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 frosty, but sunny Saturday in December. Errands to run, people to meet and just enjoy your city. The streets are busy as hell these days, of course, but bearable, as Amsterdammers (and visitors) cover them on foot, by tram and…well, you know what this blog is all about.

Entering & leaving Albert Cuyp Market

Good ol’ fashioned wool mints

Man in black

Ugg and Company & panniers are for flowers

Smashing blue waiting for anti-abortion demonstrators to pass

Smashing green & absolutely nothing wrong with pink

Keeping tabs on friends & keeping tabs on accessories

Wonder whether he’s a doctor & much needed shopping refreshment

Girls just wanna have fun & classy apparel

Who wouldn’t smile on a day like this…

Oh, about that ‘Cycle Chic’ thing: many people online take that term too literally. It’s not about dressing up to cycle (like you need to go on the cover of a magazine), but about not needing special gear. Dress like you always do and just hop on. It’s really that easy. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. It would be the world upside down.

Every day I leave the supermarket and turn into this street to continue my ride home. Up until last weekend I hadn’t really noticed these signs. The owner(s) of the restaurant on the corner apparently had enough and wanted to put a stop to people biking there, probably hindering their clientele and employees. The signs have a nice touch, movable plant ornaments with a polite message and signed with the peace symbol. Still, at first I was surprised, because I couldn’t imagine it to be such a problem, knowing that locals mostly (and shortly) ride there to actually park in front of their homes or the shops. Besides that, you won’t find many of the obligatory flocks of tourist bike salmons in this part of town. Quickly I realized the bike lane was put there only recently. So I did a Google Streetview check to see if that would supply me with some ‘before’ footage…bingo:

Google Streetview Amstelveenseweg/Veerstraat

I was right, there had to be more to it, I just forgot about the fact that the entire street leading from Surinamestraat up to this junction at Zeilstraat had been under construction, renewing the tarmac and tram tracks and reconfiguring the bike lane grid, moving away from the on-street situation.

As you can imagine, as well, I can see how people would cut corners at this junction during rush hour and move to the sidewalk to turn right, avoiding the hassle of dealing with tightly lined up cars at the traffic lights. Ergo, leave no real room for road users and these road users will quickly find an alternative. And at some point annoy others, like pedestrians and restaurant owners.

The newly installed bike lane is of standard (a-grade) quality. Completely segregated with a buffer zone on the left side, a billiard-like smooth surface, integrated bike junctions and exit paths and, of course, bicycle traffic lights at every car junction. Here are a few shots to get the picture:

The new bike lane, starting at Surinamestraat

Passing the western side of Vondelpark

The new bicycle crossing at Vondelpark entrance

Passing the restaurant in question

You know it's all good when young kids can ride home alone from hockey practice

Now I wonder how long it will take the restaurant owner to realize there’s no real use for them anymore. Well, the ornaments can stay, I guess :).

Sometimes ordinary things can just click. In this case, a set of video moments from my daily commute and a particular song.