(photograph © kiwidutch)
Few populations in the world use bicycles for everyday transport as much as the Dutch.
With high population density and flat terrain, The Netherlands has long recognised the social, physical and economic benefits of using bikes, especially within big cities.
It’s hard to find any street anywhere in Amsterdam that doesn’t have any bikes on it, so snapping a small selection was not particularly hard at all.
There are even traffic lights for bikes, they are about a meter high and feature, naturally enough: red, orange and green bikes in standard traffic light form.
The reason these are lower than regular traffic lights is so that you can press the button in the box next to it and if there is not already a bevy of cyclists around the pole, then you can lean against it without having to take your feet off the peddles whilst you wait for the light to go green.
Even the local window washers use two wheeled transport to take their ladders from street to street, although in this case, some repair to their flat tyres would make lighter work of it.
There are also plenty of cargo bikes (bakfiets) around, pervious posts to feature these are: http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/another-cool-bakfiets/ and http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/peddle-power-people-carriers-the-bakfiets/ .
It’s estimated that there are more than 700. 000 bicycles in Amsterdam, so come on, let’s take a look at a few of them…
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
(photograph © kiwidutch)
Yes, You have there “biking culture”. I admire it how good and easy way biking have been arranged. In my country we are just learning. I love biking, so did my late father who left to me his old bike from 1930ties. Now I have a newer one. My wife loves biking too. Sometimes we pack our bikes into my car. Although it is looking small, but it has five doors and to put our bikes inside of it is no problem.
In Copenhagen people like to bike also. When in Paris I saw bike lanes in the “middle” of streets. But Holland is number one!
Happy Friday!
Comment by sartenada — March 25, 2011 @ 8:01 am |
To be fair, the Danes give the Dutch a run for their money when it comes to bicycle culture as it’s massive there too. (yes, the more the merrier!)
Sometimes you see several teachers taking entire classes of kids to an event, swimming pool or sports area, all of them on bikes.
In those instances (it doesn’t happen so often) especially with very very large groups of children, the adults park their bikes on the outer edges of the pedestrian crossing (even in the middle) to make a tunnel so that all the kids can cross in between them in one go. Even if the kids overrun their green light the cars just wait an extra turn at the lights as it’s safer than having one scared kid do something rash on the road trying to get to the other side.
Comment by kiwidutch — March 25, 2011 @ 9:30 am |
It is a fietsen kind of day! Before moving here, I never would have thought that a simple bicycle could become such a favorite photo topic for me. Now it’s a constant source of inspiration. I love the bakfiets, but I think I would want the tricycle version for a bit of added stability.
Comment by Alison — March 25, 2011 @ 1:53 pm |
ah, the Dutch do two wheeled Bakfietsen with the same ease and no fear attitude that they do steep staircases, you have to be born to it I suppose. Like you I prefer the tricycle version of the bakfiets.
Comment by kiwidutch — March 25, 2011 @ 3:02 pm |
You are right, we have bikes everywhere too, here in Copenhagen, but I have never seen a window washer-bike! That is a good ide! Unfortunately many bikes are also stolen every day. At the moment, there are ideas about how to avoid that, one of them is to put a chip on the bike. At the moment I am looking for a new bike, as my was stolen some weeks ago. I heard something about a goal for Copenhagen city, they want to be the best town for bikes ever. Well, I suppose that means better conditions for everyone who bikes, which sounds good. Lets see what they come up with.
Comment by Giiid — March 25, 2011 @ 2:17 pm |
The Dutch have a bike theft problem too… that’s why you see old bangers of bikes with massive locks on that cost more than the bike LOL. Yep the police fish out hundreds of bikes out of canals each year too, jetisoned by thieves. Let’s say the the first of our countries to find a definite theft proof device for bikes gets a special prize yes?!
Chips sound like a great idea as long as police can chase up the theft before the chips are hacked out of place and thrown into the nearest canal !
Comment by kiwidutch — March 25, 2011 @ 3:31 pm |
I had to smile as I read your post today because I took a jillion photos of bikes when we were in Amsterdam. In fact, I think I shot some of the same locations! Houston is flat but with all the traffic, biking can be a bit of a challenge.
Hope all is well with you and yours. xoxo
Comment by Linda Lewis — March 25, 2011 @ 3:03 pm |
Large cities really have to invest in cycle paths, and that’s usually a contentious issue with motorists. If well planned routes can be put into place then many options exist and it DOES attact so many more cyclists since they know the paths are safer.
In the Netherlands there is also a law, “if a car hits a cyclist under ANY circumstances, the car is automatically at fault no matter what, since the car is the bigger party” ok yes, cyclists DO abuse this and I have had very close shaves with cyclists who run red lights knowing that if I hit them then I am at fault, but one the whole it makes cars VERY aware that they need to take care around cyclists.
Thanks for the kind regards.. I’m mending (still) slow progress, but progress. Thanks!
Comment by kiwidutch — March 25, 2011 @ 3:37 pm |
You would laugh if you saw the designated cycling paths in Houston. Talk about a waste of money!
Comment by Linda Lewis — March 25, 2011 @ 4:23 pm
Oh Dear, import a Dutch or Danish designer to do the job! LOL
Comment by kiwidutch — March 25, 2011 @ 4:54 pm
One of the biggest complaints hubby and I have of our cities is that they are not particularly ‘bike friendly’. Having to constantly fight traffic and bad roads, OR be forced to ride on the sidewalks dodging pedestrians is just no fun. I would love a community that embraced other (more healthy) forms of transport!
Comment by milkayphoto — March 25, 2011 @ 4:16 pm |
The stupid thing is, that both the Danes and the Dutch PROVE that if you give people well thought out, safe cycles paths, they WILL gladly use them. So WHERE is the nonsense coming from to hold advancements like this back in other cities around the world?
It’s Green, costs less in wear and repair than car roads, it’s low cost transport that lets the populous get from A -to- B with a low carbon footprint, and keeps them fit from almost the cradle to the grave at the same time. Win, Win, Win!!!
It’s madness that more cities aren’t actually *competing* to get as many of their inhabitants onto bikes as the Dutch and Danes have done.
Comment by kiwidutch — March 25, 2011 @ 5:01 pm |