the behaviour of cyclists. You will find driving instructors teaching student drivers to use their right hand to open the door, which ensures they turn to see if a cyclist is approaching their vehicle from behind.
Amsterdam is by no means a perfect cycling city. Cycling fatalities do take place – estimated at six a year, but you will find that it is nonetheless comparatively safer than many other major European cities.
It pays to be cautious though, to ensure that your rental bicycle is securely locked up when parked. This is because bicycle thefts in Amsterdam are quite common. An average of approximately 50,000 bicycles are stolen annually. Where do they go? Well, it is interesting that between 12,000 and 15,000 bicycles are retrieved from the canals every year!