Meet my good friend Rose. A free spirit, a talented artist & a lover of Amsterdam. Today I helped her out at one of the locations that displays her art. After finishing up we hopped on our bikes and rode back into the center. An off the cuff, yet perfect moment to get her on the record: Rose loves #bikeAMS TV. Enjoy.

I recently stated that bicycles are the most social means of transportation. Some would say I’m merely preaching to the choir, others might quip “Yeah, sure, maybe in your world, over here it’s war/we’re not even allowed to ride two-abreast/we don’t have time for that sort of thing”.

I understand all that, but putting that aside for a second, I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s really the case. I witness it every day, the socialization factor is X. Yes, Social Factor X marks this mode. This social mobility is vertical, horizontal and diagonal. It enhances city life, personal experiences & generally puts the observer in a very good mood. A win-win.

Using a bike for practical purposes is no different than, aka part of, just going about life, really, so just this fact alone allows every aspect of life to continue, albeit on two wheels (or more).

Amsterdamize was established to not talk the talk so much, but show it, so here we go. First up, a man moving his painting by bike. Again, Dutch people carrying stuff on their bike is as ordinary as…well, name anything.

Then he slows down and gets off his bike. At first I thought he had arrived at his destination. But no, he dismounted because he saw a friend and decided to catch up with him, walking along.

Others bumping into a friend and catching up…

Which brings us to the classic ’sharing the ride with your offspring’…

Equal to walking, it also allows you to catch up with the state of affairs on the fly…

And it helps speed up the shopping together process…despite a few inclines here and there…

You’re also more likely to have some heartwarming interaction with street photographers…

Finishing lunch while making the handicapped more able…

Strengthening the father-daughter relationship…

Checking up on your daughter and friends, swimming in the Amstel River…

Finally, when you’re a kid, there’s no reason not to continue fooling around with your best buddy…

Well, the following ain’t half bad, either :)…

It’s clearly red. Yet so many bicycle campaigns try to convince me otherwise it’s disturbing.

What it really is, is the best way to get from A to B. It is so for many reasons, not least because Amsterdam has made a big effort in making it convenient. Using a bike for getting around also happens to be green, economical, chic, fun, healthy, practical… you name it. Yet, as Marco quite brilliantly says over at Münchenierung, it can never be only marketing.

Take for instance the bicycle parking at train station in Amsterdam Zuid (WTC). You go, get a ticket, lock your bike, and off you go. Your bike will be there when you get back, safe and dry. It’s even free for the first 24 hours! After that it’s only 50 cents a day, so I tend to leave my bike there when I go to the airport.

You will have a hard time convincing people to ride a bike because it’s green -or economical, or chic, or fun or healthy, if they don’t find it convenient and safe. At the end of the day, most people will simply do what it’s easier for them to do. Nothing wrong with that, life’s hard enough as it is.

Amsterdam loves it’s bikes, no matter what colour they are.

A new day, a new video camera, new opportunities. The early evening light was exquisite, so I just headed out, doodling about. 25 minutes of footage brought back to a little under 13. It was a beautiful maiden voyage for my little HD friend & it passed the test…no, it aced it. For those interested: I shot it at 720p & 60 frames/sec*.

Here you go, ‘Veraneando En Amsterdam’, or: enjoying summer in Amsterdam. Enjoy the ride*.

* I wanted to export it to HD 1080p, but it turned out to big. The same applied to the 720p version, too big for Vimeo. I had to choose between cutting it up yet again or leaving it at a lower resolution. I chose the latter.

** Over the years I’ve noticed (to put it lightly) that when people watch a video like this, they often comment: “But what about when it’s raining or snowing? Surely, people won’t cycle that much then?” Sure they do, because it’s convenient. Here’s an old video of mine shot in December 2008, ‘Sinfonia Cyclissimo‘. Or watch Mark Wagenbuur’s videos, winter & http://amsterdamize.com/?p=2390

Just a few summer images from the Bicycle Capital. A stack of postcards, if you will.

I have to admit, I have it easy. I live in Amsterdam. Whether I stick my head out of the window or step outside, ANYwhere I go and look (aka, point my camera) there are bikes. Either stationary or with people on them. There’s not a single angle you can view this city without them draping the mis-en-scene. The same, and often more of it applies to the rest of the country.

Anyway, as Amsterdamize’s faithful readers know, it doesn’t mean I take that for granted, unlike many of my fellow Dutchies. They just ride. They put cycling on the same conscious level as walking. You just move, from A to B. “Cycling is just a faster way of walking” & “Bikes are like shoes” are popular memes. We’ve come a long way since the destructive decline between 1950 – 1975. Newcomers: that’s geek speak for ‘this bicycle culture was man-made‘.

Sundays aren’t any different from other days of the week. So similarly, I had my camera with me and on my A to B to C to D route I first stopped for 15 minutes at Meester Visserplein near Waterloo square I started clicking away, aka I put my hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

It’s always nice to get a kiss for your efforts ;).

Next up, I positioned myself in front of Cafe Americain of the American Hotel on Leidseplein, again for about 15 min. Plenty to see.

And often enough, somebody notices me too ;).

“…what we need is more people that ride bikes.” True words spoken by Michael Bauch, maker of the now well-known bicycle documentary ‘Riding Bikes With The Dutch’.

There are many words for different purposes utilizing the best invention ever. Don’t let the labels distract you. And there are many people who like you to believe that you need to worry about all sorts of gear before even thinking about hopping on that saddle. Be very suspect of those, they only want to sell you stuff you don’t really need.

Instead, focus on the important: breathe that air, let your mind escape, absorb your city, town, neighborhood, streets, bricks, sounds, smells. Connect with your habitat. Nod, affirm, gesture, be gentle. Let it tingle, sing, hum, rock, or just be. Be you. At ease, at your own pace. Agile & smooth, flexible, purposeful. No sweat, no religion, no politics, just you & those you choose, those who you encounter. Those who will help you and you will meet again.

It will make you feel so much better. 100% guaranteed.

Don’t take it from me. Ask any of these people. ;)

Even when it’s not really your day…

On the threshold of summer & inspired by my own personal travels on the road to love, I give you the very best of my ‘Love Is…Bike’ photo series.

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As for us, correlation really does imply causation…:)

Last October I ventured outside with a video camera on a cold, windy and rainy Saturday afternoon. I tried several times, but I never really started editing…until this week. And right after hearing this news today, I was determined to have it done by this evening.

I already confessed my love for cycling in this great, beautiful and forgiving city with ‘Sinfonia Cyclissimo‘ well over a year ago, but here’s its successor, a new ode, if you will: ‘Free’.

Enjoy!

Christmas is approaching fast, the town has been lit up for a while now and many among us are shopping accordingly. One item in particular is hard to overlook while cycling through Amsterdam.

And have a good laugh about just riding off with it. Lumberjack-style.

Oh heck, and let’s throw in a few from a year ago for good measure.

Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Now let’s look ahead and hope for the current cold spell to deliver on its promises…

Ps, Marjon, I think your latest addition would be the perfect xmas card.

UPDATE: Drooderfiets submitted this little nugget, I edited it up and felt it would fit best with this post. Thanks!

Fall has taken a firm grip on Amsterdam, tossing and turning, unresolved on what to throw at its inhabitants, sometimes ruthlessly blowing or sprinkling deceivingly teasing rays.

One constant remains. People keep on pedaling. More than ever, apparently (more about that in the next post). Me, I’ve been going a new route. Something you get used to quite quickly. It only takes a few mornings to get a good feel of how traffic flows around you on certain streets that entail some squeezing. It is that organic thing. Everybody knows the ground rules, but it’s about how you make some up as you go, without being a nuisance to anyone. The unwritten rules are far more interesting. They are still rules. Rules of engagement and common sense. Because there will always be people around you more vulnerable than you.

In the end, these musings are all quite inconsequential, of course, but who isn’t experiencing melancholy this season, right? Then, you sit back, start a blog post and while typing away, you get informed on other things you take for granted, but aren’t exactly half bad. :)

Lastly, if you’ve been wondering what’s up with the quality of my pics lately, then you haven’t heard yet about my declining camera-karma of late, leaving me dependent on flipping out the phone camera. One more month left of looking desperately forward to the arrival of my new Nikon.

What does your ride look like these days?

After a brief hiatus, I can now post again about my life on (and off) two wheels. In this case, four wheels, as I was fortunate to be host to Lauren, visiting me before flying off to her destination for the summer, Italy.

No better way to explore (and show off) Amsterdam than by bike. You know that by now. That, and on something that will float on the canals, of course. The weather was typically Dutch on the verge of summer, so hardly the best, but forgiving enough to enjoy the slower paced activities that this city accommodates.

Lauren blended in and stood out at the same time, graciously and more Cycle Chic that most Dutch women, weaving through traffic, enjoying her surroundings and having a giggle or two with all those Dutchies riding circles around her ;).

Suffice to say, we had a great time…then the unexpected happened:

Well I went to the left to pass a biker and all of a sudden I became parallel with the tram lines and then my wheel went right into the line…as it was all going down and I was going down for that matter a million things were going through my mind like “YOU KNOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE TRAM LINE!” “F*ck I am in foreign country and about to have an accident”, “please don’t let a car hit me”, oh my goodness my parents are going to be so worried” and finally….”this is mortifying!!!!”

Yes, very unlucky. However, you’ll find that after a medical checkup she didn’t let the bruises dampen her spirits. In true form and with a great sense for reality, she came to grips with it and moved on.

She could easily have been Dutch :).

While the rest of the world is coming to terms with infrastructure, wasting time with that silly and never-ending helmet debate, going bonkers over road rage, rules, tribes, type of hubs, supposedly necessary cycle gear and what not, I had some more fun on and off my bike.

Hence, my message for now: Love Today.

Update: I re-edited it, I ‘killed my darlings’, as they say, cut/sped it up and tweaked it more to the vibe and my liking. Ergo: Love Today – Redux

Go here for the full monty, aka a high resolution Quick Time version.

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!