The Bicycle, the ideal vehicle in the city
* Bicycles are clean and they don’t produce noise. These are big advantages in places where many people live together.
* Bicycling is not expensive, nor are bicycle facilities, if we compare them to the prize of infrastructure for cars or public transport.
* Cycling is healthy. It is good and practical exercise and that is especially welcome in times of overweight.
* And a bicycle doesn’t need any gazoline.
And...
Space
Probably the most important reason for the bicycle to be an important mode of transport in Amsterdam is that bicycles use space much more economic than cars.
Efficient at traffic lights
Bicycles have are also fast at traffic lights:
At this traffic light for example about 10 seconds is enough for over 40 cyclists to cross, while no more than 20 cars can pass in 40 seconds in the other direction.
If all cyclists in Amsterdam would go by car traffic lights could not cope and streets would be overfull. Not to mention the parking space that would be needed. With nearly 40% of trips done by bike Amsterdam remains reachable and liveable.
Safety for all cyclists
The basic principle of cycling policy is that cycling must be safe for all cyclists and that it must be easier and faster to go by bike than by car.
Some examples that have been realized in the past 30 years:
Main Bicycle Network
To get plans realized that add up to something usefull for the whole city the Main Bicycle Network is proposed in the Traffic Circulation Plan of 1979.
It is a dense network of routes that should provide safe and comfortable routes for cyclists.
Bottlenesks in the network are to be solved and every time a street in the Bicycle Network is being rebuilt good facilities have to be made.
The Cyclists’ Union urges the municipality to get this realized. This asks for good political involvement and finding public support.
Over the past 25 years most of the routes of the main bicycle network have been realized: An impressive accomplishment by many in Amsterdam.
Bicycle network: dense network of bicycle routes where it should be good and save to cycle. Sometimes is was posible to make facilities just like that: bridges, routes etc. At other times you have to wait for money and time, and politcal coourage to be there to get things better for cyclists. When a road belongs to bicycle network standards are to be met. Its the city boroughs that ere responsible for the routes. However the central city lays down the network (Cyclists’Union helped) and the standards that should be met.
We keep up with politics. Plans where the bicycle is involved always have our attention. When neede we dill go and speek to make plans good for cyclists. Finding cooporation in politicians, local citizens groups etc. Etc.
To support the many volunteers etc. 2 staff are working for Amstrerdam section of cyclists union. (I am one of them). Their salary is subsidized by the Amsterdam municipality, money in fact coming from the parking fund (where all the parking fees in Amsterdam come to). A nice thing to tell car driving friends who complain about parking fees.
Main Bicycle Network
To get plans realized that add up to something usefull for the whole city the Main Bicycle Network is proposed in the Traffic Circulation Plan of 1979.
It is a dense network of routes that should provide safe and comfortable routes for cyclists.
Bottlenesks in the network are to be solved and every time a street in the Bicycle Network is being rebuilt good facilities have to be made.
The Cyclists’ Union urges the municipality to get this realized. This asks for good political involvement and finding public support.
Over the past 25 years most of the routes of the main bicycle network have been realized: An impressive accomplishment by many in Amsterdam.
Several times there have been proposals to make network less dens. The Cyclists Union has always opposed these plans. Cyclists will not cycle an extra km to find a bicycle route.
The first good bicycle route to be realized was Weteringsschans
Once packed with cars and unsafe it is turned into a one-way street for cars while cyclists and public can go both ways. The single direction for cars is alternating: on one track it is westward, on the following eastward. In this way cars can reach all destinations but through traffic is avoided.
Now it is one of the busiest cycle routes in the city and trams can run freely.
Because there’s few cars, seperate cycle paths are not necesarry.
At first shop owners were very much opposed to the plan. Now they profit from the many cycling customers.
The first good bicycle route to be realized was Weteringsschans
Once packed with cars and unsafe it is turned into a one-way street for cars while cyclists and public can go both ways. The single direction for cars is alternating: on one track it is westward, on the following eastward. In this way cars can reach all destinations but through traffic is avoided.
Now it is one of the busiest cycle routes in the city and trams can run freely.
Because there’s few cars, seperate cycle paths are not necesarry.
At first shop owners were very much opposed to the plan. Now they profit from the many cycling customers.