Here’s a cool new video from Amsterdamize:
Dam Squared from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.
This is a whole different world. One of the things I find particularly interesting in such videos is how safe these people obviously feel. We don’t even have to mention the whole helmet thing. Take a look at the kids!
It’s difficult to tell in this video how much dedicated bicycle infrastructure we’re seeing. Much of this appears to be shared city streets. I think part of what leads to their feelings of comfort and safety is the vast numbers of cyclists. We do know that more cyclists = more safety. Oh, and that little thing we call culture.
Comments 4
It’s indeed hard to see due to the color ‘correction’, but even the Dam Square area, with all the cobble stones, has dedicated bike lanes and ‘boxes’ at lights etc. But your last point explains this perception, bikes are the dominant mode, so many of them that everyone (whether on foot or in cars) accepts cyclists to be all over the place (that’s why you observe 4 girls crossing the intersection, riding side by side) to keep everything moving/flowing.
Thanks for posting that, Andy!
Posted 04 Mar 2009 at 4:49 pm ¶Have to be precise: the first part shows a street leading towards Dam Square (which connects with the Red Light District, hence the volume of pedestrians
). This is basically a bicycle boulevard, where cars are allowed (mostly delivery, taxis) but they are ‘guests’, so bikes have right of way with every situation.
Posted 04 Mar 2009 at 4:55 pm ¶Marc… Thanks for the extra insight!
Posted 04 Mar 2009 at 5:50 pm ¶no sweat
Posted 05 Mar 2009 at 1:36 pm ¶