It’s here. And it doesn’t look like it will skip town anytime soon. In just a week we moved from just catching some rays to, yes, dare I say it…springy-dee springtime. What a relief. And no other way to prematurely celebrate a new season than with a ride around town…aka lots of pictures :). Let there be light.

Ok, ok, Mr Freight deserves one too.

Every winter you’ll see the same phenomenon unfold in Amsterdam (and basically anywhere else in the country): the Dutch desperately seeking refuge on the terraces.

A people desperate for a shot of UV, specially near the end of a long, cold and dark winter, a real winter.

This one being the record-braker that it was, last weekend the sight of Amsterdammers scrambling for their spot in the sun must have triggered the curiosity of many visitors: “How can these people sit outside? It’s freezing!!”

As always, the answer is quite simple. Blue skies, the sun blazing and there was hardly any wind to speak of. All you need to temporarily escape the grip of a relentless winter.

Oh, and of course they will get to their place in the sun by bicycle. You could call that instrumental for a full recovery…and dream of the end of winter. And when you let people on bicycles be your seasonal talisman, you’d be convinced spring had already arrived ;).

Stop at any junction in Amsterdam, and instantly you’ll feel like you’ve entered the realm of a busy beehive. These bees, however, won’t sting.

Cycle Chic bees doing the side saddle hop & go

Mobile buzzing

Talkative bees

Wind so cold, it would turn any bee purple

Always anticipating bee

Pets included

Bee friends buzzing their goodbyes

A bee facing fashion & the most joyful smile you’ll ever get from a cycle chic bee

Busy bees are of the hungry kind

They sure are a happy lot, those cycling bees

See all of the Bicycle Beehive here or here.

There’s no denial anymore, winter has really arrived. Best of all, it’s a sunny winter spell. Snow fall at night, all clear and crispy during the day, little bit of wind chill…How cold? I dunno, it was cold. ;)

On Friday afternoon I set out to capture what would become the first part. My friend Isabelle already lamented the fact that I had missed out on the beautiful morning light hitting the city. But she was nice enough to share it with me (see above).

But rest assured, the afternoon light wasn’t too shabby, either.

Take-away coffee

High heels txt stop

Then, as soon as I was back home it started snowing and basically that hasn’t stopped since. So here’s a selection of part deux of this winter cycle wonderland;

Dear readers, meet Karlijn, she inquired about my presence :)

Mr. Freight deserved this shot, after fulfilling his tasks so effortlessly.

There are many more in the Winter Cycle Wonderland set, in case you can’t get enough :).

More here.

Paying more attention to his cellphone than the new bike path.

Elephant watching on Museum Square.

Oh, hello! Yes, I'm back at it again :).

Just lyrical…

Side Saddle’s All In The Family.

Designated Rider

Superior seating.

Txt & Ride

Finally I spotted a friend crossing the street. Hi, Jasmijn, very cycle chic ;).

Time to go home.

See ‘m all in the ‘Cycle Embrace‘ photo set.

What does your ride look like these days?

A long overdue and lengthy leftover from my travels this summer. Biking Berlin with Lauren & Teresa on our orange Fat Tire rental bikes.

Not too long ago I had the pleasure of hosting some good people from abroad. This happens quite often, something I really enjoy. I mean, what’s not to like about showing people around in your home town and having even the smallest impact on how they experience cycling in the Netherlands. Well, in this case ‘hosting’ is a big word, as I was asked to participate in a cycling documentary for Dublin Community TV.

Producer Rob Carr explained it all in his request:

The TV Series is 3 part documentary on cycling in Dublin. The main premise of the series will be to look at how a cycling culture can be developed in Dublin and what that might look like. To that end, one programme will be a kind of travelogue where we go on a journey from Dublin to Amsterdam via London by bike, ferry and train. We will follow Ciaran Fallon (the new Cycling Officer at Dublin City Council) on his journey as he meets various people involved in the cycling cultures of London and Amsterdam to see what is happening from a cycling perspective in those cities and what Dublin can learn from them. We are of course hoping you will be one of these people…

Others we are hoping top interview are Ria Hilhorst, Directorate of Infrastructure at City of Amsterdam and Theo Zeegers from Fietersbond.

In Amsterdam we will look at the infrastructure – the bike lanes and the integration with public transport. We also hope to highlight the notion of the bike as a normal, easy, fashionable (of course), everyday means of transport (the idea that one just cycles in their everyday clothes is still a hard thing to get across to people in Ireland). The majority in Dublin do not yet view cycling in this way although there is a hint that things are starting to change (Ciaran Fallon, the Dublin city Cycling officer, is a very progressive guy who sees an Amsterdam type cycling culture as the way to go for Dublin). We also want to examine the issue from a cultural aspect. We in Ireland seem to have a very American attitude towards cars – hence making our cities very car dependent while in Amsterdam it seems to me that the culture has a better understanding of shared space for pedestrians, cars and bikes and that has lead to a more liveable city – something very positive to highlight in our documentary.

As a long time follower of your blog it would be great if we could interview you for the documentary.

Hurrying back to continue inside..

After work I hurried (I think I’ve never cycled this fast before, I actually sweated…) to our rendez-vous on Nieuwmarket, shook hands and the TV crew, Ciaran Fallon and I went on our way. In part it was to be an interview on wheels. The cameraman positioned in a rental bakfiets, the audio technician steering it and Ciaran had me chat up a storm (quite literally, as very dark clouds moved in and blanketed the city).

Almost naturally our conversation went from the obvious to the more intrinsic/historical aspects of Dutch bicycle ‘culture’, leading to some important myth busting (not towards Ciaran, but the general perception abroad):

• No, this cycling Nirvana hasn’t been around for centuries, it was man-made.
• No, people don’t cycle this much because the country is flat, but because it’s practical, convenient and fun, rain or shine.
• No, we’re not high on anything, tourists are. (this is a bonus entry, just had to put that in :-p)

Just as we arrived at one of Amsterdam’s pivotal ‘infra grids’, the rain forced us inside for the second leg of the interview, which was equally fun and interesting. We wrapped it all up with a few lagers (the Irish and Dutch also have so much in common) and an invite to Dublin was born.

Typically enough, this morning a friend of mine from Dublin sent me this news article, ‘Wheels start turning as city gets saddled up’, covering the launch of the Dublinbikes bike sharing program.

Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

‘Ugh’ was my first response to the article’s first paragraph’s and main focus on the absence of helmets, a smile came next. Somebody enlightened at Dublin City Hall has clearly injected some sanity into the decision making process…I think it’s someone I recently met. :)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to unlock Mr Freight as I’m meeting up again with cycle trotter Anthony from Memphis, Tennessee.

Mikael in Amsterdam

No, I didn’t just convert to vehicular cycling, that would be stooooopid and turning back the clock 40 odd years.

Last week Mikael reported on Copenhagen’s plans to expand its network of bicycle lanes further outward to the suburbs, through so-called ‘Bicycle Super Highways‘, which is uhm, yeah, super duper, as it will invite and enable even more people to comfortably opt for their bicycle as a form of transportation.

I’m very fond of Copenhagen’s bicycle heaven, as you know, and I think their ambitions are only to be applauded and pretty much envied. Sure, Mikael is still fighting his Don Quichote-like but relatively effective battle with the institutionalized helmet zealots, who’s fear mongering has brainwashed even the moderate (but, according to Mikael, very compliant) Danes into thinking they should wear these strange and deceptive contraptions, even though they supposedly live in ‘the most bicycle friendly city in the world’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not nitpicking or picking a fight or anything, but rates-wise there are hundreds of Copenhagens in the Netherlands.

Anyway, I saw this bicycle infrastructure news, I figured it shouldn’t go unmentioned here as it relates to the above and my last remark.

Dutch move into the fast lane with ‘bicycle highways’

The plan is part of a government initiative to promote bicycle use, especially among those who commute to work everyday by car.

The Hague – Roughly EUR 25 million has been earmarked for the construction of more bicycle highways, announced the ministry of traffic and waterways Monday.

Bicycle highways are broad cycling paths without intersections which allow cyclists to quickly cover long distances. The ministry plans to double the number of such highways in the Netherlands over the cabinet period.

The plan is part of a government initiative to promote bicycle use, especially among those who commute to work everyday by car.

“Cycling is a practical, healthy and good for the environment,” deputy transport minister Tineke Huizinga wrote in a letter to the lower house of parliament.

At present, the Netherlands has five bicycle highways, including two connecting Amsterdam with Utrecht and Breda with Etten-Leur. There are currently plans for a bicycle highway connecting The Hague with Leiden and Arnhem with Nijmegen.

Free guarded bicycle parking garage

Municipalities and provinces are invited to submit plans to the ministry for more bicycle highways in their region.

In addition to bicycle highways, the government has planned other measures to increase cycle use.

By 2013, the ministry hopes 100,000 additional bicycle parking places will be added around train, tram and bus stations. At least 20 municipalities will co-operate with the ministry in removing discarded bicycles from bicycle stalls, which will free up existing spaces.

The various measures and projects are in close collaboration with established players in the cycling field including bicycle industry representatives and civil societies, said the traffic ministry in a press release.

Source: Radio Netherlands / Expatica

So, if you’ve been following Mikael, David Hembrow and this blog, you can see the Dutch and the Danes have a similarly serious approach to cycling and appropriated means to enable it. However, there are literally hundreds of towns and cities in the Netherlands that have comparable or higher cycling rates (such as Groningen – currently close to 60%, Utrecht – 35%, or a smaller town like Houten – 55%) than Copenhagen. Amsterdam is still trying to figure out what the real modal rate is, but this fine city has achieved something memorable, as more trips are by undertaken by bike than by car.

In general, comparing Danish and Dutch cycling rates on a national or local basis is like comparing apples and oranges. Denmark has a far smaller population (5.4 million vs 16.5 million). Of course this alone doesn’t take anything away from CPH’s or Odense’s achievements, but it needs some perspective.

The real difference is scale, inter-connectivity, quality and safety. While CPH is planning to connect the rest of the outer-city, The Netherlands (twice the size of New Jersey) has approximately 29.000 km of bicycle infrastructure, connecting the entire country, from cities to rural areas, it doesn’t matter, anywhere you go, you’ll be able to navigate a highly indexed and maintained network of separated bicycle paths & routes (and it’s very likely you’ll find many paths that aren’t mapped out), all conveniently supported by clearly defined signage and most routes will provide you with the shortest distances from one point to the other (as compared to the vehicular ones). Ergo: urbanization, scale, density, but also sprawl have to be taken into consideration when you talk about these rates. And contrary to popular beliefs, the Netherlands has plenty of urban sprawl.

16.5 million people, 18+ million bikes and EVERYONE cycles, old and young. 37% of all Dutch people cycle daily, to work, school, the shops, etc. Amsterdam has the reputation, but is NOT the best example of a successful bicycle city in the Netherlands, there are many, many other cities that top its rates and quality of bicycle infrastructure. Speaking of rates, Copenhagen mostly advertises commuter cycle rates. Important, but not completely indicative of a truly bicycle-friendly city. Because other statistics show that about 20-30% of cyclists feel the need to wear a helmet (which is also promoted) and 50% of its citizens feels the infrastructure is not safe enough, also regarding letting their children ride to school. Comparing Amsterdam and Copenhagen (while acknowledging the differences in grid) based on just those aspects cycling is much safer and its infrastructure of significant higher quality.

To follow up on all of this, some more background info & updated news about the funding:

5 bicycle highways around Amsterdam and Deventer were put in place to see if these routes would indeed get people out of their cars and onto their bikes to commute to work. Apparently they worked. The norm distance for most people to decide to cycle to work is 7.5 km. The bicycle highways, completely segregated, well lit and comfortable (immaculate surface), stretched this distance to 15 km. In other words: the layout of these highways convinced 5% of car drivers on those routes to ditch their cars and cycle (longer distances) to work.

With these results, the minister acted swiftly and budgeted an extra 70 million Euros for expansion of regional (and potentially nationally connected) bicycle highways.

One particular aspect Amsterdam and Dutch government bodies really suck at is their obvious and deeply rooted modesty (and/or ignorance & lack of perspective) when we talk international cycling promotion. Sure, policy wise and in terms of policy cooperation with other cities around the world they do quite a bit, but there is not one powerful, concerted effort dealing with cycling promotion (in all its facets). Copenhagen beats them to the punch in creating a tangible and very uplifting export product. That, and our national cycling institutions completely underestimate what’s going on worldwide.

It’s pretty pathetic that there are basically a few private citizens and basically one professional doing their work for them.

Finally there’s a moment in our history when we have something more exciting than cheese, tulips and wooden shoes to push…I mean excite people with…they should really, really, REALLY wake up and smell the coffee [or insert bicycle-acronym]. Come on, for crying out loud, even beer brewers did.

My overarching point? Mikael started this journey to a better cycling world by showing the means and the subsequent beauty of urban cycling and is one of the best advocates out there, but even he can sometimes get ahead of himself a bit. Bless his British-Danish heart. :)

Now, if only Dutch authorities and cycling organizations would really wake up and give BikeNL the proper push internationally…

On a break during work I was able to observe and document mid-day traffic in Utrecht.

Also on this day and the next, same location, I witnessed the start of the new academic year: Introduction Week. Fraternities, student sports clubs and other establishments trying to woo these freshmen and women into joining. These kids (do I sound old now?) have to go from one part of town to other to not miss a thing…and you won’t see ‘m on anything else but two wheels. How else are you going to quickly and smoothly establish a connection with the opposite sex, right?

Suffice to say, Berlin was cool. Well, we did enjoy nice warm weather, but the city’s kool factor is hard to describe without seeing it for yourself. Pictures will go only so far.

The last time I was there was during the World Cup in 2006 and as far as I could tell it has only gained more charm. Charm meaning: still and perhaps even more so that time-warp feeling of the 80’s and 90’s, both the urban vibe on the streets and the people. Non-conformists, making up their own fabric.

I think there’s not a city that so vividly and fittingly embraces street art as Berlin does. Graffiti is all around, truly amazing stuff and every neighborhood has at least a few hubs where artists have setup shop. You’d be blind to miss it.

Something I recognize, it reminds me of the more anarchistic and everything-goes Amsterdam of yester years. The good people of Berlin should know better, this characteristic of the city is essential, we can all see what impact massive gentrification can have.

One thing that did change since I was last there, there’s notably more cycling going on. Great diversity, young and old, hipsters (lots of fixies) and ‘commuters’ (for lack of better word), it’s happenin’. You can tell people enjoy it, no matter the still high volume of car traffic.

This increase of cycling and the way people move about on bikes also showed me that Berliners/Germans have so much in common with the Dutch. Uncomplicated, laissez-faire, utilitarian, practical, but with flair and lots of personality. A joy to be a witness of while walking and riding around.

Go there. You’ll love it.

That’s all I got. What was I thinking…these pictures wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of Álvaro who lend me his camera for this trip, as my Nikon is in repairs. Heel veel dank, man!

See the photo sets ‘Ich Bin Ein Berliner‘ & ‘Spaß In Berlin‘ for many more impressions.

Running that errand I took a few with my Nokia (as I’ve done many times before), and however ok they can come out, it’s hardly the same, they also require some tuning to make ‘m more interesting.

Ha, no, I don’t have a backup Polaroid, there are ways around that, but I can fall back on the photo function of my Sony HDD video camera. Lucky me. I’d feel pretty desperate and naked.

Walk, no, stride like the locals do and act like you meant to turn into yet another cute little alley way to discover its hidden treasures.

At least once a day, make sure you sit down for one form or the other of antipasti. Perfecto as an excuse for people-watching and recharging for the next round on the lungomare.

Take your time to spot and appreciate all types of stylish urban creatures emerging from all the little cracks of the city.

Don’t feel bad about not having pedaled those vibrant streets yourself, as you can still consider yourself fortunate (and a little bit of a Roman) to have cruised around on that other set of wheels.

After all, you’re on vacation in not just any old ‘città d’amore‘. Regardless of bella gente sulle biciclette.

I’m already breaking my own vow of blog silence, posting yet another time, but it’s definitely worth it.

Recently Fietsberaad (Cycle Council) and the Department of Transportation and Water Management updated their ‘Cycling in the Netherlands’ document, as (international) demand for it required this. It’s a general, but detailed brochure about bicycle use and bicycle policy in the Netherlands, available in 4 other languages (pdf):

• Cycling in the Netherlands 2009 (English)
• Radfahren in den Niederlanden 2009 (Deutsch)
• Le vélo aux Pays Bas 2009 (Français)
• La bicicleta en Países Bajos 2009 (Español)

Not so long ago this site was bombarded (‘harassed’ would also fit the bill) with commentary from abroad about how segregated bicycle infrastructure is in fact dangerous (citing bad implementation of some bike lanes in Hackney (UK) as proof) and just this week another commenter schooled me on how we’re slaves of the motorists society, being put in place and how we are deluding ourselves.

One quote: “In Britain the cyclists have fought back. The main cyclists’ organization CTC doesn’t want facilities. Instead they have wonderful educational program called ‘Bikeability’ that teaches the kids and the adults to ride safely on normal streets.”

Right…just don’t tell David Hembrow that, he’ll ride proverbial circles around your ass.

The main gist of these zealous (and fact-free, imho) ‘vehicular cyclists’ is that we should all just claim our spot on the road and all will be well for all. If you read their diatribes you are quickly able to filter out that they are ‘real’ cyclists [regular readers of this blog, you can fill in the rest from here]. Their arguments range widely, but it boils down to a mix of their personal opinions, crazy assumptions about bicycle infrastructure and of what someone has been able to write down in a book of sorts. The latter most likely the cause of the former.

It’s tiring, yes, but up to a point I’m open to suggestions, if they have any merit. Well, I can also say (after reading up on their fora – apparently I’m brain dead -) I’m very comfortable in my decision to stop ‘engaging’ these people. Talking to a wall would be far more effective.

It’s not the first time I’ve seen this phenomenon, of course. You don’t want to know how many times I had to explain to visiting friends from abroad that the Dutch are not all on drugs, just because it (the soft variety) is available. Equally shocking was the news that drug use among Dutch people is the lowest compared to other Western societies (where it is banned and waged war on). How silly of us to try it differently and come up on top (but yes, tourists going nuts/bezurk on that stuff ruin it for the rest of us).

Hence, I figured this document would be a good read for those who are interested in facts, based on empirical evidence, measured, followed up on, analyzed and put into perspective (also very important, internationally).

To all the bobble heads…I mean, road warriors…I mean, vehicular cyclists out there, feast on this. It’s on the house.

Upgraded bicycle routes attract more cyclists

The bicycle routes between Rotterdam and Delft and between Zoetermeer and Den Haag have been upgraded in order to attract more commuting cyclists. This was part of the Fiets Filevrij campaign of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, encompassing eight routes overall.

The ten kilometres between Rotterdam and Delft have now been transformed in part to a direct and fast bicycle route with a largely separate bike path and few intersections. The route has been asphalted partly in red, has no traffic lights at all and the cyclist always has the right of way.

According to a interim evaluation measures like levelling asphalt, adding lighting, separating cyclists from other traffic and removing barriers lead to a measurable increase in the number of cyclists.

Of the cyclists interviewed on five congestion-free routes, 28 per cent were new cyclists and 72 per cent were existing cyclists. Of the new additions, 4 per cent used to travel by car. Of the existing cyclists 1 per cent cycled more often, instead of travelling by car. On the routes Utrecht-Breukelen and Rotterdam-Delft a very distinct increase (more than double) of the number of cyclists has occurred after the upgrading.

In addition the evaluation demonstrates that the Fiets Filevrij campaign has a major directing part in upgrading bicycle routes. The combination of stimulation, direction and communication makes it easier to obtain funds and the routes are constructed quickly.

(Note: in this post I never claim cycling here is peachy, clear cut and friction-free. Our nature isn’t like that, so much to argue and complain about. My blog just isn’t focused on the never-ending bullshit that goes on elsewhere, putting salt on every slug/snail. I like to maintain my health and focus on all things that derive from positive promotion of cycling. After all, we’re talking human behavior here, they go in herds, so I’ll stick with the lead-by-example format).

This is also why I ride my bicycle.

Some anticipated but still very good news from the Dutch Bicycle Council (Fietsberaad):

Amsterdam: for the first time, more trips by bike than by car

“In Amsterdam the bicycle is the most widely used means of transportation. In the 2005-2007 period Amsterdammers averaged 0.87 trips per day by bicycle and 0.84 by car. For the first time the bicycle is used more often than the car.

In 2006, all Amsterdammers combined made around 2 million trips per day. This is 8% less than in 1990. This is because the number of trips per person per day has fallen from 3.6 to 3.1. Especially regarding trips within the ring road, known as Old Town.

The number of car trips compared with 1990 fell by 14% in all districts, while the number of bicycle trips inside the ring road has increased by 36%. In the center the bicycle was the dominant means of transportation (41% to 28% on average) and the car the least (18% to 28% on average). This is mainly due to the restrictive parking policy that was initiated in the early 90’s.

In 1990 the Infrastructure and Transport Service Department registered about 235,000 in and out coming car movements through the Singel canal, in 2006 that number had dropped to 172,000, a decrease of more than 25%. In the same period, the number of daily bicycle movements rose from 86,000 to more than 140,000 (+60%). The most popular cycling routes to the center are the Ferdinand Bolstraat, Weesperzijde, Elandsgracht and Spiegelstraat.”

Centrum=within ring road, Oude Stad=Old Town, Periferie=outside ring road

Bold and initially unpopular measures, continuity, persistent measures on all levels will inevitably pay off. Both in the short and the long run.

However quaint and lovely this Amsterdam looks, don’t be fooled. When it comes to riding around town, you need to be overly aware of all modes of traffic that swiftly move around everyday and share this extremely compact city:

• Cars, vans, trucks
• Motorcycles, mopeds
• Trams, busses, taxi’s
• 300.000+ daily cyclists (700.000+ bikes)
• Pedestrians

Ok, the first rule of this series obviously has to do with you, the newbie, the guest, the cycling visiteur being among others. Those ‘others’ would be us, the locals, going from A to B, to C, D, Z and back, ziggedyzag. Day by day, for every errand, for every task, for any venture, we take our bikes and we rule. Mind you, it’s in our blood, we don’t consider it a culture or something quaint. It’s there, we use it, period. We don’t know any better.

First, there’s one important thing I’d like to get out of the way. When you visit and you decide to cycle around, do me and yourself a favor, forget ALL that you think you know about (city) cycling. Why? Because your preconceptions and experiences from home will cloud your judgement. Open your mind, get a grip, try to understand this…in this town you are Nr 1. Yes, YOU, on the bike, are Number 1. Not just for ‘green’ coolness and efficiency, no. 99% of the time you have right of way, cars will be mindful, stop, etc, because drivers are cyclists too. Plus, by law, no matter what mistake you make as a cyclist, you can not be faulted. Aka, in any circumstance, no matter what happens, the car driver will be liable for prosecution for not being careful enough. How’s that, huh? (Just be aware of the speedy trams)

I’m well aware that Amsterdam has its perks and while you’re pumped up about being in this mythical and notorious town, nothing’s seems more fun than mixing up some doobies with a few drinks and then ride the red monster. For argument’s sake, let me disregard that daring prospect for now and deal with it later in another Unwritten Cycle Rule.

Rule #1 is aimed at those that are:

• unfamiliar with Amsterdam
• unfamiliar with cycling
• unfamiliar with cycling in Amsterdam

For most tourists Amsterdam can be overwhelming, disorienting, strange, weird/quirky, unexpecting and a lot of other things. And that’s fine, would be weird if it was anything else, right? The last thing you want to do, as a newbie Amsterdam cyclist, is not appreciate these facts and let them sink into your brain. Unfamiliar grounds, people, traffic, situations, sounds, smells, etc etc.

So, before you mount the (rented) bicycle, be honest with yourself:

• when was the last time you cycled (excluding childhood memories)?
• when was the last time you cycled downtown, in a more than average sized city?
• are you a person worried about the amount of ‘personal space’ people allow you?
• are you a person who’s not known for paramount control of bodily functions?
• have you ever been in a cycle accident and do you still worry about that?
• assuming you come from a typical car-dominated culture, have you ever cursed those crazy cyclists?

If you think you didn’t score that well and you’re still being honest, then we’re on to something. A lot of those millions of tourists that have been so bold to discover this town by bike weren’t so honest. I’d know, I’ve seen them fail, put themselves in harm’s way and basically give tourists a bad name (among the locals).

But I don’t want to spook you…because that would be bad, there’s enough bike related fear mongering going on in this world already. I want you to have fun, without having to worry too much about whether it’s safe or not. The activity of biking in itself is harmless, you’ve just been brainwashed and violated a lot in the course of your life, because nobody provided you with the habitat to do so.

When I talk about Amsterdam’s bike infrastructure, I don’t mean we painted a few lines on the road. No, I’m talking about actual bike lanes, signs, traffic lights, roundabouts, intersections, parking garages, designated hubs, the works. All part of making a city for the people, not cars. And, no, we didn’t implement that for tourists, what did you think this place is, Disneyland? :-)

Hence, regarding biking in Amsterdam, you could take these easy pointers to heart:

• Most Dutch will tell you a few things by default, but I’m sure you don’t get half of the real deal: either ask specifically what the biking essentials are at the bike rental or go to the VVV (tourist) office at Central Station for this information. It’s free.
• With this information (including the map), try to get a good feel for this concentric city. The more you familiarize yourself beforehand, the easier it will be to adapt once you’re on the bike lane.
• Pick a place (courtyard, square, anything but a sidewalk) to get a feel of the bike, to practice hard left and right turns, braking, stopping, balancing etc. Every bike is different, let alone getting on after not having done so for 10 years or more. Just picking the color of your rent-a-bike just won’t cut it to survive.
• If you’re by yourself, closely watch what other people do, go with the flow. There’s no need to go as fast as the Dutch, but it’s not wise to assume you’re king of the road either (which will be explained in an upcoming rule).

What I’ve tried to address in this first rule and its pointers is the fact that you need to be aware of 2 important phenomenons:

1. Amsterdam’s segregated bike infrastructure will allow you to appreciate the city in the best way possible.
2. Amsterdam’s segregated bike infrastructure doesn’t automatically mean you will be safe from yourself.

Amsterdamizer Alan added his words of advice as well:

As a non-native that has lived and obviously cycled in Amsterdam, can I add a couple of points?
However much you’ve looked at a map or Google Earth the reality on the ground can look confusing with the compact, concentric layout and bits of water everywhere:-)
If you’re not going to be following the Amsterdamizer around (or even if you are..):
Wander around on foot with a map for a while in the area you’re going to first cycle in, and watch how the practical bits of the bike structure works. Try and memorise a little route round for a first run, it’s one less worry if you vaguely know where you’re going.
Then off you go, and remember there’s probably a lot more zigging and zagging than in any other city you’ve ever cycled in.
Oh, and make sure the bell on your bike works properly, and keep your thumb near it. You’ll soon discover why!
Now I’m even more envious I’m not back there..:-(

Thanks, Alan! And as a final ‘instruction’, watch this ride:

Stay tuned for Amsterdamize’s Unwritten Cycle Rule #2!