Amsterdam bicycle survival guide

Idske

Hi Guys.

Long time lurker.
I commute daily to the center of amsterdam with all of its daily tourists.

Partly out of frustration i created a blogpost mainly aimed for tourists wanting to take the challange of handling a bicycle in amsterdam.

I have to face them daily on my commute to and from work

Have fun reading:
http://blog.easytobook.com/tips/amsterdam-bicycle-survival-guide/

Stone Glider

Thanks for that. It is not of immediate use but adds to my sum of knowledge and gives me another subject to stupefy Mrs SG.

bikecom

Very interesting. Being a pedestrian in Amsterdam also has its issues. In the 'pecking' order (as a visitor) of threat it seems to be scooter, bike, car, tram. It's a great city though.

http://wwitv.com/tv_channels/8154.htm

Idske

Hi Guys,

Indeed not of immediate use but since this was the chat section and this is something i deal with on a daily basis i thought what the heck:)

As a pedestrian in amsterdam you need to be carful as well indeed. You think you have the pavewalks for yourself but think again. Bikers even take them if they need and will shout at you to watch out even if they are wrong...

Just another day in Amsterdam

Headhuunter

Yes, I have found that walking around Amsterdam quite hairy sometimes with cyclists flying by you on both sides! You almost need to indicate turns etc as a pedestrian!

Interesting that locals in Amsterdam jump reds as a matter of course. I have noticed the same in Antwerp and other Benelux countries and I have noticed that it is quite acceptable for people on bikes to ride on the pavement in Paris. In all these countries no one seems to get apopleptic with rage and no one ranks RLJ-ing as a crime up there on the list with aggravated armed robbery etc....

acidstrato

to be fair i found there is no hope for survival if you leave the coffee shop too soon. best to just stay inside and have another

Idske

Jumping red lights i mentioned also in the post indeed and i must admit that i do the same as well sometimes (shame)

Thing is that locals (most of the times) know exactly when to do or not to do it. I for instance am used to the timing of specific lights and therefor cross the streets before the light turns green (with watching of course) Also there are gaps between different lights around the crossing where you can cross. These are the most dangerous since yours will not turn green for some time and people behind you (read tourists) will face other traffic if they arent quick enough...

Headhuunter

Idske wrote:

Jumping red lights i mentioned also in the post indeed and i must admit that i do the same as well sometimes (shame)

Thing is that locals (most of the times) know exactly when to do or not to do it. I for instance am used to the timing of specific lights and therefor cross the streets before the light turns green (with watching of course) Also there are gaps between different lights around the crossing where you can cross. These are the most dangerous since yours will not turn green for some time and people behind you (read tourists) will face other traffic if they arent quick enough...

At the risk of turning this into another RLJ thread, you seem to be arguing what I've been arguing for London, that with care and attention, getting across a red light is simple and safe and no different to a ped crossing on a red man... This is accepted in may countries across Europe yet in London seems to cause vitriolic anger about "bloody cyclists"...

Doughnutface

Some tips from my experience of cycling in Amsterdam:

1. Hire a bike for the whole time you're there

2. Use the bike to visit lots of cafes, a brewery, bars and nightclubs

3. Crash.

4. Have a great time.

If you don't want to crash:

1. Don't hire a bike or

2. Don't have fun.

Amsterdams great

Headhuunter

Doughnutface wrote:

Some tips from my experience of cycling in Amsterdam:

1. Hire a bike for the whole time you're there

2. Use the bike to visit lots of cafes, a brewery, bars and nightclubs

3. Crash.

4. Have a great time.

If you don't want to crash:

1. Don't hire a bike or

2. Don't have fun.

Amsterdams great

To be honest, as a tourist you're likely to be staying around central Amsterdam which is so tiny that you can walk everywhere, I don't really see the point of hiring a bike! I would just walk everywhere...

thelawnet

Ahem:
"While in The Netherlands the wearing of a helmet is not required it is of course safe. Yes the Dutch will laugh at you but know that most of them should wear a helmet as well and they are just being ignorant. "

johnboytheconfused

So things are not as perfect in Amsterdam (= bike heaven?) as wot we wuz told!

As for RLJing and pavement riding in Holland and Benelux (now there's a term I haven't heard for many years), is it illegal? It is the legality of the issue that ticks me off about it here, as IMHO those who do it are by definition anti-social scofflaw ne'er do wells no matter how safe they think the way they do it is. Same goes for speeding or phone-using motorists.

Idske

thelawnet wrote:

Ahem:
"While in The Netherlands the wearing of a helmet is not required it is of course safe. Yes the Dutch will laugh at you but know that most of them should wear a helmet as well and they are just being ignorant. "

While this is a little overrated many tourists feel a little ashamed when asking for a helmet snce nobody else is wearing them. Many headinjuries occure with cyclists not wearing a helmet so would be best if more people would wear one.

Headhuunter

johnboytheconfused wrote:

So things are not as perfect in Amsterdam (= bike heaven?) as wot we wuz told!

As for RLJing and pavement riding in Holland and Benelux (now there's a term I haven't heard for many years), is it illegal? It is the legality of the issue that ticks me off about it here, as IMHO those who do it are by definition anti-social scofflaw ne'er do wells no matter how safe they think the way they do it is. Same goes for speeding or phone-using motorists.

"Benelux" as a term for the Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg area is in common use in the banking world!

Headhuunter

Idske wrote:

thelawnet wrote:

Ahem:
"While in The Netherlands the wearing of a helmet is not required it is of course safe. Yes the Dutch will laugh at you but know that most of them should wear a helmet as well and they are just being ignorant. "

While this is a little overrated many tourists feel a little ashamed when asking for a helmet snce nobody else is wearing them. Many headinjuries occure with cyclists not wearing a helmet so would be best if more people would wear one.

To be fair, the average central Amsterdam cyclist trickles along at about 5-10mph on a sit up and beg style bike anyway. Although you could of course incur a head injury falling off at that speed, it's probably unlikely. Amsterdam cyclists are not like your average lycra'd up London commuter travelling 10-20 miles per day on a road bike on busy roads...