Amsterdam is famous for being a city that is very friendly to bicycles. It has many bike paths, good planning, and funding for cycling, as well as being a popular place for tourists. However, there are also problems, such as many bikes being stolen, safety issues, and crowded areas in some places.
Although Amsterdam is one of the most well-known cities for bicycle culture worldwide, other cities in the Netherlands and other countries are even more bike-friendly. These include The Hague, Eindhoven, and Almere, which were considered for the Fietsstad 2014 award. The city of Groningen won this award in 2001.
Background
Amsterdam has many streets designed to slow down traffic and provide safe spaces for cyclists. These include bike paths, bike racks, and guarded bicycle parking stations called Fietsenstalling, which require payment to use. According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2015, there were 442,693 households (about 850,000 people) in Amsterdam, and together they owned 847,000 bicycles. This means each household had about 1.91 bicycles on average.
Bicycles are used by people of all backgrounds in Amsterdam because they are convenient, the city is small, there are 400 kilometers of bike paths, the land is flat, and driving a car is not easy. Many streets are closed to cars or have one-way traffic for vehicles but are open to cyclists. Bike paths, called Fietspad, are painted red to help people tell them apart from roads and sidewalks.
People in Amsterdam ride many types of bicycles, including the traditional Omafiets, which is a common Dutch bike with a step-through frame. Other types include modern city bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, and even recumbent bikes.
Tourists often use bicycles to explore Amsterdam, following local traditions. Guided bike tours are available for visitors. Bicycle traffic, including all types of traffic, is generally safe. In 2007, there were 18 traffic-related deaths in total in Amsterdam.
About 38% of all trips in Amsterdam are made by bicycle. Bicycle theft is a common problem in the city. In 2005, about 54,000 bicycles were stolen, and between 12,000 and 15,000 stolen bikes are recovered from canals each year.
History
Amsterdam has taken strong and quick steps to reduce car use by limiting car access and making public transportation more available and easier to use. The city aims to become eco-friendly. About two-thirds of daily travel in the city is by bicycle, and 19 percent is by car. Amsterdam's goal is to create a city with no cars and no emissions by making it harder and less convenient to drive. This will be done by changing road designs, such as using one-way systems, narrowing roads, and building barriers.
The city, led by its leaders and city hall, has introduced efforts to encourage public transportation use. For example, the Metro runs all night on weekends and is free for children under 12. Urban planning often faces challenges with cost, but the Netherlands government is saving money by using a street-design tool called "knip" to make changes. This tool helps close roads to cars and open them to bikes and pedestrians, creating space for large public areas, such as near train stations.
To reduce car use, the city is also decreasing the number of parking spots and promoting public transportation and taxi drop-offs. The government is working to change how people use cars and public transport, aiming to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and lower carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline. In addition, the city shares its public data online for free, showing transparency with citizens. Amsterdam is creating policies that allow citizens to access information easily, helping the city become a smart city and adapt to growing urban areas worldwide.
Issues
By 2012, cycling in Amsterdam had become much more popular, increasing by about 40% over the past 20 years. City records show that 490,000 cyclists rode their bikes daily, covering a total of 2 million kilometers. However, this growth caused challenges. Although the city has 35,000 kilometers of bicycle paths, the Netherlands has 18 million bicycles, with 1.3 bikes for every person old enough to ride. During busy times, too many bikes made traffic difficult in Amsterdam’s streets, and parking areas like train stations became overcrowded with bicycles. To solve these issues, the city is building more bike lanes and larger bicycle parking spaces to manage the high volume of cyclists.