Free-Wheeling in Amsterdam…

(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)

When your workhorse comes with wheels…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Bicycles in the Netherlands are an essential piece of daily transport used by about a third of the population every day.

Many people don’t own a car so the bike might be their only mode of transport.

Grocery shopping,  delivering offspring to crèche, school, after school events, sports, visits to family members, friends for a cup of coffee, Birthday celebrations, annual events, and the massive miscellanea of everything else you can think of  in-between, means that bikes come in all shapes, sizes and colours.

The most popular bikes are what look like what might be described as “old man” or “old lady” bikes. Thick sturdy frames, solid, heavy beasts.

Come on, think about it, just  a few posts back,  I showed you a photograph of my street… believe me, this type of Dutch street eats modern 10-speed bikes for breakfast and rattles them down to  warn-out-nothings in next to no time.

Streets like mine, see a 10-speed coming and let out an evil chuckle.

The bikes built for speed are kept safely out of the way of the daily utilitarian chores that other bikes so dutifully preform and kept for recreation or serious sport on smoother cycleways, usually outside the city boundaries.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Your average 10-speed is also rather pathetically equipped to deal with the weight of your biggest kid on the back baggage rack and your youngest kid dangling in a kid seat by the handlebars in front of you. Carrying three on a bike made ideally for One, takes a bike that has fortitude and stamina and the guts for the job.

If a 10-speed could cut it, you’d be seeing millions of them around here.  It’s been long since discovered that their flimsy lightweight frames quake at the approach of laughing children and the sight of laden grocery bags.

I went for a walk the other day and photographed just a few of the bikes on one side of a single canal…. they display the passion and stoical work ethic of this beloved and well used mode of transport.

The Dutch word for “bike” by the way, is “fiets“. Pronounce  that as “feets” and you will have added another Dutch word to your vocabulary.

Some examples for the multi-kid and grocery carriers…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

This one is decorated with plastic flowers, carries one kid, one adult and the groceries whilst another kid cycles along side.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

This one looks like a cut-and-paste job, it’s clearly a mishmash of  parts from bicycles of another life… check out the handlebars and the seat …. re”cycling” at it’s very best.

Owwwl, what a terrible pun,  I know, I know,  but I couldn’t resist !!!!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

These all reflect the personalties of their owners…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Has this inspired you to get on your bike? I hope so…