I rode on my bicycle about 20km everyday to school and back and i did it without using my hands many times except when i had to stop for some traffic lights.
It's even more fun when you have a pullover - there is that tricky moment when you have to get it over your head without pulling your glasses off and not actually being able to see for a moment.
We visited Amsterdam last year, my wife and I rode everywhere on rented bikes, and it was an absolute blast to ride among all the locals, to use the bike for grocery shopping, sightseeing, going out for meals, etc. It was really amazing to see just how prominent bicycling is in the NL, how the bicycle is so integrated into the fabric of that society, and how natural it all seems and appears; people wearing business dresses and suits commuting to/from work, parents cycling with one or two children in a cart in front of the bike, and the age range of cyclists was huge - plenty of young kids, plenty of young and middle-aged adults, and many seniors - almost everyone.
I am a fairly experienced cyclist here in Scotland but the first time cycling in Amsterdam nearly gave me a panic attack. No signals, very few stop signs, the trams (which cyclists get out of the way of) and hordes and hordes of cyclists flitting around in a seemingly random way. By day three though I'd ditched my helmet and somehow got plugged into the cycling gestalt, I moved with the fish shoal rather than swam against it. So good.
In all these videos, it looks like the rush hour traffic jam is traded for a rush hour bike jam…finding a place for the bike, staying warm or dry in inclement weather, lifting your bike to stow it away, etc. For people with health problems, how do they get about?
"... and somehow got plugged into the cycling gestalt." I don't think I've ever seen "gestalt" used in a TH-cam comment before ... You deserve a reward for that!
@@gregnixon1296 they get around with mobility scooters, tri-cycles, wheelchairs, little electric cars (25km/h) that are aloud in city centers, public transport, taxi's and believe it or not ... cars. How do they get around where you live?
Chris P NO! You will be dissapointed. There is no community, it just IS. Nobody cares if you ride a bike or if you shaved the right part of your skull. It’s just a tool. It’s a function of society, not a fucking statement. Stay in NYC. Go to the Ned for other things.
@@hansy3 He's giving a compliment and you rudely fly off the handle about shaved heads and cycling as a statement which I don't see anywhere in his comment. It's amazing how so many people saw his comment as positive and you chose to see the negative. Says a lot about you.
@@triplerainbow6269 to be fair he said "bike community" which sort of does imply this group of people seperate from the rest doing their thing "fighting against the main stream". It probably wasn't intended this way, but I can see how someone interprets it that way and gets annoyed. Because he has a point: it isn't a community, it isn't just Amsterdam. The entire country of the Netherlands, and people of every age and every walk of life bike every day. It is a mode of transport as common as cars or walking. It is so ingrained in every day life it's dead normal. And on top of that it isn't just Amsterdam that is this way, but the entire country. Every Dutch city, village,... has biking infra. The country is crisscrossed by bike highways. The entire country is biking friendly. The biking "community" he speaks of is just main stream Dutch culture. Even in north Belgium where I live, biking is common and a normal everyday thing. So seeing someone comment about ema "biking community" seems a bit weird from a northern European perspective as here (in most parts of n-eu) biking is just a normal, everyday, commonplace part of life. Personal example: Part of my primary school years, my entire high school years and university years I spent biking to and from school/uni. I still don't have a driver's licence to this day. Biking and public transport are just so normal here. Cars are too. But we have the freedom of not having to have one...
I understand but different people have different culture. For Americans we do not live in such a society where cycling infrastructure is everywhere. He is speaking from his perspective. I just thought his response was completely uncalled for and rude when someone was trying to be nice.
@@triplerainbow6269 Well that's another part of Dutch culture. They're very direct, don't mess about, and don't embellish things that they say... You find it insulting and rude, to a neighbouring Belgian like me that's just a Dutch person being very Dutch... 😁
My favourite memory of Amsterdam was accidentally running a red light and a car that was turning waited for me! At home they would have either honked or I would be a pancake!
its controlled chaos over here, we run reds all the time there is a learning curve to the negotiations of when it is less frowned upon lets say, its not a cyclist vs car experience comparable to other places in the world it is just another person on a bike. There is bad and good etiquette ofc and never running a red is fine too but when there are no cars or its clear u can go safely as incoming traffic is 8 sec + away people behind u might sigh silently at the inefficiency xD. Also just raising your hand a bit in an aah my bad gesture is such an example or showing cars with a gesture they don't need to give and can just keep their momentum going or noticing others not sure of your direction making them slow down unnecessary roundabouts are a good example for where it happens frequently. its more of a common sense thing then a i have the right to be here bleh :D
He may have manners as well, but part of the story is that, when in a collision with a bike, a vehicle owner can only claim max 50% of damage on the cyclist's insurance, even when the cyclist is at fault ! Dutch Road Law states that car drivers have an extra responsibility towards more vulnerable road users like bikers and pedestrians ..
I love how the little kid on his little bike, accompanied by his father, looks right and left to ensure there's no traffic when he's crossing the road at 9:51
Having just returned from a week cycling in The Netherlands I can confirm what a liberating experience it actually is. I only got a brief taste of it but I can’t wait to get back. I’d live there if I could 🇳🇱
Oh my goodness, this video is so heart-warming!! I was born in Colorado, sold my car in 2013 and have been on a bike ever since, but also moved to Mexico... so I am flowing on a bike in traffic. I love it, everyone flows together really nicely, little by little there is more and more emphasis on bike culture and less on cars and motos.!!
I enjoy hearing about the history and transformation in Amsterdam and Copenhagen in regards to cycling. This conversion from autos to bicycle is so amazing and interesting. Many cities around the world can learn from this. 🚲
This is not just engineering or design, it's democracy. People didn't want cars to keep killing so many people and they stood up and did something about it.
In May I took my Brompton to Amsterdam, rode the bike from the airport to the hotel. Four days of the most fun bike riding in a long time. I also rode from The Hague to Amsterdam along the North sea and from Utrecht to Amsterdam along the river Vecht, both I highly recommend. But the cycling in Amsterdam made me smile, it was such an inspirational trip.
Super Beispiel wie man die Lebensqualität verbessern kann und gleichzeitig den CO2 Ausstoss verringert!. Ich kann mich noch gut erinnern wie es in den 70igern ausgesehen hat,YEAH Amsterdam,aus Bern Schweiz
Now, THAT impressed me! What particularly? The young woman with the cooker (USA, read cookstove.) 8:05 .Not that there was a cooker on a bike, or even that it was a young woman handling it.. but that she was so darned nonchalant about It!
Riding a bike as a Dutchman (or woman) is not a matter of "driving" .... it is like walking....you ride your bike as if you were walking, ......just with wheels and pedals.....
@@jbird4478 That makes sense. Most Dutch people are even able to ride a bike without holding the handlebars, steering the bike using just their legs. This definitely requires a sense of balance and feeling where the bike is going, to adjust if necessary.
It used to be like that till I was 15 years old in India. Now, even kids are riding motor bikes. It has become a prestige to own a motor bike than riding a bicycle. We enjoyed our childhood
I liked a lot seeing all these people cycling. It was so less noisy, less congested. I come from India but live in North America. India is moving towards car culture with hardly any space for all those cars or traffic coutseys. India used to have cycling culture too 3-4 decades back. North America has sprawl concept. Everything is so far off that I can't think of doing that without my car, but also due to my lack of effort n will to cycle and lack of dedicated cycling lanes throughout the cities. I am amazed how much space can be saved, pollution decreased, have a physically active lifestyle while doing chores rather than wasting an hour or two running on treadmill when I can cyle to the store or work. Kudos to the Dutch.
+Mayank Sharma The Netherlands went trough the same process as India during the 1970's, moving towards a car culture from a bike culture, and then trough some activist groups we decided to do it differently, which brings us to today. All that to say: I think India still has a chance to become cycling focused. Especially in smaller cities, this can be achieved by popular movements and activism. Especialy from an equity point of view, I think this would be good for India, so that the rich don't push the people who can't afford a car out of the public streets. The city belongs to everyone, after all.
ElGrandeBanana ;not entirely true see pictures and films of the beginning of the 20th century and you'll see a lot of bikers. Always has been like that !!!
I can completely understand how u feel cuz, I live in india, in Mumbai to be precise and the name is enough! In India, the respect u get on the roads is directly proportional to the size of your vehicle, so we cyclists get mocked always...I ride my cycle to college everyday for like16 km and gotta say that I reach faster than my dad (in car) but the thing is it's sooooooo unsafe! I've got hit by cars multiple times as they want to show cyclists that they are poor, but yeah, fuck them cuz I've got cycle that's worth 1.2 lac that's like almost 1700$. And I'm sure those obese bastards will regret on day driving cars..I hope those diabetic leeches die soon!😂😂😂
Definitely my new favourite Dutch-bicycle video :-) Love the part in the video called "There's a science to what looks like "bicycle chaos"" at 4:07. Especially the part at 5:05 where this American man tells: ".. it does look like chaos, but in the end it all works... everybody does what they're supposed to do. Actually when you see something nót working here, then I would say, 9 out of 10 times it's because it's a tourist on a bike." hahaha. True! What Marc van Woudenberg says about culture and subculture at 8:48.. perfect explanation. Love it. Finally, 5-year old Pascal at the end of the video.. cute!
I really respect the Netherlands for choosing bikes. It was a great solution for you. I have started riding bikes more. In the US right now we are going to have to work on coordinating our views and it's going to take a lot to get us to make this big a change. We love our cars, plus, the places we want to go around town are maybe five miles apart, so we'll have to change our sense of distance. I don't want to change that, but I sense that we could really learn to love life on bikes!
This is so true, watching this from my perspective someone that lives in Copenhagen, it's exactly the same here. I started riding my bike when i was 6 years old and i'm 28 now so it's been 22 years of me knowing how to ride a bike and i do it everyday as it's too expensive to own a car and unnecessary as parking is so expensive here too. U just have to follow the flow of the traffic just do whatever the person ahead of u is doing, if u follow what they do while u go on your route then u will be just fine. I love my bike wouldn't trade it for anything else!!!
Actually the signal is often a "signal" at a all... What happens is that you see a cyclist coming at you, and both make a very slight adjustment to stance or direction which is enough of a "signal" for both riders to know what the other is going to do, with experienced bike riders (like all Dutch) it does not even take a concious effort, you just know...
Yes, leaning in, looking in a direction, making room to make the turn by moving a little to the other side. It's the subtle signs we know to read, but I do get that if you don't speak that "language", cycling in Dutch cities, especially in Amsterdam or the Utrecht CS to the Uithof part, can be quite scary and appear chaotic.
@@rientsdijkstra4266 I think you'll find I said that to people who don't speak that language, it's scary. That obviously excludes most experienced Dutch cyclists.
Amsterdam looks like a nice place to go with the waterways (very nice) and cycling roads. A great place to spend some time .... especially for those who like rivers and canals and cycling .. and a healthier and nicer kind of living ...; not too rushy, not too polluted
I loved the video ! makes me sad when I look at the poor cycle network here in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. The out dated fast narrow busy roads make cycling a dangerous daily battle. Hopefully one day the people might change for a pro cycling culture but can not see the generally car dependent people changing any time soon. Love Amsterdam ! would love to live there one day.
Stepping into a car changes a lot of nice friendly people into aggressive, impatient Hyena's having their safe car-capsule around them. On a bike you stay that nice and friendly person because you don't want to get into a fight. You just want to get to work safely, just like the person next to you. This makes the rest of your day much better, but also, on a larger scale the overall atmosphere in your community.
"You just want to get to work safely" Tell that to the 9 out of 10 suicidal cyclists that have never heard of a blind spot and divebomb us out of nowhere in our little 10 ton trucks. All while we're trying to do our job manouvering around pedestrians and other trucks in the cramped medival hellhole that is the inner city of maastricht. I get that trucks are guests in these places, but ffs some (read=loads) of people have no sense of self-preservation seeing how they would rather squeeze past two trucks that have to fold in their mirrors just to pass eachother than wait the 20 seconds it takes for us to manouver.
Like at our roller skating rink, everyone has a sense of where the other skaters are going. It seems like chaos (which makes it fun) but collisions are rare. After going for a while your peripheral vision seems to improve. Sometimes I feel like I could even see behind me.
That is so true. There is order, there is beauty in that chaos...and everyone has excellent spatial awareness a byproduct to cycle since you are almost a toddler I guess.
@@mourlyvold7655 Kinda strange that you only talk about Dutch people being triggered, I guess you completely ignore the people from the US that are triggered even more than the Dutch people. Looks to me you are a selective reader.
@@Brozius2512 No, I just stumbled upon your post and had my say, is that a problem? Will I have to go and reply to every reaction on TH-cam to prove to you that I'm impartial? A daunting task if you ask me. For your reassurance: I actually do react in many ways to many people of many nationalities. Perhaps just have a look at my comments under this video? That should suffice to find out if I really only react critically to dutch people. There is a fine example of a 'triggered american' here (as you seem to relish that idea) that could tell you about it. Just ask him politely, will you? In this case I reacted to one of my countrymen (I take it, at least, that you are dutch). I just somehow felt it concerned me, being dutch myself and all. You didn't represent my country in the best of ways, I thought. So I was compelled to react. That happens... So feel free to (as you stated) guess all you want, Sir. I assure you it is not me who is a selective reader. I'm afraid it's you. Fijne avond nog. Peace.
Albeit a Dutchman, I grew up in Palo Alto. At age 29, I made my way to the UK. Since March 2019, I have lived in retirement in Middelburg. Each day, I walk or cycle. No longer having a car, I feel completely liberated. The pronounced lack of vehicular traffic makes Middelburg's town centre utterly delightful and inviting. The walking and cycling culture could be replicated elsewhere (in the US and UK); however, people would need to affect a cultural shift away from the automobile. The result? Their towns and cities would become quiet, manageable, and attractive. Americans and Brits would become healthy and happy!
Nice video. The most important lesson is that NL wasn't always like it is now, that it was like everywhere today, full of cars. Change is possible!!. Well done Dutch people!!!! Min 5:16 I've done that crossing many times! Nice ride! I've done the suitcase pulling from a bike... Yes I also think it's so natural to ride a bike in NL, that nobody thinks of it as being special. It's just their everyday life.
My father also brought home the christmas tree on his bike. I have also done the suitcase thing and also having a second bike at the hand. Heck, when my mother was young when she went to school and the other person bike broke she would have that person on the back while also holding that bike.
If i'm not mistaken, at 8:39 it's Thierry Baudet. He's now a MP for the (most?) far-right party elected to the house of commons in The Netherlands, the Forum for Democracy. This goes to show, that EVERYBODY cycles in The Netherlands. Left, centre & right.
Fabian Yee riding on the inside, means Pascal should cycle on the right side of his father. It’s safer for little kids, since they would be protected by their parent’s body/bike if there’s a collision with a car or other motorized vehicle. Besides, it’s to guard the kid not to cycle outside the bike lane.
@@smurfiennes Yeah, I'm guessing they also meant that. Just that when the kid would be cycling on the right, our view of him would be obstructed (partly) by the dad cycling to his left.
True that. But to be fair, that only really took off after we noticed the admiration bestowed upon our bike culture, didn't it? We just happily went along with it... 😉 Before (been riding for over 55 years) I never gave it much more thought than tying my shoe laces, to be honest. (sorry, I just noticed the date of your comment. Oops)
all i can say is out standing this is the way to go biking to work and where you wait to go no tickets for speeding.... lol lo..... two thumps up.. need more of these in our country yes go for bikes USA not cars .... better health for you all ... amen
God, what a wonderful culture. Plus, good cheese and pancakes. But building better cities for people, using their brains and their hearts. No wonder people there are well-adjusted to life, and seem happy. They actually are happy.
I've been to various cities in the Netherlands, this vid makes it look like this bike thing is just Amsterdam, it isn't ! Almost every major city over there is like this. :-))
In London, the authorities acknowledge cycling and openly make efforts to make it easier. It's not like Amsterdam, but it's ten times better than everywhere else in the UK.
It's interesting, because if you just copy the infrastructure from NL to UK, it would fail completely. Dutch infrastructure is dependent on mutual respect between cyclists and car drivers. So in the UK it would have to be build up slowly, with initially worse designs than we have here, but better than they are now. Roundabouts with cyclist priority for example would be a disaster there. As drivers just don't want to give priority to cyclists. So initially, you'd have to build crossings with lights and such.
@@donder91 It's the 'chicken and egg' story once again. You're probably right about british driver's attitudes. But the mutual respect between the parties in the Netherlands is largely due to the fact that all (I dare say) motorists are cyclists first and foremost, born and raised. And without the infrastructure they wouldn't be, not to such an extent. (and large numbers of cyclists have a driver's licence, that helps) I've never been much impressed by attitudes towards cyclists in Spain. But still somehow Sevilla, a city where no one ever cycled, just rapidly implemented their biking infrastructure and that proved to be nothing short of revolutionary. Thousands and thousands of people are biking, safely. Have a look: th-cam.com/video/rz20rAJ7oIg/w-d-xo.html It can be done faster than expected... Bye.
I learned a lot about anticipation those six month or so when the brakes on my bike weren't working and the handlebar had got unstuck. An interesting experience. The drawback was that there was little room left for daydreaming or philosophizing while riding.
In Leeuwarden in the north of The Netherlands the system was developed way further. Many junctions have no indications anymore, not for crossing cars, people or bicycles. You have to think before you undertake any action and.......those driving cars are always held responsible in case an accident happens. That makes you think 10 times before you start crossing that junction.
No offence to these Americans living here, like the beardy guy mr. Cutler it is I believe, but a Dutch person, born and raised on a bike would never ever let a child of 5 years or so (on such a tiny bike) cycle on the side where the cars are driving (on the outside as we call it, but the child must be on the inside (de "binnenkant" as we call it) so you as a father can protect the child from the cars and other traffic. That's what's making riding a bike in Amsterdam more and more difficult these days, because a lot of people, like for example tourists, come and cycle here and are not used to these unwritten rules.
+ArnettaC he was actually riding between his dad and the curb, but I couldn't get a good shot so he let him ride on the outside for a bit since of course I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE! So he was indeed protected by an adult.
I have to agree with ArnetteC. The first thing that struck my eye was the very little kid was taking the outside lane so to say. Believe me, all other dutch people notice such a huge mistake right-away. It all might seem as a bit of choas, but there are a lot of unwritten rules. One of them is that the parent will always protect his little child from the car traffic. Think of it, big people on big bikes are far easier to be seen by the car driver than a tiny kid on a mini-bike. Even car drivers can get very angry about that because you put them in a position that they might hit your child.
How does this work when you have snow and ice built up for several weeks? Snow never gets plowed right. And when it does, it always covers the designated bicycle lanes.
When I was still in secondary school I used to read my books while cycling to school... Later after I discovered that other Dutch thing I was rolling (and obviously smoking) while I was cycling my mountainbike....
what in many videos like this never really show is that in addition to the good infrastructure the city’s in the Netherlands are also very compact and also very flat. there are no mountains or even small hills. the biggest obstacle is usually a bridge. this makes the bicycle often faster and cheaper than a car. if the Dutch landscape had had more hills, a lot less people would cycle
We do have wind. Lots of wind. And ... most bigger cities are not build on mountainous terrain. I've cycled everywhere in France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and even in Switserland (Zürich), the US (San Diego, LA) and Austria (Vienna) a 3-speed bicycle suffices :)
It goes both ways, cycling has kept these cities much more compact, too. Many North-American downtowns are littered with huge city blocks that serve only as parking space, that's unheard of in the Netherlands, or even most other European cities. In the city centre, to use precious space to a parking lot is wasteful, but you need it because the car is the only proper way to get there... And thus we are full circle, if you create a bike friendly city, you could use all that lost space to cars for more economical uses.
@@barvdw now most city centers in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe are from a long time before cars and bicycles were invented. Of course, a lot of bicycle use ensures that cities remain compact, but often these cities were long before the bicycle was available. In addition, American cities are also built so widely because they come from a drawing board. In European cities are also big parking spaces only underground and with buildings on top. in the us there is just so much space that it is not inviting to build a very expensive underground parking space with buildings on top if you have enough space to build it next to each other which is also cheaper.
@@stephanvanlunenburg4930 But is it cheaper? North America has enough space, but well connected space is just as rare and valuable, which is why CBDs are still so important. And European cities have tried to mimic their American counterparts to some extent, roads were widened, etc. Yes, European cities are older, but most development dates from after 1900, just as in the US, the historical centres are only a small part of the entire city, with a lot of residential streets around. Those were often just as much planned as your typical us city, even including architecture competitions for the houses that were build there. Still, even the US had until quite late a lot of urban core, and many parking lots in downtown Denver, Cincinnati or Philadelphia were constructed upon, it was the motor madness that started to tear them down for parking. The question is, how do you continue from here on. I think there are many compelling reasons to 'go bike', also in the US. When continuing as before, the need for more parking, wider roads, etc will only increase, because cars keep getting bigger, more people move out and have to come in from further away, etc. The alternative is not to ban cars, but to restrict them, and redistribute some of that space previously occupied by cars to other uses, like bike lanes, pavements, plazas and parks, or new development. I know what I would prefer...
I live in Los Angeles, where I think the only way they could become any more hostile to bicyclists is to award points for running them down. It is extremely dangerous to attempt to ride a bicycle here, and at every turn there is hostility toward riders. It is sad and depressing to see cars recklessly zooming past a parent who is carrying a child in a bicycle seat.
makes a lot of sense for cities with flat topography and were mostly built prior to automobiles. I wonder how people deal with the weather? How manageable are things when the weather is 100F and high humidity or 15F and windy? It would be nice to integrate walking and bike riding into our daily lives (exercise and reducing expense of owning cars).
People ride when they can ride, Switzerland has lots of cyclists, even in areas that are far from flat. Ebikes can also resolve a lot of that. As for cold, Holland gets fairly cold and it is windy and rainy a lot, but in Oulu Finland it is very cold, like many places in Canada and it is littered with cyclists all year round. In heat it can be a challenge, although if not too hot you can get pretty far with an ebike to prevent sweat and ride wind helps, and planting trees next to the road to provide shade also helps a lot, look at Seville Spain. There really isn't much of an excuse any longer.
I have recently attended a town council meeting to address bicycle infrastructure... the mayor and town manager seem to want to help but my town has state, county and city roads all controlled by separate entities... will take some more coordination... I will get there though
Weather isn't that bad, it's rarely too hot or too cold, it rains not nearly as much as people think (and if you wait 5-10' it might stop, or you dress accordingly).. it's windy, though.
There was a test done in 1972( or 71) in Los Angeles which found out that a steam bus that burns kerosene is less polluting than a diesel bus, they could be into something there? By the time petrol cars were in their infancy steam had been around for about 100 years and were getting quite advanced and by the 1920s sometimes it was a simple as filling the car up with water and turning the key and waiting about a minute to get enough steam to move and as the steam generator gets hotter it becomes more efficient.
Cool....my kinda town. I sold my vehicle this January (2020) and I loved my car.....but I had a Retro Ladies bicycle that I rarely used and I was lazy driving everywhere and overweight. I sold my vehicle so that I have no other option to exercise every day to get anywhere. Town is only about a 15-20 minute walk, but because i'm overweight walking is uncomfortable plus I love cycling anyways. I love it and it's normal again, just like when I was young and only stopped cycling when I started working and when NZ brought in law to wear a helmet. I sometimes wear a helmet, mostly I don't - as many people in nz are quite relaxed about helmet use but I would advise for children to still wear helmets because we have a lot of arsehole vehicle drivers still. I would love my town to become a Bicycle Town. Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand.
7:41 They _did_ yield (and stop) for the tram, but since the tram stopped anyway, they decided to cross. IDK why it stopped though. It seems to me that it was very clear the cyclists were going to stop even from 15+ meters away, so there was no reason for it to keep braking until stopping.
Amazing I live in Amsterdam and didn't know these facts, nice! The cars are not going so fast unless they have blue license plates. I pass through that intersection almost everyday.
I once had my jacket flung over my shoulder holding it with one hand, a car passed me too close and hit my other elbow with his mirror (slightly, not hard we both were at a traffic light, him driving slow) It took me of balance and I fell against the car slightly. But before he was totally passed me and I would have fallen to the road, I shifted my balance a bit, and was upright again. We both simply went our way as if nothing happened.
One tip for foreigners. At the end. You see that guy letting his 5 year old ride on the outside... Never do that. You should always be the one on the outside. I'm sure it was just done for the purposes of getting a good camera shot or something. But in general, that's a rule you want to follow.
Since I was riding on the outside we considered that was acceptable. To capture the shot, otherwise he would be hidden behind dad and better for me to be positioned there instead of making them ride further in the street. So you are correct.
Amazing documentary.....thank you for this.....it shows that using a bike is not actually something special....I truly hope the "rest" of the world get's it.....it's clean, cheap, affective and above all ; healthy....many greetings from an "upright"-bike-user of The Netherlands
I wish North America was more cycle friendly. My husband and I decided this year we will cycle everywhere in our city, and each bought a bike (just about $100 bikes, we don’t need anything crazy), and it’s shocking at how “ignored” cyclist are here. Completely disregarded by cars, or any other motor vehicle. 🙄
The last time I cycled in Amsterdam was on a borrowed bike which was too big for me. It was terrifying! Not because of the cyclists but because of the bike's brakes - give me both brakes on the handlebars every time! I had never realised that I back-pedal slightly to coast - try that on a Dutch bike and you crash to a halt.
I'd be in trouble with my fixed gear bike for sure. It looks every so crowded and I'd probably choose the main road over the cycle lane hence conflicting with drivers.
4:10 girl taking off her jacket while on the bike, really sums up Dutch cycling!
I didn't even noticed that ...
I rode on my bicycle about 20km everyday to school and back and i did it without using my hands many times except when i had to stop for some traffic lights.
Im dutch I brought my bag from my back to my hands and put a bottle in it and then put it back
Haha... True. Lately I've been watching these videos while cycling. Peanuts ;)
It's even more fun when you have a pullover - there is that tricky moment when you have to get it over your head without pulling your glasses off and not actually being able to see for a moment.
We visited Amsterdam last year, my wife and I rode everywhere on rented bikes, and it was an absolute blast to ride among all the locals, to use the bike for grocery shopping, sightseeing, going out for meals, etc. It was really amazing to see just how prominent bicycling is in the NL, how the bicycle is so integrated into the fabric of that society, and how natural it all seems and appears; people wearing business dresses and suits commuting to/from work, parents cycling with one or two children in a cart in front of the bike, and the age range of cyclists was huge - plenty of young kids, plenty of young and middle-aged adults, and many seniors - almost everyone.
Thanks love it!
I am a fairly experienced cyclist here in Scotland but the first time cycling in Amsterdam nearly gave me a panic attack. No signals, very few stop signs, the trams (which cyclists get out of the way of) and hordes and hordes of cyclists flitting around in a seemingly random way. By day three though I'd ditched my helmet and somehow got plugged into the cycling gestalt, I moved with the fish shoal rather than swam against it. So good.
In all these videos, it looks like the rush hour traffic jam is traded for a rush hour bike jam…finding a place for the bike, staying warm or dry in inclement weather, lifting your bike to stow it away, etc. For people with health problems, how do they get about?
@@gregnixon1296 Dear Greg. Take a look at this (old) video. th-cam.com/video/xSGx3HSjKDo/w-d-xo.html
"... and somehow got plugged into the cycling gestalt."
I don't think I've ever seen "gestalt" used in a TH-cam comment before ... You deserve a reward for that!
@@gregnixon1296 they get around with mobility scooters, tri-cycles, wheelchairs, little electric cars (25km/h) that are aloud in city centers, public transport, taxi's and believe it or not ... cars.
How do they get around where you live?
@@mdsign001 They don't is my best guess :(
I love this. I'm so proud of the Dutch for making this happen.
America build a BRIDGE for bike and walk in PORTLAND. RATHER NICE BRIDGE.
As a NYC Bicyclist, I want to visit Amsterdam, this heaven of a bike community :O
Chris P NO! You will be dissapointed. There is no community, it just IS. Nobody cares if you ride a bike or if you shaved the right part of your skull. It’s just a tool. It’s a function of society, not a fucking statement. Stay in NYC. Go to the Ned for other things.
@@hansy3 He's giving a compliment and you rudely fly off the handle about shaved heads and cycling as a statement which I don't see anywhere in his comment. It's amazing how so many people saw his comment as positive and you chose to see the negative. Says a lot about you.
@@triplerainbow6269 to be fair he said "bike community" which sort of does imply this group of people seperate from the rest doing their thing "fighting against the main stream". It probably wasn't intended this way, but I can see how someone interprets it that way and gets annoyed. Because he has a point: it isn't a community, it isn't just Amsterdam. The entire country of the Netherlands, and people of every age and every walk of life bike every day. It is a mode of transport as common as cars or walking. It is so ingrained in every day life it's dead normal. And on top of that it isn't just Amsterdam that is this way, but the entire country. Every Dutch city, village,... has biking infra. The country is crisscrossed by bike highways. The entire country is biking friendly.
The biking "community" he speaks of is just main stream Dutch culture. Even in north Belgium where I live, biking is common and a normal everyday thing. So seeing someone comment about ema "biking community" seems a bit weird from a northern European perspective as here (in most parts of n-eu) biking is just a normal, everyday, commonplace part of life. Personal example: Part of my primary school years, my entire high school years and university years I spent biking to and from school/uni. I still don't have a driver's licence to this day. Biking and public transport are just so normal here. Cars are too. But we have the freedom of not having to have one...
I understand but different people have different culture. For Americans we do not live in such a society where cycling infrastructure is everywhere. He is speaking from his perspective. I just thought his response was completely uncalled for and rude when someone was trying to be nice.
@@triplerainbow6269 Well that's another part of Dutch culture. They're very direct, don't mess about, and don't embellish things that they say... You find it insulting and rude, to a neighbouring Belgian like me that's just a Dutch person being very Dutch... 😁
My favourite memory of Amsterdam was accidentally running a red light and a car that was turning waited for me! At home they would have either honked or I would be a pancake!
Amsterdam is also a very cosmopolitan city and packed with tourists and foreigners, so they are prepared to expect the unexpected.
the secret is that every dutch driver probably has more biking hours in their life than drive hours.
Here thy will/would call you a pancake (pannekoek)
its controlled chaos over here, we run reds all the time there is a learning curve to the negotiations of when it is less frowned upon lets say, its not a cyclist vs car experience comparable to other places in the world it is just another person on a bike.
There is bad and good etiquette ofc and never running a red is fine too but when there are no cars or its clear u can go safely as incoming traffic is 8 sec + away people behind u might sigh silently at the inefficiency xD.
Also just raising your hand a bit in an aah my bad gesture is such an example or showing cars with a gesture they don't need to give and can just keep their momentum going or noticing others not sure of your direction making them slow down unnecessary roundabouts are a good example for where it happens frequently.
its more of a common sense thing then a i have the right to be here bleh :D
He may have manners as well, but part of the story is that, when in a collision with a bike, a vehicle owner can only claim max 50% of damage on the cyclist's insurance, even when the cyclist is at fault ! Dutch Road Law states that car drivers have an extra responsibility towards more vulnerable road users like bikers and pedestrians ..
I love how the little kid on his little bike, accompanied by his father, looks right and left to ensure there's no traffic when he's crossing the road at 9:51
That kid has quite the ride, he's gonna be shredding the fietspadden very soon lol
Loved the STIPO planner quote: "You are much more in touch with humanity".
Having just returned from a week cycling in The Netherlands I can confirm what a liberating experience it actually is. I only got a brief taste of it but I can’t wait to get back. I’d live there if I could 🇳🇱
Oh my goodness, this video is so heart-warming!! I was born in Colorado, sold my car in 2013 and have been on a bike ever since, but also moved to Mexico... so I am flowing on a bike in traffic. I love it, everyone flows together really nicely, little by little there is more and more emphasis on bike culture and less on cars and motos.!!
Exactly so don't give up and hope all will improve.
curios where in mexico? can you work and make a better living vs cost of living?
Playa del Carmen is a nice place in Mexico to ride a bike.
I enjoy hearing about the history and transformation in Amsterdam and Copenhagen in regards to cycling. This conversion from autos to bicycle is so amazing and interesting. Many cities around the world can learn from this. 🚲
This is not just engineering or design, it's democracy. People didn't want cars to keep killing so many people and they stood up and did something about it.
stop de kindermoord!!!
In May I took my Brompton to Amsterdam, rode the bike from the airport to the hotel. Four days of the most fun bike riding in a long time.
I also rode from The Hague to Amsterdam along the North sea and from Utrecht to Amsterdam along the river Vecht, both I highly recommend.
But the cycling in Amsterdam made me smile, it was such an inspirational trip.
Super Beispiel wie man die Lebensqualität verbessern kann und gleichzeitig den CO2 Ausstoss verringert!.
Ich kann mich noch gut erinnern wie es in den 70igern ausgesehen hat,YEAH Amsterdam,aus Bern Schweiz
Now, THAT impressed me!
What particularly?
The young woman with the cooker (USA, read cookstove.) 8:05 .Not that there was a cooker on a bike, or even that it was a young woman handling it.. but that she was so darned nonchalant about It!
Bakfiets.
Riding a bike as a Dutchman (or woman) is not a matter of "driving" .... it is like walking....you ride your bike as if you were walking, ......just with wheels and pedals.....
That's the way it should be - Cyclists in Ireland and the UK need to take note!
@@RedKnight-fn6jr the negative comments always come from England, why is that?
@@bloopblooper490 that was not a negatieve comment lol. Learn proper english before replying.
@@jbird4478 That makes sense. Most Dutch people are even able to ride a bike without holding the handlebars, steering the bike using just their legs. This definitely requires a sense of balance and feeling where the bike is going, to adjust if necessary.
It used to be like that till I was 15 years old in India. Now, even kids are riding motor bikes. It has become a prestige to own a motor bike than riding a bicycle. We enjoyed our childhood
What a lovely film! And so much information presented in a relaxed way
Manila City and the whole Philippines can learn a lot from Amsterdam, The Netherlands!
people look so healthy,kind,and happy...and they are
I could just watch this video over and over again love it so much
Me too!!
Are we not gonna talk about the fact this woman had an _entire stove top oven_ in her bakfiets???
So what? That is where a bakfiets (=cargo bicycle) is for.
A few days ago I saw a man with egg trays under his arm while bikinh
At 8:06 I thought you were kidding!
I've moved all my stuff several times (and helped others to move as well) on a 1950's bakfiets (cargo bicycle). Not a big deal...
I love Amsterdam. I dream of riding my electric bike around museumplien when I’m stuck in Houston Texas gridlock traffic.
Why not ride your electric bike in houston?
uncle Sam doesn't like this video! It is a danger for the petrodollar system!
He also frowns because of the loss in $$$$ because 70% of Amsterdam dont use petrol
England is ignoring it completely!
bloop blooper England just hates cyclists of any age for some reason
Lol.
So right
I liked a lot seeing all these people cycling. It was so less noisy, less congested. I come from India but live in North America. India is moving towards car culture with hardly any space for all those cars or traffic coutseys. India used to have cycling culture too 3-4 decades back. North America has sprawl concept. Everything is so far off that I can't think of doing that without my car, but also due to my lack of effort n will to cycle and lack of dedicated cycling lanes throughout the cities.
I am amazed how much space can be saved, pollution decreased, have a physically active lifestyle while doing chores rather than wasting an hour or two running on treadmill when I can cyle to the store or work. Kudos to the Dutch.
+Mayank Sharma The Netherlands went trough the same process as India during the 1970's, moving towards a car culture from a bike culture, and then trough some activist groups we decided to do it differently, which brings us to today. All that to say: I think India still has a chance to become cycling focused. Especially in smaller cities, this can be achieved by popular movements and activism. Especialy from an equity point of view, I think this would be good for India, so that the rich don't push the people who can't afford a car out of the public streets. The city belongs to everyone, after all.
ElGrandeBanana ;not entirely true see pictures and films of the beginning of the 20th century and you'll see a lot of bikers.
Always has been like that !!!
anyplace is better than india with it's garbage society
I can completely understand how u feel cuz, I live in india, in Mumbai to be precise and the name is enough! In India, the respect u get on the roads is directly proportional to the size of your vehicle, so we cyclists get mocked always...I ride my cycle to college everyday for like16 km and gotta say that I reach faster than my dad (in car) but the thing is it's sooooooo unsafe! I've got hit by cars multiple times as they want to show cyclists that they are poor, but yeah, fuck them cuz I've got cycle that's worth 1.2 lac that's like almost 1700$. And I'm sure those obese bastards will regret on day driving cars..I hope those diabetic leeches die soon!😂😂😂
People driving the car to the gym. Kind of like people smoking outside the hospital doors... :D
Definitely my new favourite Dutch-bicycle video :-)
Love the part in the video called "There's a science to what looks like "bicycle chaos"" at 4:07.
Especially the part at 5:05 where this American man tells: ".. it does look like chaos, but in the end it all works... everybody does what they're supposed to do. Actually when you see something nót working here, then I would say, 9 out of 10 times it's because it's a tourist on a bike." hahaha. True!
What Marc van Woudenberg says about culture and subculture at 8:48.. perfect explanation. Love it.
Finally, 5-year old Pascal at the end of the video.. cute!
I really respect the Netherlands for choosing bikes. It was a great solution for you. I have started riding bikes more. In the US right now we are going to have to work on coordinating our views and it's going to take a lot to get us to make this big a change. We love our cars, plus, the places we want to go around town are maybe five miles apart, so we'll have to change our sense of distance. I don't want to change that, but I sense that we could really learn to love life on bikes!
This is so true, watching this from my perspective someone that lives in Copenhagen, it's exactly the same here. I started riding my bike when i was 6 years old and i'm 28 now so it's been 22 years of me knowing how to ride a bike and i do it everyday as it's too expensive to own a car and unnecessary as parking is so expensive here too. U just have to follow the flow of the traffic just do whatever the person ahead of u is doing, if u follow what they do while u go on your route then u will be just fine. I love my bike wouldn't trade it for anything else!!!
Actually the signal is often a "signal" at a all... What happens is that you see a cyclist coming at you, and both make a very slight adjustment to stance or direction which is enough of a "signal" for both riders to know what the other is going to do, with experienced bike riders (like all Dutch) it does not even take a concious effort, you just know...
And very occasionally you’ll misread one another and one or both of you has to hit the anchors. It happens, but it’s not a huge deal.
Yes, leaning in, looking in a direction, making room to make the turn by moving a little to the other side. It's the subtle signs we know to read, but I do get that if you don't speak that "language", cycling in Dutch cities, especially in Amsterdam or the Utrecht CS to the Uithof part, can be quite scary and appear chaotic.
@@Snowshowslow not to Most Dutch cyclists (the elderly may be an exception)
@@rientsdijkstra4266 I think you'll find I said that to people who don't speak that language, it's scary. That obviously excludes most experienced Dutch cyclists.
@@Snowshowslow Ok, thats true: for the truely inexperienced cyclist it can be a scary experience... , but one can learn it quickly
Amsterdam looks like a nice place to go with the waterways (very nice) and cycling roads. A great place to spend some time .... especially for those who like rivers and canals and cycling .. and a healthier and nicer kind of living ...; not too rushy, not too polluted
I loved the video ! makes me sad when I look at the poor cycle network here in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. The out dated fast narrow busy roads make cycling a dangerous daily battle. Hopefully one day the people might change for a pro cycling culture but can not see the generally car dependent people changing any time soon. Love Amsterdam ! would love to live there one day.
Stepping into a car changes a lot of nice friendly people into aggressive, impatient Hyena's having their safe car-capsule around them. On a bike you stay that nice and friendly person because you don't want to get into a fight. You just want to get to work safely, just like the person next to you. This makes the rest of your day much better, but also, on a larger scale the overall atmosphere in your community.
"You just want to get to work safely"
Tell that to the 9 out of 10 suicidal cyclists that have never heard of a blind spot and divebomb us out of nowhere in our little 10 ton trucks. All while we're trying to do our job manouvering around pedestrians and other trucks in the cramped medival hellhole that is the inner city of maastricht.
I get that trucks are guests in these places, but ffs some (read=loads) of people have no sense of self-preservation seeing how they would rather squeeze past two trucks that have to fold in their mirrors just to pass eachother than wait the 20 seconds it takes for us to manouver.
I love it
Every day I ride one of my bikes
Transporter From 1920
Or my 1910 race bike
For longer distance my off-road ebike
Love it
Feels so free
6:40 nice one with the man in suit with a children’s seat at the front
loved watching it and made me sad a little with memories
Like at our roller skating rink, everyone has a sense of where the other skaters are going. It seems like chaos (which makes it fun) but collisions are rare. After going for a while your peripheral vision seems to improve. Sometimes I feel like I could even see behind me.
Awesome film! Should be featured on PBS all around the USA. Thanks for sharing
That is so true. There is order, there is beauty in that chaos...and everyone has excellent spatial awareness a byproduct to cycle since you are almost a toddler I guess.
I am getting jealous. What I would do to work here. Or better make it like this everywhere!!!!
In a word commitment. If it a choice people don’t change.
I'm born and raised in Amsterdam and I'm moving to Texas soon, can't wait to drive a big pickup! So exciting.
Hahaha. Can’t wait to get fat as well? JK, I would like to work/live in the states as well for some period of time. Why did you choose Texas?
@@danielmeijer3348 Yea he's from Amsterdam, he's probably a jealous American pretending to be Dutch.
@@Brozius2512 Come on guys, does a different point of view always have to trigger assumption and insult? Not my favourite part of dutch culture.
@@mourlyvold7655 Kinda strange that you only talk about Dutch people being triggered, I guess you completely ignore the people from the US that are triggered even more than the Dutch people.
Looks to me you are a selective reader.
@@Brozius2512 No, I just stumbled upon your post and had my say, is that a problem?
Will I have to go and reply to every reaction on TH-cam to prove to you that I'm impartial? A daunting task if you ask me.
For your reassurance: I actually do react in many ways to many people of many nationalities. Perhaps just have a look at my comments under this video? That should suffice to find out if I really only react critically to dutch people. There is a fine example of a 'triggered american' here (as you seem to relish that idea) that could tell you about it.
Just ask him politely, will you?
In this case I reacted to one of my countrymen (I take it, at least, that you are dutch).
I just somehow felt it concerned me, being dutch myself and all. You didn't represent my country in the best of ways, I thought. So I was compelled to react. That happens...
So feel free to (as you stated) guess all you want, Sir.
I assure you it is not me who is a selective reader. I'm afraid it's you.
Fijne avond nog. Peace.
Albeit a Dutchman, I grew up in Palo Alto. At age 29, I made my way to the UK. Since March 2019, I have lived in retirement in Middelburg. Each day, I walk or cycle. No longer having a car, I feel completely liberated. The pronounced lack of vehicular traffic makes Middelburg's town centre utterly delightful and inviting. The walking and cycling culture could be replicated elsewhere (in the US and UK); however, people would need to affect a cultural shift away from the automobile. The result? Their towns and cities would become quiet, manageable, and attractive. Americans and Brits would become healthy and happy!
I loved little Pascal in this video.
Wonderful video.
God, what a wonderful idea!
5:18 yes it often are tourists or people that are just not well adjusted to how biking works here, often they stand out a lot
Nice video. The most important lesson is that NL wasn't always like it is now, that it was like everywhere today, full of cars. Change is possible!!. Well done Dutch people!!!! Min 5:16 I've done that crossing many times! Nice ride! I've done the suitcase pulling from a bike... Yes I also think it's so natural to ride a bike in NL, that nobody thinks of it as being special. It's just their everyday life.
My father also brought home the christmas tree on his bike.
I have also done the suitcase thing and also having a second bike at the hand.
Heck, when my mother was young when she went to school and the other person bike broke she would have that person on the back while also holding that bike.
If i'm not mistaken, at 8:39 it's Thierry Baudet. He's now a MP for the (most?) far-right party elected to the house of commons in The Netherlands, the Forum for Democracy. This goes to show, that EVERYBODY cycles in The Netherlands. Left, centre & right.
He vaguely looks like him but...you are mistaken.
Thank you for this video. We need to reverse climate change. This is definetly one of the solutions.
Sam Mariassouce nothing to do with climate change, Shell is Dutch
@tubetardism 20/20 hes right im Dutch and Shell is Dutch
pascal should be riding on the inside, protected by his father....as most Dutch fathers would do ;-)
It's probably more for the video, we won't see him if he was riding inside.
Fabian Yee riding on the inside, means Pascal should cycle on the right side of his father. It’s safer for little kids, since they would be protected by their parent’s body/bike if there’s a collision with a car or other motorized vehicle. Besides, it’s to guard the kid not to cycle outside the bike lane.
@@smurfiennes Yeah, I'm guessing they also meant that. Just that when the kid would be cycling on the right, our view of him would be obstructed (partly) by the dad cycling to his left.
Very true. Children and dogs always go on the inside.
Pascal considered this a better camera angle. 👍🤝🇳🇱
It's not true that the Dutch don't notice their unique bike culture. In fact they are proud of it!
True that. But to be fair, that only really took off after we noticed the admiration bestowed upon our bike culture, didn't it? We just happily went along with it... 😉
Before (been riding for over 55 years) I never gave it much more thought than tying my shoe laces, to be honest.
(sorry, I just noticed the date of your comment. Oops)
Bardzo ładne nagranie i cudowny Amsterdam
all i can say is out standing this is the way to go biking to work and where you wait to go no tickets for speeding.... lol lo..... two thumps up.. need more of these in our country yes go for bikes USA not cars .... better health for you all ... amen
wow wonderful. People in there are very clever and smart. Loving you guys. How lovely place for everyone.
God, what a wonderful culture. Plus, good cheese and pancakes. But building better cities for people, using their brains and their hearts. No wonder people there are well-adjusted to life, and seem happy. They actually are happy.
I've been to various cities in the Netherlands, this vid makes it look like this bike thing is just Amsterdam, it isn't ! Almost every major city over there is like this. :-))
@@eiypo Yes it is, you just don't understand what i wrote.
Bicycle Amsterdam is beautiful. Ha, how I wish the authorities in London would follow the example.
In London, the authorities acknowledge cycling and openly make efforts to make it easier. It's not like Amsterdam, but it's ten times better than everywhere else in the UK.
It's interesting, because if you just copy the infrastructure from NL to UK, it would fail completely. Dutch infrastructure is dependent on mutual respect between cyclists and car drivers. So in the UK it would have to be build up slowly, with initially worse designs than we have here, but better than they are now.
Roundabouts with cyclist priority for example would be a disaster there. As drivers just don't want to give priority to cyclists. So initially, you'd have to build crossings with lights and such.
@@donder91 It's the 'chicken and egg' story once again.
You're probably right about british driver's attitudes. But the mutual respect between the parties in the Netherlands is largely due to the fact that all (I dare say) motorists are cyclists first and foremost, born and raised. And without the infrastructure they wouldn't be, not to such an extent.
(and large numbers of cyclists have a driver's licence, that helps)
I've never been much impressed by attitudes towards cyclists in Spain. But still somehow Sevilla, a city where no one ever cycled, just rapidly implemented their biking infrastructure and that proved to be nothing short of revolutionary.
Thousands and thousands of people are biking, safely. Have a look:
th-cam.com/video/rz20rAJ7oIg/w-d-xo.html
It can be done faster than expected...
Bye.
Little kids on bikes warm my heart.
Great vid welldone!
Going there in a week. Can't wait!
how was it?
I learned a lot about anticipation those six month or so when the brakes on my bike weren't working and the handlebar had got unstuck. An interesting experience. The drawback was that there was little room left for daydreaming or philosophizing while riding.
You can do that in the countryside for hours not in a city:)
James van der Hoorn That must have been awful. Not as awful as going through the trouble of having it fixed of course, but still. :D
@@KryzMasta Haha so true its not as if Amsterdam is short of bicycle repair shops!
Simply stunning !!
In Leeuwarden in the north of The Netherlands the system was developed way further. Many junctions have no indications anymore, not for crossing cars, people or bicycles. You have to think before you undertake any action and.......those driving cars are always held responsible in case an accident happens. That makes you think 10 times before you start crossing that junction.
It's poetry in motion.
Great wish the UK was like this,.
Amazing and admirable!
No offence to these Americans living here, like the beardy guy mr. Cutler it is I believe, but a Dutch person, born and raised on a bike would never ever let a child of 5 years or so (on such a tiny bike) cycle on the side where the cars are driving (on the outside as we call it, but the child must be on the inside (de "binnenkant" as we call it) so you as a father can protect the child from the cars and other traffic. That's what's making riding a bike in Amsterdam more and more difficult these days, because a lot of people, like for example tourists, come and cycle here and are not used to these unwritten rules.
+ArnettaC he was actually riding between his dad and the curb, but I couldn't get a good shot so he let him ride on the outside for a bit since of course I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE! So he was indeed protected by an adult.
Maybe you should write them down.. :o
I have to agree with ArnetteC. The first thing that struck my eye was the very little kid was taking the outside lane so to say. Believe me, all other dutch people notice such a huge mistake right-away. It all might seem as a bit of choas, but there are a lot of unwritten rules. One of them is that the parent will always protect his little child from the car traffic. Think of it, big people on big bikes are far easier to be seen by the car driver than a tiny kid on a mini-bike. Even car drivers can get very angry about that because you put them in a position that they might hit your child.
What are the unwritten rules?
The kid was on the outside, still inside another adult cameraman, for 5 seconds at the end for a promo shot and you guys claim its a huge mistake.
Fabulous. Now how do we get the idea across in other countries?
1:50 - A speed-meter for the boat 😂 another item on the list of "things you only see in Amsterdam"
Why is there a flashing sad face? And what is the speedmeter for?
even i'm just 20 minutes away from a'dam i feel good to watch this vid
How does this work when you have snow and ice built up for several weeks? Snow never gets plowed right. And when it does, it always covers the designated bicycle lanes.
Bicycle lanes get plowed as well.
So, no problem.
The only thing they lack is the concept of yielding at pedestrian crossings
When I was still in secondary school I used to read my books while cycling to school...
Later after I discovered that other Dutch thing I was rolling (and obviously smoking) while I was cycling my mountainbike....
Same man. Especially when I had a test that morning.
what in many videos like
this never really show is that in addition to the good infrastructure the city’s
in the Netherlands are also very compact and also very flat. there
are no mountains or even small hills. the
biggest obstacle is usually a bridge. this makes the bicycle often faster and
cheaper than a car. if the Dutch landscape had had more hills, a lot less
people would cycle
It's bold to say 'a lot less' when you have no evidence at all.
We do have wind. Lots of wind. And ... most bigger cities are not build on mountainous terrain. I've cycled everywhere in France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and even in Switserland (Zürich), the US (San Diego, LA) and Austria (Vienna) a 3-speed bicycle suffices :)
It goes both ways, cycling has kept these cities much more compact, too. Many North-American downtowns are littered with huge city blocks that serve only as parking space, that's unheard of in the Netherlands, or even most other European cities. In the city centre, to use precious space to a parking lot is wasteful, but you need it because the car is the only proper way to get there... And thus we are full circle, if you create a bike friendly city, you could use all that lost space to cars for more economical uses.
@@barvdw now most city centers in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe are from a long time before cars and bicycles were invented. Of course, a lot of bicycle use ensures that cities remain compact, but often these cities were long before the bicycle was available. In addition, American cities are also built so widely because they come from a drawing board. In European cities are also big parking spaces only underground and with buildings on top. in the us there is just so much space that it is not inviting to build a very expensive underground parking space with buildings on top if you have enough space to build it next to each other which is also cheaper.
@@stephanvanlunenburg4930 But is it cheaper? North America has enough space, but well connected space is just as rare and valuable, which is why CBDs are still so important. And European cities have tried to mimic their American counterparts to some extent, roads were widened, etc.
Yes, European cities are older, but most development dates from after 1900, just as in the US, the historical centres are only a small part of the entire city, with a lot of residential streets around. Those were often just as much planned as your typical us city, even including architecture competitions for the houses that were build there. Still, even the US had until quite late a lot of urban core, and many parking lots in downtown Denver, Cincinnati or Philadelphia were constructed upon, it was the motor madness that started to tear them down for parking.
The question is, how do you continue from here on. I think there are many compelling reasons to 'go bike', also in the US. When continuing as before, the need for more parking, wider roads, etc will only increase, because cars keep getting bigger, more people move out and have to come in from further away, etc. The alternative is not to ban cars, but to restrict them, and redistribute some of that space previously occupied by cars to other uses, like bike lanes, pavements, plazas and parks, or new development. I know what I would prefer...
excelent!
Muito inspirador.
Parabéns gente bonita de Amisterdam.😎😍🚴🚴🚴🚴👏👏🚴👏🚴👏🚴👏🚴
I live in Los Angeles, where I think the only way they could become any more hostile to bicyclists is to award points for running them down.
It is extremely dangerous to attempt to ride a bicycle here, and at every turn there is hostility toward riders. It is sad and depressing to see cars recklessly zooming past a parent who is carrying a child in a bicycle seat.
makes a lot of sense for cities with flat topography and were mostly built prior to automobiles.
I wonder how people deal with the weather? How manageable are things when the weather is 100F and high humidity or 15F and windy?
It would be nice to integrate walking and bike riding into our daily lives (exercise and reducing expense of owning cars).
People ride when they can ride, Switzerland has lots of cyclists, even in areas that are far from flat. Ebikes can also resolve a lot of that. As for cold, Holland gets fairly cold and it is windy and rainy a lot, but in Oulu Finland it is very cold, like many places in Canada and it is littered with cyclists all year round. In heat it can be a challenge, although if not too hot you can get pretty far with an ebike to prevent sweat and ride wind helps, and planting trees next to the road to provide shade also helps a lot, look at Seville Spain. There really isn't much of an excuse any longer.
what is the sound track in the beginning and the end of the video, it is nice.
Soundtrack items should be at the end of the video in the credits.
@@StreetfilmsCommunity Dank u wel.
I have recently attended a town council meeting to address bicycle infrastructure... the mayor and town manager seem to want to help but my town has state, county and city roads all controlled by separate entities... will take some more coordination... I will get there though
If the weather in Amsterdam wasn't shite I'd move there tomorrow!
Weather isn't that bad, it's rarely too hot or too cold, it rains not nearly as much as people think (and if you wait 5-10' it might stop, or you dress accordingly).. it's windy, though.
There was a test done in 1972( or 71) in Los Angeles which found out that a steam bus that burns kerosene is less polluting than a diesel bus, they could be into something there? By the time petrol cars were in their infancy steam had been around for about 100 years and were getting quite advanced and by the 1920s sometimes it was a simple as filling the car up with water and turning the key and waiting about a minute to get enough steam to move and as the steam generator gets hotter it becomes more efficient.
Cool....my kinda town. I sold my vehicle this January (2020) and I loved my car.....but I had a Retro Ladies bicycle that I rarely used and I was lazy driving everywhere and overweight. I sold my vehicle so that I have no other option to exercise every day to get anywhere. Town is only about a 15-20 minute walk, but because i'm overweight walking is uncomfortable plus I love cycling anyways. I love it and it's normal again, just like when I was young and only stopped cycling when I started working and when NZ brought in law to wear a helmet.
I sometimes wear a helmet, mostly I don't - as many people in nz are quite relaxed about helmet use but I would advise for children to still wear helmets because we have a lot of arsehole vehicle drivers still. I would love my town to become a Bicycle Town. Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand.
Thumbs up to the Dutch people!
7:41 They _did_ yield (and stop) for the tram, but since the tram stopped anyway, they decided to cross.
IDK why it stopped though. It seems to me that it was very clear the cyclists were going to stop even from 15+ meters away, so there was no reason for it to keep braking until stopping.
Amazing I live in Amsterdam and didn't know these facts, nice! The cars are not going so fast unless they have blue license plates. I pass through that intersection almost everyday.
@John Yeah I agree I was going make a vlog about it but don't want the Uber Mafia after me xD hahah
I once had my jacket flung over my shoulder holding it with one hand, a car passed me too close and hit my other elbow with his mirror (slightly, not hard we both were at a traffic light, him driving slow) It took me of balance and I fell against the car slightly. But before he was totally passed me and I would have fallen to the road, I shifted my balance a bit, and was upright again. We both simply went our way as if nothing happened.
Didn't spot any overweight cyclists there...
@Roosje Keizer No... We exist.
We exist indeed. To be fair cycling is "easier" then walking, takes less effort to go the same distance. So I am at times lazy and take my bike...
but not everyone uses a bike, let's be honest.
@1:45 nice e92 335 passing by. One of the quickest and nicest modern bmw
One tip for foreigners.
At the end. You see that guy letting his 5 year old ride on the outside... Never do that. You should always be the one on the outside.
I'm sure it was just done for the purposes of getting a good camera shot or something. But in general, that's a rule you want to follow.
Since I was riding on the outside we considered that was acceptable. To capture the shot, otherwise he would be hidden behind dad and better for me to be positioned there instead of making them ride further in the street. So you are correct.
I love you amsterdam!!
Great vid - thanks!
Amazing documentary.....thank you for this.....it shows that using a bike is not actually something special....I truly hope the "rest" of the world get's it.....it's clean, cheap, affective and above all ; healthy....many greetings from an "upright"-bike-user of The Netherlands
Amazing, make another video please
Way forward!
Love Amsterdam
I'm from brighton in the UK and I can't help but notice that this lady's bike doesn't have gears. what incline can it take?
I teached myself to ride a bike at age 2 without any help or sidewheels. Is that impressive? 😂
I wish North America was more cycle friendly. My husband and I decided this year we will cycle everywhere in our city, and each bought a bike (just about $100 bikes, we don’t need anything crazy), and it’s shocking at how “ignored” cyclist are here. Completely disregarded by cars, or any other motor vehicle. 🙄
I just bought one of those bikes and had it shipped over here and it was $1,500 😬😬😬.
The last time I cycled in Amsterdam was on a borrowed bike which was too big for me. It was terrifying! Not because of the cyclists but because of the bike's brakes - give me both brakes on the handlebars every time! I had never realised that I back-pedal slightly to coast - try that on a Dutch bike and you crash to a halt.
I'd be in trouble with my fixed gear bike for sure. It looks every so crowded and I'd probably choose the main road over the cycle lane hence conflicting with drivers.
Choosing the main road in that case would be 1. forbidden by law, 2. very dangerous, 3. enormously annoying for the others.
The "Likes" have it. Biking it is!