Amsterdam's seamless traffic flow
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- čas přidán 29. 01. 2024
- [Ep. 1017] Experience the seamless flow of traffic at this reconstructed intersection in Amsterdam. Here, there are no traffic lights; instead, people cycle, walk, and use public transport harmoniously. The absence of cars as a dominant presence makes way for a more efficient and enjoyable urban experience.
Check out the before situation in this video: • An Amsterdam intersection
For additional details, explore the blog post: bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p...
Love the one cyclist at 5:43 going 'Hey Jos' and the other guy 'Hey! Hey Jan'
especially in the thick Amsterdam accent
I just feel Jos' annoyance that Jan cut him off.
@@timv17 if you think that's cutting people off then I should reconsider how I ride my bike 😂
@@khulhucthulhu9952 haha I'd probably have acted just like Jan, but I can just imagine Jos saying "die mafkees had zeker die haaientanden niet gezien" to his wife ten seconds later.
@@timv17 Really? I didn't feel that at all.
Imagine every cyclist in this video was driving an SUV. The road would be one big traffic jam.
For that to be possible you would need to destroy the entire street and make a highway. Oh wait...
Imagine the people in the trams also traveling in their own car....
Yup, that's where I live...
@@simonjoshua☹️ me too and I'm not in Merika.
Also, imagine how many elderly, disabled people or kids would have to stay home and become isolated because they cant, or fear, or simply don't want to drive a car in a car dependent city without alternatives.
This junction is SO much better now. Thanks for the video!
He! He's filming on your turf...what's next? NJB filming in Den Bosch? ; )
We need to get rid of the crosswalks on the tram tracks tho. Everyone has to yield to the trams, except pedestrians. They should install "kanalisatiestrepen" and a "TWI" for the pedestrians, and the tram can continue much better and quicker all over Amsterdam.
It was a pain before. But I bet it really took someone years to figure out to get it exactly right. Perhaps even a PhD?
Feels a lot safer than the old situation, that was a mess.
Cities aren't loud, cars are loud.
I love that the cars are the odd ones out here. When they pass through, they feel out of place and disruptive. That's the sign of a well-designed city.
A lot of streets within the city centre of Amsterdam have been turned into a "Car is a guest" street, which means cars allowed to drive there, but mopeds, scooters & bicycles have the advantage. As both a bicyclist and motorist I favour these new streets.
As someone with autism who has very sensitive sense of smell and hearing, I don’t care about climate change, urbanism, and highway noise. I care about air pollution, only that which you can smell, and short, loud noises from motorbikes or non electric cars accelerating quickly in first gear. These 2 things are the reason I never ride a bike, cause you can’t bike quickly, then you lose your breath, and have to breathe even more polluted air. And even if riding an electric bike, you can’t quickly, or safely, cover you ears, if a loud noise suddenly occurs, which could also just be from emergency service vehicles, which I know will never disappear, and honestly, that might be where all this urbanism could come in handy, cause fewer cars means fewer emergency trips, more people cycling means better health, again fewer emergency health related trips, and an overall happier country, with fewer mental health issues, which means less crime, and less police cars on the road.
Why does something have to be the 'odd one out'? That is the wrong kind of thinking. The fact that every mode of transport has been made equal, means there is no odd one out, just the opposite, everyone is equal partners. That's the whole point.
@@rinkinkel We'll have to agree to disagree. Cities should be built for people, not cars. Vehicles can have specialized purposes, but not every regular person needs a car, let alone two. It should be a specialty, not the drastically overwhelming norm.
@@shoelacedonkey Me too!
American: „You can’t make this shit up“.
Dutch: „We did actually!“ 😁😂
American:" but but but where are the cars????
@@Matriarch456 There are some, but most -non destination traffic- are diverted to other roads going around the busiest city center. They don't follow the most direct route, but one that does flow better.
@@annehoog And from around 1:40 onward you can see - - in the background - the road called 'Stadhouderskade' which is one of the main arteries connecting the eastern and western parts of Amsterdam for cars. The road you see here, directly, doesn't really bring you anywhere but the very busy Leidseplein (Leidse square) which is mostly dining and clubbing and very little to no parking on one side - and the Weteringschans or deeper into the narrow, 17th century canal district - which was never designed for cars and heavy traffic.
One block down there is a main road which usually flooded with cars.@@Matriarch456
You can’t compare civilised Dutchmen with primitive Americans
To quote NotJustBikes:
"Cities aren't loud. Cars are."
People in other countries would be surprised how effective painting a few triangles on the surface of your road can be.
And how effective cycling as a second nature can be. This flow seems miraculous to many viewers while we are no more surprised by it than we are about pedestrians not bumping into eachother.
I shared this with my traffic engineering colleagues... and they were amazed... because all of their American traffic engineering manuals say none of this will work. 🤯
What did they say? Will they change their ways?
@@adamknott7830 If you design in contradiction to "the manual" you risk being sued/fired/lose your professional license in case someone is injured. This is why many are trying to change "the manual". But, that takes time.
@@plangineer1375 I understand that. I was curious if any of them had any ideas to push back against the manual without getting fired
I am a Dane (68) and used to do all of my commuting on bikes. The situation was very similar to this. Most follow the rules, read the intention of the other cyclists, avoid collisions and ride smoothly.
Back in the nineties I visited Rome, and the traffic in Rome with cars, mopeds, and scooters were very much the same, even if it looked chaotic. People were paying attention, gave way even when they should not, and the traffic flowed.
This system requires that the participants don't always insist on their rights, but read the traffic and the subtle signals and (here) hand signals.
I was sure then, that most Danes would not be able to cope with the traffic in Rome because too many do not give way unlessthey must. Now I think it is a question of learning the basic rules of cooperation in traffic. Unfortunately car drivers often feel too safe in their 2 ton of steel and don't drive with the intention of making the traffic flow. They insist on their right of way 😢
@adamknott7830 no becouse they arent allowed to do so by regulations, just like all american bullshit stuck behind outdated ideas and overcomplicated regulations.
Example1 us trains are twice as heavy as trains arround the rest of the world.
Example2 european busses arent deemed safe by american regulation(terrible obviously wrong regulations) wich is why even mexico has better public transport..
Example3 many cars deemed unsafe for the same reason, american trucks are deemed safe only when u can drive it trough a group of people and come out unharmed on the other side with 0 regard for the 250 people u just ran over😂 at least u are safe!!
I could go on and on and on but i think u got the point.
I am Dutch, the fact that everything runs so smoothly is partly because Dutch people start cycling as a toddler, but also because we were well informed about bicycle traffic rules at a young age. At Dutch primary schools there is a theory and practical exam for cycling. Because everyone knows the bicycle traffic rules, everything runs smoother. In addition, most car, truck, and tram drivers are also cyclists, they can anticipate what cyclists do.
Well...we know the rules, but we also know that the people on a bicycle use them more or less (eerder less dan more) as a guideline....if they are used at all. Green = go, red = look left and right (optional) and if clear than go.
How many people have strechted their arm to point out they are going to make a turn. Even BMW-drivers are more generous with their indicator light.
@@Gaihtie True and a zebra crossing? Never heard of it (as you can see in this video).
@@Gaihtie That is because the game is much more subtle than that. It is all in very small eye movements and handlebar movements... People SEE what the other is going to do without having to explicitly communicate about this
@@ronaldderooij1774 Zebra crossings are for cars (bigger wider) the game between bicycles and pedestrian is smoother and more subtle than that. It is in the little signals
Not to say, give everybody a bit of space, which follows from the very small and short eye contacts.
I have watched many of your videos. Many comments adress the seamlessness of the traffic and the Ducht cyclist wizardry. When watching this video and reading the comments I realise that as a cyclist I do not focus on cyclists or other traffic, I focus on the spaces between them. I see a space between the cyclists moving my way and I move into it to cross or join the flow. I start moving before the space reaches me so I am on the move the moment I enter the space. This is not a conscious thing, just 65 five years of experience.
You just described a Mondriaan painting.
Dutch cyclist Zen. Bewdiful...
Just see it as a form of ballet.....
Prachtig.
Haha I biked there like half an hour ago. The new layout is much better than the old one. The flow is much better and it feels safer. Mostly because most of the cars are gone now.
I don't think any car-only intersection in the world could handle this mindstaggering volume of traffic.
There are quite a few car only intersections that could handle this volume, but those are a square km (or mile) wide.
I counted/estimated the traffic passing the first minute:
- 3 cars
- ~60 bikes/mopeds
- ~25 pedestrians (hard to tell)
- 3 trams
Without the trams, that's ~90 people per minute.
For the trams:
The first one seems pretty empty, ~20 people
The second one has too many people sitting to count, and several people per car standing. These trams have 50 seats, so probably around 50 people
The third tram is busier, I tried to count the people standing and got to about 30 (lots of blind spots). So at least 80 people in that one.
So the trams carry another ~150 people.
In total that's almost 250 people in one minute, or 14k-16k per hour.
A quick google scholar search on traffic volume per lane for a typical intersection gave me 1k-1.5k cars per lane. (first source I found: www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2019/08/matecconf_ictle2019_02008.pdf)
So if you were to replace this 2x1 tram/car lane, 2x1 bike/car lane, 2x1 bikelane (6 lanes total, 5 width-wise) intersection with a car-only intersection, you might get similar throughput for 4-way intersection with 3-4 lanes each direction, or 12-16 lanes total. So 2-3 times the lanes.
@@erik5374ur nitpicking, u know he meant to say this vollume of people per square meter. Just replace 10% of the bikes with cars and ul need twice as much room already.
@@darrellbeets7758I think that he got the point. If you want to move this many people through Amsterdam by car, you're gonna have to bulldoze half of the city.
Mesmerizing poetry in motion. Thanks, Mark! 😀
The new design makes left turns so much better, because now in all directions you have protected areas to wait withouth impeding traffic flow that is not turning. You can see that really well when the tram stops to let pedestrians cross, there are 2 scooters and 4-5 bikes having to wait a bit, but they don't block traffic going through. The old design had similar areas, but they were at different heights, which impeded the flow. Great video as always! 🚲
I loved the tram halting on the crossing to let pedestrians go their way. ❤ 0:50
They have to by law...
@@mauricej8747 I know, just he actually made sure the bicycles were blocked, it would've been a problem otherwise.
1:36 cross the street and it doesnt
Tja they keep standing still ;)@@xw6968
In fact the cyclists should heel for the pedestrians also, but the pedestrians are wise and look if they do so (75% won’t heel)
American friends once noticed: when the traffic light switches to orange, you guys floor it.
Same with the bell of the tram: at ‘ping’ all pedestrians quicken their pace.
This is so relaxing to watch. It's crazy to think that in North America would throw down a bunch of traffic lights in order for this to "work". Honestly, we just need better driver education in order to get your licence, and a better designed network and streets.
So peaceful. I think if mine and other American cities even had a fraction of what this is, myself and others would be much more likely to bike for a trip instead of drive. And this is coming from me, an American who loves to bike in the summer and even doesn't mind biking in the warmer parts of the winter (high 30s F or warmer, or a little bit above 0 C).
Peaceful except for those damned scooters. 😠
@@kjh23gk Yep. LOL I recall Not Just Bikes using the word "farting motorcycles," and I can't help but think of that every time I see either a motorcycle or a scooter (like the ones in this video).
40 f is perfect cycling weather, cold start but u wont overheat love it.
@@darrellbeets7758 Yep exactly! Not hard to get warmed up biking in the 40s F!
Such great order in a seemingly chaotic Bike Intersection- Commute. I noticed No Bike Helmets. Would love to live there. I Commute everywhere by bike in Florida, USA, and the fear is always there. What an impressive way to live--Car free
Well we don't actualy live car free most of the family's own at least one car. Its just that a lot of the time its just way more efficient not to take the car. We actualy have one of the best network for cars to we just don't like them where people live and in city/town/village centres.
Am I dreaming or something?
this looks unreal
straight up ASMR
Come visit and see for yourself one day. Don't forget to eat a fresh 'stroopwafel'.
This is satisfying to watch
Very impressive how the Dutch calmly cycle this very busy intersection with so much ease and flow. I envy the Dutch cycling infrastructure. Here in the UK , we have far to go to get to this level.
If everybody knows and respects the rules and the road is designed properly then it's so nice to watch. Nearly as fascinating as a storm of sterlings. 😊
The funny thing is that not the rules are that important here, but Dutch common sense, a lot of experience and most of all, silent communication between all, car drivers included.
It's not about the rules though. In fact, you see a lot of people breaking the rules here, mostly because they feel it's more sensible than the rules. It's some we call "gelegenheidsvoorrang".
For example, the pedestrians with priority at the crossing recognize there is a gap behind the cyclist. They can either take their priority and force the cyclist to come to a complete stop, or wait half a second and give the cyclist "gelegenheidsvoorrang."
I think the main reason this works is because everyone is anticipating and finding gaps in traffic, unconciously negotiating with others. This is much more efficient than any ruleset could ever be.
@@ColoredIcebergPedestrians don't really have a choice in Amsterdam, do they? Given the expectation from cyclists that pedestrians will yield to them, together with the fast (electric) modes of transport these days, they eventually will get hit if they won't give gelegenheidsvoorrang habitually. Cyclists stopping at crosswalks is much rarer (too rare, in my opinion)
When we moved here last summer, I tried learning the cycling rules by watching other people (I’m an experienced cyclist elsewhere, but this is a whole new environment). Lmao. It was a nice idea, but gelegenheidsvoorrang is clearly the rule of the road. Only one pedestrian has sworn at me (I think he wasn’t even at a crosswalk?). I’m one of the weird ones trying to keep the pedestrian crossing clear when I have a red light, but that means other people fill in ahead of me and block it anyway. Always afraid I’m going to hit someone when I signal because they pass silently, SO close. But every day I learn a little more.
@@ce17ec But all that wouldn't work without an understanding of the rules.
Just like the freedom in jazz would sound like a cacophony if not for a deep understanding of harmony,
just like totaalvoetbal wouldn't exist without discipline.
I just love the sounds Amsterdam trams make :) .... I remember being in Hiroshima and hearing the same bells ... made me feel home away from home in our ryokan :)
I like it as well. I wonder how I can make it a ringtone on my phone. ❤️
This is the result you get when no one's going at deadly speeds
If this video was 10 hours long I would still watch every minute of it!
Poetry. Thanks, Amsterdam (and BicycleDutch, of course!).
Cities aren't loud, cars are loud. Perfect example
Love the bicycle bell sounds and the acceleration of the trams… Sounds of the Netherlands 🇳🇱
While still living in NL, I put a tram bell on my car. It got faster & much more appropriate reactions than the usual horn sound.
it amazing even cars in highways in US can't go this smooth, just lovely
It becomes much easier to coordinate or “negotiate” who goes when when you can actually see each other as persons, instead of having the person driving a vehicle be packed away in a metal and plastic box that you can’t communicate with or even really recognize as human.
@@AndreSomersYup. I was going to say, it’s much easier to manage something like this when you have everyone cooperating and going where they’re supposed to go and doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s not what happens in America - here, it’s “whatever I want whenever I want no matter how it affects anyone else”. That’s completely incompatible with efficiency, safety, smoothness, or comfort. I’m so ready to move to the Netherlands! I don’t care that I’d make less and pay more in taxes - I’d have a substantially higher quality of life in exchange.
@@babybirdhome we have a lot of idiots here too though. Don’t take the nice images you get from the urbanism channels as gospel; it’s not the full picture. We’re not some paradise where everyone follows the rules and is happy to bike everywhere. In fact, car ownership is rising, and cars here too are increasing in size.
about your taxes comment... there are a few CZcamsrs that made comparisons between USA and Netherlands financial costs and what you really are able to do and live . It appears in the end you pay more tax/costs in USA and get way less for it. @@babybirdhome so.. don't worry about it.
@@AndreSomers Going to the states regulairly the Netherlands might not be paradise but it runs a lot smoother. Although i have to say in really busy parts i do think americane drivers are actualy more sociale then dutch ones.
This is an insanely well designed intersection. Both from north to south (tourists going to and from museum square and bikes) and from east to west (bikes and trams) are very busy routes, so to design it without stop signs was a very bold choice. Somehow it works.
Stop signs are anathema here. I can think of about two I personally know and they’re about 20 meters from each other. It’s wild how trying for anything else as a priority improves things.
It can sometimes be a clusterfuck to live here with all the rerouting, deferred maintenance, and construction upheaval, but I love it and they a lot of things absolutely correct.
I pass this intersection twice a day and though it took some getting used to, it's much better than it was before. It's part of a road going around the city center that is designed for bicycle traffic. Now before anyone gets the idea there are very few cars around, starting at 1:35 you can see the Rijksmuseum and the busy road going in front of it. That's where all the cars are and it's pretty busy.
Stadhouderskade, een grote nachtmerrie
This works for one simple reason. You have people designing the roads and traffic management who actually think about all forms of transport and want them to flow nicely. Where I live people walk on the road causing danger to themselves and vehicles because nobody has bothered to put a foot path by the road (there is plenty of space available, it just isn't thought about).
I used to think the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat/Herengracht must be one of the busiest cycle roads in Amsterdam. Used to work there eight years ago. My office had a roof top terras on the fifth floor. Every Friday at the end of the day it was a time to relax then and there with some snacks, beer and wine. Beautiful spot looking at the Rijksmuseum.
You know what's missing from this equation (and most likely causing this to work)? Tons and tons of cars. When you have a well-designed intersection where the vast majority of traffic is from bikes, pedestrians, and public transportation, it just works. Add 5,000 cars passing through every hour, and this would break down immediately.
It took us 40 years to ban these cars as much as possible. It is a question of endurance.
Thanks for the real time/ real life demonstration of how this works! Amazing design! Everyone in harmony.
As an American that likes riding his bike but has given up on riding in the city, this is amazing. Look at HOW MANY PEOPLE are moving through this incredibly busy intersection seamlessly, if any of them have to stop and yield it is literally for 2-3 seconds, not 2 or 3 minutes stuck at a traffic light. As I watched this mesmerized one thing that dawned on me was that with a few exceptions the cyclists were all moving along at the same speed which undoubtedly helps keep them moving along smoothly.
The key is that everybody is at the same height, so it's easy to look eachother in the eye.
This way you inadvertently communicate what you're doing, a small nod, a hand signal, there's loads of ways to show you've seen someone and yield, or request them to yield.
Of course there's a basic set of rules, but with so many people, the unwritten rules are used way more prevalent.
Personally I don't enjoy biking through Amsterdam, but it's phenomenal to drive though these situations. It allows for small success moments where you retain that extra second of eye contact, where you yield to someone while you have right of way but they're somehow at a disadvantage (carrying something or only have one hand on the wheel)...
It's fun, it makes you feel alive.
Yep, modest speed makes high rate of flow.
One difference I notice from the US is that people seem to be less hung up on "right of way" than in the US. You just make it flow; if someone pulls out in front of you just adjust a little. I remember noticing the same thing when visiting Kathmandu. It was very striking to come back to the US where people forcefully assert their "right of way".
It is the rule based vs principle based culture. All about what works best instead of what should be right by law. The Dutch culture is all around this principle of context. Even laywers work this way.
I've always been taught; you *get* head of way, you don't take it. (voorrang neem je niet, die krijg je).
In the Netherlands, we don't have the right to take right of way. We do have the obligation to give right of way
@@barryvandertas2234 Hmm, I do find that this etiquette is fading, with respect to car drivers. It seems everyone is in a rush, and despite all efforts from the traffic engineers, speeding and ignoring others is becoming normal. I got my licence nearly 3 decades ago, and the difference is noticable. For example: half of the drivers even don't bother to use their indicator anymore.
Interesting comment. I never thought about it that way, but I think you're correct.
It is refreshing to know that this kind of infrastructure is possible. It only took the dutch 30 years to make these improvements. It’s only a matter of time before a decent portion of the Americas catch up.
It's only the 2nd video by BD whilst Im visiting the true land of the free, it feels weird to be able to just visit the place yourself and take it all in.
Well actually I'm staying in Den Haag, it's still much easier to believe in it once you're in the country.
(I forgot where this comment was supposed to go lol)
So so quiet! Lovely.
I love this so much. It's such a lively and entertaining glimpse of a busy city intersection but nowhere near as stressful as an intersection full of cars. Wish we could get Minneapolis to move faster on better bike infra here. This would be my dream for every city in the U.S.
Well, if everybody just waits for someone else, nothing will change.
Send this video to all of the people you know in government, and make clear you want this. And get rid of the zoning, which is one of the major causes why people need cars in American cities.
@@hermanbodewesNL Psssh don't get it twisted. My original comment is not a symptom of inaction, it's impatience. We need these changes NOW to support micromobility and accessibility for everyone. I'm not waiting for "someone else" when I give the city my input, votes, and participate in Strong Towns gatherings/events. Minneapolis already got rid of single family zoning restrictions and parking requirements to alleviate this very issue, so things are headed in the right direction, but progress is agonizingly slow. After moving to Minneapolis from Portland and visiting NL, I've seen how good the bike infra can be. So I'll continue funneling my impatience into local action and also the occasional comment on YT. Bye now.
@@pull_up_the_roots "So I'll continue funneling my impatience into local action..."
Your (grand)children will love you for it.
It's very simple: Human speeds. That's why things like Groningen's "All directions green" work as well :)
Its amazing how quite such a busy intersection can be without cars.
And, a car cán travel it too, if absolutely necessary, some do.
Looks like ballet of different forms of transport!
I'm glad most people have their lights turned on which helps spotting them during bad darkness and bad weather.
The lights situation is a lot better than a couple of years ago. LED-battery lighting made the improvement. Before that it was a lot of broken wires and lamp filaments, as well as dynamo issues.
It’s a lot better then a couple of years ago. Bike lights are more reliable now and the fines are pretty steep
@@dimrrider9133 yeah I remember myself the bottle type dynamos taking power by riding on the tire wall. It was pain especially on a single speed bike!
@@MrJimheeren what is the fine?
@@ukrytykrytyk8477 85€ plus administrative costs
Amsterdammers are Ninja Masters of speed and distance.
Not really, it's just good infrastructure design.
0:55 oh no! A traffic jam. Wait, it's gone
Amazing.
I wonder how many more people this system moves compared to a similar car oriented design on the same footprint?
I bet, this easily beats a six-lane stroad…
Don't know but its a lot more.
This CZcams clip is gonna be famous soon ..........
This intersection used to be SO insane, flows great now
If you like more details on the video check out the description box. More often then not there is a link of a blog that explain a bit of the history of the design of the road 😊
this video with an orchestra behind it would be glorious
And now imagine every individual driving a car...
It works if you have the proportional space for the same numbers of people. That was true a long time ago.
Small motorcycles and scooters are much the same in Phnom.Penh - lots of skilled manoeuvres and close misses.
Impressive to see.
I prefer the bicycles and trams shown here, though.
Sometimes I just come to Amsterdam to cycle
I think it would be interesting to have a split screen with the closest thing we have in N. America.
That’s certainly looks an improvement for cycles. For pedestrians less so. Hope the green bits look better with time.
nice video opening, when I heard the tram before i saw it, i actually believed i was getting a Not Just Bikes video 😂
The new junction is great, I go through it everyday, much better than the previous crossing.
I wish the same care would be applied to the Zeilstraat. Do you know why Zeilstraat layout is so dated?
Just awesome.
In my opinion it's wonderful. I'm tired of living in a city where you can't walk without risking being hit by some vehicle, or finding cars parked everywhere, exhaust fumes... Sustainable mobility should be encouraged all over the world, from small towns to large cities/capitals.
Wonderful
Life isn't always cream and peaches.....
This video is a bit flattering. I passed my safe traffic bicycle exam (veilig-verkeer-examen) in 1957 and have been cycling ever since. (never a car). The people of Amsterdam are very creative in inventing traffic rules on the spot: usually to their own advantage. The situation in Amsterdam depends very much on the neighborhood and the time of day.
In this video we mainly see people going home: evening is falling. I see e.g. no racing fat bikes with a few kids on them and hardly any electric elderly people. Almost everyone has a light on in this video, which is a big problem elsewhere in the city.
I cycle in Paris (and many other parts of France) every year, and I must admit that I feel very comfortable there on my bike (with a little trailer these days). Not always on my daily trips through Amsterdam (But, but... "Liever in Mokum zonder poen, dan in Parijs met een miljoen........etc."😉😉
Kışın bile sürüyorsunuz ya bravo
People in Finland too, bravo to them! 🥶
What's the best University, in the Netherlands, to go to and learn how to design such intersections? I would like to send some Italians there.
Not sure, but my guess would be Delft.
Utrecht I believe.
Mokum ❌❌❌
The real specialists are people who are trained by the compagnies themselfs, few of the larger construction compagny's have their own academy's like the o.a Bam and KWS where they train their engineers, in coorperation with the legistrations and advice agences to create standards and recommendations on infra structure.
Its not just a education in ifrastruction that made this happen, it need a whole redesign of the whole system top to bottom.
There are some good documentries in how it all works in cohesion here to make it happen, and also why it so hard to do in other countries.
@@arranchace1306 Thanks. That's really interesting.
Intelligence and science is how this works. Most of the world still decides on emotion. Love for the car, love for the big truck etc... Paradoxically, Amsterdam is one of the best cities in Europe for car driving. The people that don't like driving have every possible alternative at their disposal, unlike in other countries where you can't do anything without a car
My goodness... all those thousands of people on the move, and hardly 1% of them in a car!
Traffic fumes? WHAT traffic fumes?
Don't be fooled. Yes, this street is low on cars, but one block down there is a main road which is usually flooded with cars. Amsterdam has very poor air quality.
There's no other city in the world with such civilized cycling.
How about all the other Dutch cities? 😊
@@Emdee5632 Preach!
That is some real life 'rock paper scissors'; pedastrian goes before tram, tram goes before bicycle and bicycle goes before tram.....
love this
Just a few basic rules. Everyone knows. And it works 👍🇳🇱
For foreigners, now imagine as many people passing the same intersection in cars, each with 1, max 2 passengers.
From 1:09 to 1:25, so dynamic.
Dreamy country ❤
Just imagine NYC (Manhattan) making cars into 3rd-rate citizens and prioritizing bicycles, public transport (trams!) and pedestrians. No more cars. More greenery. Less scaffolding.
We Amsterdammers ‘know’ NY. We made the damn city. 😂
Changed days , the Fiets have lights on them some even have front and rear lights ( not flashing!!)
You can get a ticket if you don't have at least front and rear light.
Confusing but seamless!
Can you imagine the roadspace required if all these people were in a car?
one of the most frustrating things at certain stations is the fact that the bus/tram/other is often regulated with traffic lights, which the pedestrians really don't care about, because like with most bus stations you already have to cross the path of the bus to get to the platform... why is there a traffic light when there's only rather slow moving public transport and pedestrians crossing?
Not true we all stop ... and the tram go's first and the bikes knows it too. I drive taxi in Amsterdam for a long time 15+
@@RS_Redbaron well I wasn't talking about Amsterdam here, but elsewhere in the country, and not about taxis. Because here the trams and buses have to wait significantly for the light to change, while it then stays red for way too long after it has passed, making that pedestrians and cyclists just cross on red.
on other places it is indeed way rarer to see pedestrians and cyclists crossing on red
Ik ga maar nederlands schrijven want ik volg je niet meer. Die tijden van de lichten kunnen ze aanpassen. Not all tram stops need a trafic light...@@khulhucthulhu9952
This is a very busy turist crossing, coming from the turistic Spiegelgracht and Spiegelstraat to the Rijksmuseum they are mostly unfamiliar with the rule that pedestrians have right of way at the zebra crossing, they wait in droves which makes the cyclists used to take right of way.
tbh its not just tourists waiting at zebra crossings in Amsterdam, i'm dutch but when in Amsterdam im way more careful walking across a zebra crossing because i dont feel like getting hit by a 12 year old on a fatbike going 30 km/ph
@@tenctzen I developed a rather sharp sense by now to detect the light buzzing noise they made and getting out of their way. I hope it is a matter of time these monsters are no longer considered "just another bike" and brought under the same same restrictions as mopeds.
( 16 years of age, helmet, license)
After which another generation of too fast bikes will be developed.
In the legal sense NOBODY in the Netherlands HAS the "right of way". Not even police/ambulance/&c. The law there says that one must GIVE "right of way" in certain conditions. The difference is that of (automatically) HAVING versus GIVING (being required).
How does the cost of a bedroom typically compare to two roomettes?
At a zebra crossing, pedestrians have priority or does this rule not apply in Amsterdam
Yes, even a dog if you watched the video.
Technically they have priority. But bicyclists hate to stop. Usually people negotiate a safe crossing by looking at each other. Especially important is that people cross together in a horizontal line so the rider can cut in front or behind.
@@ab-jm5gnWell said!
Are there many tram/cycle collisions? some of the cyclists seem to have a very cavalier attitude.
Tram drivers drive very defensively in these area's. But yeah, accidents do happen. But far less than other accidents.
Trams tend to drive perfectly predictable. They stick to the rails laid out for them. As a bicyclist you have to estimate the speed of the tram and your own speed. If you fail or are not paying attention (teenagers!) then the tram hits the brakes and rings bells and the standing passengers are launched and will be cursing. Tram drivers know where to speed and where not. Like at intersections. Cars are the most dangerous. The taxi is the natural enemy of the bicyclist, as the driver earns money for speeding. Luckily they have experience with bicyclists in Amsterdam. They always try to intimidate using their car to get their way. Best is to pretend you are distracted and did not notice the taxi. There are way too many taxi's but Amsterdam needs national legislation to discipline them. National (right wing) politicians like to teach 'arrogant, left wing Amsterdam' a lesson.
@@ReindeRRustema The part of acting like you don't see them is so true, haha.
Most of the time they have to stop out of principle and if they speed-up anyway you've got plenty of time to step on the brakes.
can you do a video during peak hours, on a warm day when every tourist is renting a bike?
This wouldn't work in Drenthe, they start building hunebeds immediately... ;)
A nice illustration that people can travel in harmony and with communication if you let them.
To be fair, halve of the hunebed are there already. Groeten van de gowebrogge.
People in general in this video believe that they will not get hit; they believe that the other persons will take sensible actions, and as a result nobody gets hit and it's very efficient. In the UK, you would get a lot more people holding back just in case they got hit...
Look at those trams go, wow. They go so fast so quickly. We don’t have them here. We have the trolley-bus. A bus full of trolls.
It does feel like any hesitation could be deadly, though. I would be really scared as someone who is only using their feet and public transport these days. Some of these situations seem really tight. There seems to be a lot more trust and respect toward the other people in traffic than I can even imagine.
@Kkubey The much LOWER speeds of pedestrians & bikes makes most-any encounter between them not in any way even near-fatal. The trust-&-respect that you mention is absent in car-to-car traffic because the protection by the car's body allows drivers to think that they are the king of the road. When one *knows* that bumping into somebody will hurt *oneself* , then one automagically becomes more cautious.
@@user-gx1rk8yw6l Sadly, I can't see any self-preservation out on the streets here in cyclists (or pedestrians at that, when they run all across the street) either. Broken bones are bad enough. We also already saw bike vs bike death here. People speed through frequented parks, turn without looking and ignore red lights. There have been several accidents especially with eldery people being hit by a bike and suffering broken bones and it can cause them to lose the ability to live by themself, the cyclists causing it often flee (as seen in police reports), as no identification is required anyway. When I was still using my bike, someone pushed me off the bike lane (which was at level with the sidewalk and is unfrequented) onto car traffic, had the driver approaching not had godly reflexes I could have died right there. The cyclist just rode away like nothing happened. This caused me to entirely stop using a bike, as I value my life over cycling (not that I had been any confident to begin with).
There was a comment section in German where people claimed that if they cause an accident because they rapidly switch lanes or don't follow lanes at all, it would be a car drivers fault for not reacting and not going slower than allowed. The implication is that they will just ride into harms way and they dont care if someone else suffers any sort of injury. I don't understand how people became this bad at traffic in this country. And that is without even talking about literally crazy car drivers.
I’m incredibly jealous of this as an American
Put your jealousy to work in a good way. Support/promote reducing car-use. 🙂
Aha, so this is indeed new. I was here a couple months ago after not visiting for maybe 6 years. So I was right, it did look different, haha.
1:32 in Turkish: "somebody explain me the rules", "this is so strange" xd
As a frequent user of this intersection: yes it has been improved but it still is a mess.
used to work that way 80 years ago
why wouldn't it work today?!
I'm from Aruba, we don't have traffic lights, ever intersection you need to yield
And almost not a car in site in one of the wealthiest democrasies on earth! 😀
It reminds me of a scene in Bee Movie.
If you know, you know!
That does it!
Time to install cities skylines 2 😎
Some of the pedestrians had to wait at their crossing because cyclist weren’t stopping, otherwise a good flow indeed. I feel that especially with e-bikes cyclists are going faster than they should and subsequently not giving priority.
This is part of the deal. If a bicycle comes in with a high speed it is normal to give them the space, it is more effort to them to start up again then for the pedestrien
So, are all the lanes mixed traffic lanes? Cars and bikes together? Cars are guests in this space and there're a lot more bicycles?
We're gonna need an in depth analysis of this intersection. By we, I mean me specifically!
From the blog post: "The North and South arms could be used in both directions by private cars. The West and East arm were one-way streets from which only right turns were allowed. After the reconstruction the South arm became a one-way street for cars as well.
...
Interestingly private cars can still use all four arms of this pseudo-roundabout. But only partly and in specific directions, namely West to South, North to South and East to North. Taxis can also go from West to East and vice versa on the tram tracks."
@@MrAronymous Ahh I didn't realize there was an accompanying blog post linked in the description. Thanks!