How Amsterdam Became a Bicycle Paradise
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- čas přidán 24. 10. 2018
- 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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'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.
Safety first.
They did that in Mexico City, bad idea.
Yes, so sad!
If the oil crisis hadn't hit the Netherlands it may have ended up very different... Yay oil crises!
That very same thing did became reality in Mexico City. Sadly, now you can see the results.
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.
yes, but Amsterdam is a "big city" so this is the point for all the people living in big cities in the USA to tell them "it can be done, it has be done and the results are amazing, more than they were hoping for"
@@laughingvampire7555 but there are also people in the USA who live in small villages so this makes no sence
This reminds me of the meme with the Dutch prime minister riding a bike to a meeting and the US President arriving with helicopters. 😂😂😂
that was not a meme, he rides his bike to work every day.
@@reddishcat1 yes, it was
Some guy posted the arrivals to the Hague of both presidents on a meme site
Yeah, it annoyed me because half of our highways were blocked because of it, and the USA president decides to come by helicopter. Why did we block all of those roads if he travels trough the sky?
Wander Milder Why can't a meme be true?
He does that every day, even with heavy rains. Just like the ordinary Dutch person does.
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!
India needs a LOT less people
@@Saartje05 that I totally and completely agree.. only if..
Which city is car friendly?
It would take 6-7 hrs to get to work
India's car problem is definitely unsolvable, they can't even build proper roads let alone maintain them.
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!!!
@@AK-qg7mp idiot response.
It's funny how people go recommending things like riding bikes when they cruise around in their Uber expensive cars. I mean some people are in a Bentley one day and a Honda the next, modesty is not quaint. A better question is should trees be cut down for the sake of pine boxes and murky views of the cityscape? It's Amsterdam after all, dilated pupils are not the result of intoxication, but rather the awesomeness of green city living. 🙄🙄🙄😳😳😳😳🤐
Yeah, but you can't go on your bike for 12 hours drive. but i'm a fan of motorbikes for shorter distance
Keep Smiling because the grocery store is 12 hours away
Tell that to the Industrial tycoons or the war mongers who planned the building of freeways as alternative landing tracks during war times...😎
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.
I save a bunch of money by living in a large US city without a car.
Cars have a lot of hidden costs too, like taxpayer money for road maintenance, or the cost for the health issues caused by them. Monetary speaking, cars are generally a net loss, weirdly enough.
@@Dark__Thoughts compact mini cars is an alternative.
NVanHiker Same. Moved to Oakland. Sold my car. Havent driven in 7 years. You don’t need to move to Amsterdam to leave your car behind. (Though it is a beautiful city.)
cars are stoves where you put your money inside to burn it. insurance, gas, repairs, etc.
and the problem outside of Amsterdam is that people always finds excuses to not use the bike, "i'm too old", "winter", "too dangerous","don't wanna wear tights", "is uncomfortable", "is for children"
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!
@@NiamDennegar Yes they do, you just need a special ticket
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.
Safety bike was a British invention too. Like Dunlop tubes. And so many other things. What happened to the Mini Cooper? So painful.
I can only speak for the London metropolitan area , but I consider it quite pedestrian friendly compared to Canadian cities. Though I wouldn't ride a bicycle there as long as I enjoy not being dead.
Lol sound like Germany
I was in Bristol few months ago ... I was shocked. dirty roads, dirty houses, Everything dirty and disgusting
OneHumanity OnePlanet sadly, but true
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 🇳🇱❤️
Likewise, I was blown away by how great it was, didn’t want to come home.
As an American I'm suppose to fear thinking like this. People drive three blocks to eat dinner and return home.
those who are lucky enough to live within three blocks of somewhere to eat dinner. most US planning prohibits anything but single-detached suburban housing for miles and miles
So, it didn't happen over night. It took years.
Great reporting.
Love it because I love Bicycling.
It took decades even. Started in the 70's, and since have improved bicycle network designs. First there were bike lanes, then we moved on to separated bicycle paths, and as far as I know, the next step is to separate the bicycle network from that of cars completely, so you don't even have to breathe in exhaust fumes from the buzy road you'd otherwise be cycling next to. Removing confict points by separating flows of cars and cyclists at crossings, either with smart traffic lights, or by over/underpasses in very heavy traffic routes.
Safe to say we're still improving the infrastructure to this day.
The major difference between the U.S & the Netherlands is in the sentence 'THE GOVERNMENT TOOK NOTICE' instead of 'THE POLICE TOOK ACTION'
Tis often both, helped by the fact we have so many political parties, any group can find someone that represents them, and help them raise the issue.
There's no car lobby in the Netherlands that can bribe and manipulate Dutch politicians into giving the go for more highways.
@@stefangrobbink7760 That's neither here nor there.
FILL THE CANALS WITH CONCRETE??!?!?!?!?!! my dutch heart is breaking
The US is not about quality of life or safety of children. The US is about money.
Money brings quality of life and safety
@@gizdonk only to a certain point, yeah if you can't afford a house or food, but beyond that point money doesn't improve the quality of life that much.
Money that they don’t have xD
Thats why some lottery winners become unhappy, but when you look at business men who make a lot of money their not unhappy because they do something they love
@Slomofogo No they love to work their asses off so they gotta take it of the edge sometimes.
The netherlands are one of the greatest countries. Especially The city of Nordwijk is just amazing. High quality of life.
Greetings from Germany :))
Wanted to point out. Netherlands will be for few years. Due to sea level rise.
@L M Nobody is prepared.
@@richardlighthouse5328 quarter of their land is already under sea level, yet they live on it just fine.
They would be fine.
I’m doing master ( urban management ) in Wagenigen university , I would say every thing is well - prepared what ever the scenario which might happen in the future .
@@richardlighthouse5328 as from 1955 structures on both the sea side and by the rivers have been put in place. Check YT for some reports on those infrastructure projects.
The whole of the netherlands is a bicycle paradise
You mean 'how The Netherlands Became a Bicycle Paradise'.
Nah... Dutch people have referred to their own country as Holland for centuries. Even in Japanese and Indonesian we're known as Holland, despite having had complete control for centuries over how we were known there (through trade monopolies). And we still do it regularly (Hup Holland Hup, Ik hou van Holland, Landje aan de Zuiderzee...). We did it for the same reason that United States people call themselves Americans: Calling ourselves United Statians or United Provincials would just be awkward. Another point of evidence is the fact that 'Holland' is a very common last name in Britain, while nobody has the last name 'Zeeland', 'Gelre' or Brabant'. Apparently all Dutch immigrants of the 16th and 17th centuries were known as Hollanders and were fine with that when the time came to choose a last name. The only reason why in the 21st century some Dutch people act like they care about this is because it's just fun to accuse someone of being ignorant. I know that, because we never correct each other. Final argument: 'The Netherlands' is equally incorrect. The actual Netherlands consists of Netherland, Belgium, Luxemburg and a small part of Northern France. I would be all in favour of changing our English name to 'Netherland' or even 'Nederland' (why not?). Then I'll stop saying Holland.
@@robertdegroot8302 The point was that the original title refers to the city, while the subject applies to the whole country. I am Dutch and I prefer The Netherlands.
@@Simon-dm8zv Ah yes, I made a mistake.
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.
I wonder how your city us getting along with bikes now, four years later.
I've been thinking that the US might need a "freedom to ride" movement, which basically says that people have just as much right to ride safely as to use cars. What do you think?
The "Open Streets" movement is really helping. But/And we also have eBikes, scooters and one wheels competing/adding for/to the same demand. Whatever makes us leave our cars at home for long trips.
Lol. As a Dutchman, I went biking in NY on a couple occassions. What a horrible, yet hilarious, experience that was. You basically have to maneuver between cars and the little cycleways that are there are almost always blocked. I can see why Americans don’t commute by bike (while it would certainly help battle the amazing gridlock traffic problem NYC has). Bike infrastructure really is the most important facilitating factor here.
Yup but you cant compare amsterdam to new york..new york is so populated and over crowded building ..
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
WAIT TO YOU GET OLDER AND YOU BIKE IN SNOW AND RAIN.
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!
In the netherlands we actually have an annual contest for the best bike town. Amsterdam never wins because other towns in the netherlands are actually even better in city planning with bike roads
I was just there last week.
Had the PRIVILEGE of bike there for 2 days. Yes, it was amazing.
It’s very true.. i went with my car two times to Amsterdam, i hated both times.. it’s almost impossible to navigate through and it’s super expensive to park and/or finding a parking place.. they did it very well.. now, when i go to Amsterdam, i go with the train..
Hope government & citizens of India can learn from this city.
The world would be much better off if every city was like Amsterdam.
Unfortunately the interests of the economy and what is best for people don't always see eye to eye. the big business of automotive and petrol industries desired to fill their own pockets at the expense of the peoples well being.
Hopefully electric cars will cange things for the better this time but our governments had plenty of opportunity to strike a better balance between petrol motors and public transport and chose to favor the wrong choice for its people.
Congrats to Amsterdam for keeping their city beautiful and clean and still very efficient.
I guess the Netherlands is somewhat lucky to not have an automotive industry, so their lobbying power is limited.
I would also be intrigued by a study of the health benefits of walking or cycling on a daily basis.
I once read a study about the city of Utrecht, they astimated the city saved over 300 million dollar per year in health costs because of the cycling system... Just one city of 350,000 people...
I was extremely fortunate to study abroad while in college in Amsterdam... I needed a bike to get around and so did everyone else. I believe there’s a correlation between a lack of obese Dutch people and cycling in the Netherlands... call me crazy but the US could learn something from them...
no one would call you crazy they would call you communist
I do not think we need to learn to be a weak third world country
Utrecht is much better but overall yes. If I moved to another country I wouldn't be able to live without the bike Lanes being everywhere. Here you can travel around the whole country and you'll most likely have a bike lane in every road
I came up with some selling points for bicycle infrastructure that might resonate in the US:
- having the freedom to choose your form of transportation and use it safely
- making neighbourhoods more liveable
- saving time when kids can go to school and leisure activities by themselves
- saving space in congested cities
- better air quality
- emptier car lanes
- aid in the fight against obesity
That was a good presentation!
It happened because the Dutch government was willing to listen to the people. In most countries, money makes the government listen.
The Netherlands
Has more bikes than people
Lowest country ever
Tallest people on average
I don't even have a place of my own (but that's OK, I'm not homeless!) and I have 4 bikes.
Amsterdam was way ahead of its time. It’s also the most gorgeous city in Europe.
No and no.
@@hj-zm1wo*yeah, I guess and probably no
It must certainly be one of the flatest.
Sssst! Please keep it a secret, we don't want any more tourists.
Very interesting information day by day !
Helpful video and real Channel !
I appreciate it !
Thank You very much dear Bloomberg for Your unique job !
Vl'ado. Nov 10,2018
and forever.
with the bike sales rising all around the world due to the corona pandemic this short documentary just got incredibly relevant. And yes, riding bikes here in the Netherlands is a lot of fun, and rather safe. The last part most likely has to do with the fact that almost everybody knows how it is to cycle around cars, and because of that when you are driving a car you pay more attention to the cyclers.
tldr: they made a conscious choice, and designed accordingly.
It's crazy how much space cars take up
And that it's just accepted, and any suggestions to remove the dominance of cars is lambasted as too radical when the theft of our streets by the car is what's truly radical
Never mentioned that there is a 25% tax on a car and gasoline taxes are the highest in the world .
If you don't want to pay those then don't get a car. Simple.
Wish the US was more bike friendly
The big think is that in the Netherlands, bicylces are just a mode of transport, like walking or taking a car or train or airplane.
It's not primarily a sport or way of exercise.
This means nearly everyone bikes, especially children up to the age of 18, as it's the only way for a teenager to get around without help from parents besides walking.
This makes everyone a biker, even when driving a car, just like all humans are pedestrians. Owning a bicycle is like having two legs as far as the Dutch are concerned.
It is not just Amsterdam but every city or village in the Netherlands. And the bike paths between.
Thank you for the video.Makes the design more attractive for bikers and less attractive for cars
Easy to use and clean. Very convenient.
Plus they have a great tram, metro and suburban rail system. There's no need for a car.
Meanwhile in Dublin there's no metro and if u have the balls to cycle in the city centre u are risking ur life.
The whole Netherlands is a biking paridise! We are one of the most active country's in the EU thanks to bikes! (Other countries take note)
I didn't know my neighboring country is called Finald, thanks Bloomberg
Because everyone bikes it helps understanding your fellow road users once you get behind the wheel.
Countries that I want to live in:
1) Japan
You walk and take public rides, no cars needed
2) Netherlands
You take a bike to go everywhere, no cars needed
The Netherlands also has one of best public transport systems in the world.
Japan has perhaps the greatest zoning that exist in any country
Living in a small town in US and not knowing how to drive. Life is really hard for me 😭 walking on the street is so dangerous I walk by rule but in so many places they don’t even set a rule.
Learn to drive im in eu wya harder to drive here
MagenticArcanine well I’m saving money for a car now 😂 hopefully I can start to drive by next year
15*
Vote for Bernie, maybe things will smarten up.
Official statistics say that Amsterdam has 189 rainy days a year, but yet I have never seen bad weather in any video about Amsterdam.
because when it rains water gets on the lense
@@burgerpommes2001 yes, dirty, nasty rain
When it rains here in Amsterdam, it's often only a drizzle. And it doesn't last very long so you can wait it out (if you want to).
@@henkschmitz6768 It's still weird that 99% of the videos show only nice weather
seem to remember some time ago there was a CZcams item on cycle parking at the railway station
Amsterdam is the worst place to bike in the netherlands lol
Feb Vel Right! Just terribly congested. The whole country is a cycling paradise not just Amsterdam like the media suggests
Lol completely agree
The Hague is worse.
Almere is even worse
Hahaha. True. I live just off the Amstel and I never use my bike if I'm going into the centre. Too many tourists.
Yay bikes! For a detailed look on how cars took over the US checkout "Taken for a Ride" (1996)
3:18 I'm trying to find Denamrk and Finald on a map, but so far I didn't succeed....
Denamrk and Finald arent countries
that's because you are not looking at the countries that put the breaks 0:28 on cars
Still looking?
Cycling here in "Finald" is great
Haha, I saw that! 😁
The 2 oil crises had much bigger impact, they were the main drive for change both in Holland and in Denmark.
Bicycle paradise makes it sound like bikes should go on holiday there.😂
looks like a dream place to live
More cities need to take Amsterdam’s lead!! The benefits in doing so would be tremendous!
So awesome country,I wish we also have just like these in the Philippines it so fucking polluted here too much cars and stress.
Bikes are not as fast as cars, so many US cities and their suburbs like Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix etc. would not be able to accomplish this. Creating bike lanes alongside streets and sidewalks makes much more sense for the US. Driving from my suburb in NYC to Miami, FL takes 18 hours whereas a drive from Groningen (Northern NL) to Eindhoven (Southern NL) takes 2 hours. The US is enormous, a fact that is hard to grasp if you spend your time traveling between small nations in the EU. No wonder biking is mostly a leisure activity here, not a lifestyle.
Lol i’m dutch and amsterdam is actually the least save cycling city in the whole country
@Han Solo ja dat is allemaal zeker waar alleen van alle steden in nederland is amsterdam toch de gevaarlijkste
Ohja 10 keer ofzo niet heel veel maar wel genoeg om n idee te krijgen
@Han Solo ff voor de duidelijkheid ik heb zelf totaal geen problemen met fietsen in amsterdam en ik vindt zelfs erg vermakkelijk, ik vind t alleen grappig dat ze net die ene stad kiezen waar het meeste auto's door de binnen stad rijden en waar het voor "de onervaren fietser" het gevaarlijkst is
@Han Solo helemaal eens👌👌
You make it seem like driving is terrible in netherlands, yet every year it's rated the best country for drivers in the world.
We all need to copy them. Bikes make cities more valuable paradises.
Is it hard to immigrate to there?
Nicholas Littlejohn It is easy if you have EU citizenship
its even easier if you have fat bank account!
For US citizens it’s relatively easy, when you own a business in NL you’ll be allowed residency.
For specifics look up the Dutch-US friendship Treaty, or contact a Dutch Embassy
Don´t come here, The economy and the politics here is 1 big fucking meltdown..
Nicolas Littlejohn. If you like to wait for a effordable house 20 years. Less than 710 euro p.month. I have friends they are listed since 2003. They have a very low chance to find a house. If you can pay more than 2000 euro a month gros you will find a house. Without electricity and water,taxes etc. In the Netherlands you have to wait 20 years and more for a house. We have 18 mil. inhabitants. Compare to Belgium they have 11 mil. inhabitants. We have 7 mil inhabitants more. We have to stop immigration. Our country is to full. For holidays it is fine. Go to one of these cities like Delft,Leiden,Zwolle,Leeuwarden,Utrecht,Haarlem,Alkmaar.We have lovely cities. These cities are great to visit. You can go by train for about 50 euros (dayticket) Go after 9 o'clock because it's busy
My pridest possession, my bike even though it is not my most expensive possession (by a long shot)
2:05 Absolute madlads
Actually a bicycle nightmare, with all stoned tourist and unexperienced morons on rental bikes. Amsterdam....I try to avoid as much as possible
Ojalá algún día pase en España 😍😍
Esperamos.
there are so many typos in this video..."put the breaks on," "Denamrk," "Finald..." wow, Bloomberg.
Corporate media is a joke in every department ;)
You never heard of those countries? They are right next to Nroway and Sewden
Amsterdam's canals contain a huge amount of bycicles, I heard they pull up around 13.500 bicycles each year
Broodje-aap-verhaal.
Yup, its just a tradition where people throw bikes in the canal on purpose (Even if its not your own) , not really that they fall into the canal (rarely ever due to bad weather but almost never)
@@TheLegendSpeaker Really?
@@TheLegendSpeaker I think you mean *especially* not their own bike. Why would anyone throw their own bike in the canal?! Drunk people, often male college/university students, think this is a fun game. That's why every sensible Dutch person knows to use a chainlock to lock their bike to something else, like a fence, pole, street light, bicycle parking frame, etc.
London currently is in a transition towards being more bicycle friendly. They did a survey to find out what's keeping people off bikes most and the number one issue is safety.
Safety is not solved with helmets or "correct" cycling behavior. It is solved by creating safe infrastructure. The Netherlands by and large have this safe infrastructure everywhere, which is why we don't even need to wear helmets. We are protected by the roads themselves.
I love cycling 🚲🚲🚲🚲❤️❤️❤️❤️
I want to move there!
It’s such a mountainous country, must keep them in shape.
Come and experience the wind in this country, it has a strange tendency to go against you what ever direction you choose to go (or so we think). We actually call it
"dutch mountains". You'll love it...
Keep Healthy with our bike
Why can't US cities be like this. Looking at you LA
@Donald Joe Trump distances big because we embraced cars so hard
Nice video. But when you want to see bycicle paradises, you filmed in the wrong city. For Dutch standards, Amsterdam isn't a bycicle paradise at all. Almost every city in the Netherlands is more bike friendly than Amsterdam.
I hope one day, Jakarta Indonesia like that. No more cars, motorcycle, no polution, just people walk and cycling. That's can be healthy city with happiness people inside. Like sim city 😅
I love Ámsterdam ✌✌
Seriously, everyone in the city should just use bikes for travel within the city.. It will solve a LOT of problems.
"Research show a correlation between higher numbers of bikes and lower casualties among cyclists."
Isn't that amazing? I stared at that graph at 3.15 for a whole minute (and I am from the Netherlands, go figure).
Whats the song's name at min: 2:37 ?
I live in the State of Maryland (USA) where a Republican Governor with a 20th century outlook on life vetoed a Bikeway bill which would have increased funding of bicycle infrastructure within the state. In my tiny state, the ruling establishment is the problem - but unlike the Dutch, no one in Maryland seems willing to protest and make things better.
I already live in one of the most bike-friendly cities in the US, but I still don't feel safe riding around compared to when I visited Amsterdam.
Phrancis5 and then imagine Amsterdam is really bad for bicycles according to Dutch standards. Way too crowded
@@samuvisser Then you can imagine how much more dangerous the average US city is for bikes. Any large city will, of course, be more crowded, but traffic and accidents involving bikes are far more preferable to big cars and SUVs.
Then imagine a small city without many tourists who don't know how to cycle. THOSE are the paradises.
Why are Finland and Denmark spelt wrong on the last chart they show?
Great
THE NETHERLANDS ISN'T ONLY AMSTERDAM
In the 70s it was a luxury to have a car. Everyone lives near thei work or go by public transport. Woonerf was first implemented (late 60s) in Emmen and introduced by Niek de Boer. it means cars can only go a maximum speed of 15 km/hr.
@Planespotting Nürnberg thank you. I was talking about the Netherlands I don't know about the USA and the UK. I could remember the time of "Autoloze Zondag" no cars were allowed to drive at Sunday. In our street, like others in our town, there were only 8 cars against ± 70 households. So having a car was not that common in our town in early 70s.
Waiting for thos to happen in my country
Waiting ;)
3:23 What's Finald? Did they mean Finland?
Nice video! Also a cycling lover? Greetz @Allbicycles
Fun fact: at 1:57 when you read the counter it says "bedrag", bedrag means "scam" in Norwegian..
Cars = scam.
I still can't fathom how anyone thinks the car as a positive.
It means "price" in Dutch.
Bedrog in Dutch...
Nice
2:31 "On wednesday night, Amsterdam's municipal council has approved the Capital's Traffic Circulation Plan, with only the VVD voting against it."
Now today, most environmental legislation is being blocked by that very same VVD.
Very consistent. Gotta give 'm that! 😎
Best place on earth
Centre of Amsterdam is very compact. That helped a lot.
rotterdam got buldozed for the car and it still works
Thats why you build dense ubran centres. Even in cities that are less dense, it can be changed
People embrace cycling in Amsterdam because they don't have to wear a helmet.
That is part of it for sure. Biking was more popular here (Canada) before all the helmet laws. Many people stopped when they have to wear one. I bike but don't as much as I want because I do find the helmet annoying. I just want to get onto my bike and go.
Also because you don't have to be fitter than Bradley Wiggins to ride at the correct speed to easily use the roads.
Heh, I live in Cork, it's becoming more bike friendly, with the entire City center having bike lanes, the only annoying thing is they only go one way: away from the city, there's no bike lane for people cycling to the city center.
People like bikes over cars but only big corporates will support cars and motor bikes which are polluting and disturbing. BAN THEM.