How Amsterdam Became a Bicycle Paradise

The Dutch capital Amsterdam is widely known for being bike-friendly. But it wasn’t always a model cycling city. Public outrage at rising traffic casualties in the Seventies caused city planners to rethink their approach to urban design.

Video by Gloria Kurnik

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[TheMovieMyLife]

'They proposed ideas like filling in the famous canals with concrete.'
This sentence feels so very wrong that I'm glad things turned out differently.

[nightfly]

It isn't just Amsterdam, it's the entirety of the country, even remote small villages. The Netherlands is more than just Amsterdam, A LOT more.

[rea]

Designing cities for cars is one of the worst ideas we've ever had. It's noisy, polluting, dangerous, hard to park and takes a lot of room. GO BIKES!!!

[jonnysmokesmusic]

I moved to Holland from America years ago and still haven’t bought a car. The bike system is awesome and for long trips you just take your bike on the train!

[lw]

The UK is basically screwed. We want to be like the USA but we don't have the space. Because young people can't afford to move out until their 20s or 30s you have 3/4 cars per house quite often with just 1 driveway. We're overpopulated and our public transport is expensive and unreliable. A lot of our streets are victorian and were never intended for such heavy traffic. Our air quality is dangerously bad in some big cities and even crossing the road is scary. Parents generally drive their children everywhere. Even in the countryside you cant escape it because often roads have no pavement and the speed limit is 40-50mph. Surprise surprise we also have an obesity epidemic.

[zzulm]

This reminds me of the meme with the Dutch prime minister riding a bike to a meeting and the US President arriving with helicopters. 😂😂😂

[SinghalLouis]

This is exactly what cities in India need.. Delhi and Bombay roads need to become more cycle friendly.. and car unfriendly..

This is so beautiful and lovely!

[Naila.]

So, it didn't happen over night. It took years.
Great reporting.
Love it because I love Bicycling.

[flaviomorocho]

Moving from the US to Amsterdam, makes you realize that not only it is healthier but you save a BUNCH of money by not having a car.

[DiRtYLaWs]

Having just returned from an amazing trip to The Netherlands and experiencing the amazing bicycle infrastructure, I can confirm it is the greatest country on the planet. I’d live there if I could 🇳🇱❤️

[willasn]

The netherlands are one of the greatest countries. Especially The city of Nordwijk is just amazing. High quality of life.

Greetings from Germany :))

[cyclenut]

The US is not about quality of life or safety of children. The US is about money.

[kyleebrock]

As an American I'm suppose to fear thinking like this. People drive three blocks to eat dinner and return home.

[spiritualanarchist]

The major difference between the U.S & the Netherlands is in the sentence 'THE GOVERNMENT TOOK NOTICE' instead of 'THE POLICE TOOK ACTION'

[SytzeWiersma]

When i bike home on a sunny summer evening, going under the Rijksmuseum and seeing Museumplein dooming up in front of me, makes me always VERY happy!

[TheElisabethMaria]

FILL THE CANALS WITH CONCRETE??!?!?!?!?!! my dutch heart is breaking

[AB-wfek]

In my city (US) they have been making a real effort to create more bike infrastructure. The population is growing, a lot of the streets were originally built for trolleys so the traffic is bad and there's nowhere to park.

It's not happening as much as I would like, but it's obvious there are folks in City Hall that understands it's easier to create bicycle infrastructure and promote riding, than to invest in billion dollar highway projects and clog the streets with more cars.

I personally would be happy with more radical development, but at least things are moving towards more bike lanes.

[SOLOIIguru]

When I lived in Philadelphia and commuted by bicycle everyday, I was SOOOO much happier and healthier. I want to move back to a city where I can bike more easily

[Simon-dmzv]

You mean 'how The Netherlands Became a Bicycle Paradise'.

[wietsekarst]

The whole of the netherlands is a bicycle paradise