It would be a crime to visit Amsterdam and not make a blog post about my takeaways of their cycling culture and infrastructure. So here we are. Initially, biking in Amsterdam I was scared. It was more crowded than Odense, but people still carried out the same bike rules of the road where you basically just do whatever you want (more on this in my NL vs DK blog post). Acknowledging the others on the road and remaining aware of your surroundings are the rules of the bike lanes in the Netherlands. Anyway, this was a bit more difficult to get used to when there are just far more people on the roads. Once I got the hang of being on the Dutch bike lanes, I was able to notice more and enjoy my surroundings.
The first thing I noticed about the cycling structure in Amsterdam is that every single road is made with cyclists in mind. Cyclists are allowed everywhere. Every street in the city center is a “fietsstraat” or a road where bikes have priority. Cars can only drive 30 km an hour and can not pass cyclists! I really appreciated this because I was able to explore all the little streets near the canals as a cyclist. Along with that, all of the streets have cobblestone that is paved down or not uncomfortable for cyclists! Another thing I noticed riding in Amsterdam was that although the city was larger, rides did not feel as long. From our hostel, it took about 15 minutes to get anywhere which in all the other cities felt longer and harder to navigate, but in Amsterdam, the time went fast. I anticipate this could be because there is so much going on in the city, but also the city is truly set up for bikes; I barely had to make many turns to get to my final destination. The cycling highways in the city are just perfectly made and planned. Amsterdam is one of the larger cities we visited, yet none of us experienced any issues getting around anywhere throughout the city. I also loved how I could park through parks in the city! The city of Amsterdam also does a wonderful job of creating green spaces and quieter cycling paths outside of the busier city. The city of Amsterdam and city planners are not afraid to invest in bicycle infrastructure. For example, there are advanced bike bridges all across the canals to ensure that cyclists have the fastest route. There are many long-short ways, like the ones we saw in Copenhagen, which allow for an easier and ultimately faster route for cyclists. Nearly every curb has a little ramp for cyclists to get onto the sidewalk!
Cycling in Amsterdam was such a wonderful experience for me! It was a highly anticipated experience and it truly did prove itself as one of the best cycling cities in the world!
Yours,
Macy
