Amsterdam Just Got Awesomer
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 02. 2023
- Watch this video ad-free and sponsor-free on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes...
For as long as I can remember, Amsterdam Centraal has been under construction. Some amazing projects have completed over the past 10 years, but the best was just completed recently: the largest bicycle parking garage in Amsterdam!
Patreon: / notjustbikes
Reddit: / notjustbikes
Mastodon: @notjustbikes@notjustbikes.com
NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel):
/ @njblive
---
Additional Information
Bicycle Dutch - Amsterdam's underwater bicycle parking garage
• Amsterdam's under wate...
Timelapse 2019-2022 onderwater fietsenstalling Amsterdam Centraal Station
• Timelapse 2019-2022 on...
Zo werd bij Centraal Station de grootste fietsenstalling van Amsterdam gebouwd
www.parool.nl/nederland/zo-we...
Nieuwe fietsenstalling bij station Amsterdam: 'Een oase, maar je moet geen haast hebben'
nos.nl/video/2461351-nieuwe-f...
Feest rond CS: alles nieuw met 2 giga fietsenstallingen onder water
www.amsterdam.nl/nieuws/nieuw...
nos.nl/video/2461351-nieuwe-f...
Fietser (48) overleden na val in fietsenstalling De Hallen
www.parool.nl/nieuws/fietser-...
This video contains content licensed from Getty Images.
If you'd like to sign up for Nebula, use this link to get a discount:
go.nebula.tv/notjustbikes
And be sure to check out the Bicycle Dutch video about this parking garage, too: czcams.com/video/t_H421RS_Lc/video.html
Oh yeah, I watched it on Nebula already. That's why it feels like I've watched it already 😅
Hey NJB, these looks better than any other bicycle stable I've seen! On another note, you mentioned in another video that you wanted to make a video about turbo roundabouts someday. Is that on the roster yet? I'm kinda curious about your Canadian take on it...
If the Dutch put their bikes in "stables" I do wonder if they have a riding related nickname for them like we have here in Germany. We sometimes call our bikes Drahtesel(wire-donkey) 😄
just to comment on your comment about the art budget! The netherlands actually enforces that part of the budget for any government project requires at least some form of art budget, usually a percentage of the expected price of the whole thing :3
@@christianhohenstein1422 Not used as much nowadays, but ‘Stalen ros’ - meaning ‘Steel Steed’ is indeed a nickname for bicycles.
I swear, every video where he points out "look at the old infrastructure that the netherlands had, it was shameful and awful and ugly", and you see that its better than anything your country would make. I want that ugly outside bike parking in Ireland for god's sake.
Maybe we can ship the fietsflat to Ireland! It does need a little bit of paint though 😂
Doesn’t make sense to build public transport infrastructure in Ireland due to low density housing patterns. Until the culchies move to the cities like the rest of the world, Ireland will remain a rural, car dependent backwater.
I laughed way too hard at this
I mean, its not that hard to build.
That's what I thought! "Hmm .. that's actually pretty good. I wish we had something like that here ..."
I genuinely think these channels are drastically changing public opinion (esp among younger people) of transit in the US. I was locked into a car mindset and didn't even really comprehend what life could be like without car-centricity. I was struck by a car going 35 mph in my adolescence and always blamed myself/my friends who told me it was okay to cross. Never once did I question why it was so hard to walk down the street to get lunch. Thank you for showing us what's possible.
Sorry for being struck and great to hear the influence of these videos.
It's even happening in Australia, if only majorly in planning (though it existed before) and young academic circles so far!
The frequency or ordinary people having a better idea has gone up a lot though, which is the best.
That's not the cars fault you walked out infront of it
Perfectly said
It is. It made me realize I wanted to be an urban planner. Going to college for it now.
When you were chatting about the nice artwork in Amsterdam's public transit stations, I thought you were also going to mention the lack of advertising. Most transit stations in the world are plastered with billboards and video adverts, and it adds to the overwhelming feeling of confined spaces. Amsterdam's transit stations feel like the opposite with large open spaces, bright lighting, and neutral tones. It really adds to the calmness of bicycle infrastructure.
I didn't even notice
it so refreshing tho
my adhd can't not look at these dumb ass adverts
Advertisement is another thing that, I think, passively worsens the mental health of everyone who has to go near it. I don't need spaces to be extremely beautiful, but it would be nice to just be somewhere that's not clawing at my attention constantly. The least they could do was to make advertisement use the same colour schemes as their surroundings. I'm so tired of walking around inside physical TV commercial breaks.
yeah. once i was on Bart in powell station in San Francisco and there was google ads everywhere... every. single. ad. (my channel has a 30 video on it)
@@Sorenzo Hey now, that sounds like a country that cares about the health of their residents instead of money.
Making it look better is a kind of movement starting in the 80's when graffiti had taking over in its ugly form from the 70's. When surfaces where made nice and interresting graffiti reduced significantly and basically moved out(wards).
I just went to a local city meeting about redesigning a road to be more accessible to bikes and pedestrians and a guy used the word stroad. For context i live in a relatively rural community, my city has a population of just 60k. You are making a huge difference, and i appreciate the work you and all other urbanist channels are doing.
Do you think this guy invented the word stroad?
Sounds a lot like my city and a meeting that happened the same day, involved 3 schools and a lot of NIMBY complaining 😶
@@sit-insforsithis1568 obviously he didn’t, but he’s probably the one that’s introduced the idea to more people than anyone else. Or, he’s up there at least.
"and i thought i was the urban guy here"
@@sit-insforsithis1568 that's not a common word people use. Also, its use is derogatory.
Netherlands has finally recognized him as their country promoter. Congratulations are in order for the man!
Condolences you mean.
@Not Just Bikes Have you thought about hosting Amsterdam tours for Americans (and other people)? I would love to pay for a tour like this in person and experience a city form the public transit perspective. You can make a LOT OF MONEY 😇
I only visited Amsterdam three weeks ago because of this channel lol
We need a collab with Nikki Tutorials, the other dutch number 1 promoter!
@@Shiniiee was it worth it?
As an American hearing a complaint about trains *ONLY* coming every six minutes was insane
WOOOO LETS GO I LOVE ONE TRAIN EVERY TWO HOURS
That was about the metro line. Actual trains go every 15 to 30 minutes or every hour for the less used routes.
That took me by surprise as well. I would love to have transit every 6 minutes in Los Angeles.
@@nimeshinlosangeles it is the frequency of the combined lines, not necessarily the one you would need to get to your destination.
@@wezza668 It's only one line (52).
As someone living in Ireland, I fully agree.
Hi! I just wanted to give an update let you all know that I used the rolpad on a rainy day, and it really wasnt that slippery at all! I wouldn't suggest running down the rolpad while it's actively raining, but as long as you walk at a normal pace or just stand and wait you should be fine!
Yeah... I still think that's a tragedy waiting to happen the first time someone isn't careful when it's raining heavily. Definitely expect they'll be covering it soon, hopefully with something clear to keep it feeling open and airy.
@@QuesoCookies Yea, I honestly wonder why there is no glass ceiling, would make it look even cooler
@@JoelLinus No it won't.
My mom was Dutch and I remember how she changed when we went back to Holland on vacation from the USA. She was so sure of herself and got through the city effortlessly. In the states she was a nervous wreck driving and it was very hard for her to get around. It’s a total different mindset in the Netherlands. People come first and that means bikes and pedestrians.
Six minutes is infrequent.
I just can't get over that sentence. Public transit in the US really can be so much better.
Is it that different from a subway station on Manhattan? I get that most cities have it way worse there, though.
Ikr; I’m still waiting on that first train.
having used public transport all over the word i can say with utter confidence that its very hard for anyone from outside america to qualify america as a first world country.
@@VideoDotGoogleDotCom from some website talking about New York City:
Normally, the subway lines run every 2 to 5 minutes during peak hours (from 6:30 am to 9:30 am and from 3:30 pm to 8 pm). During midday, they run every 5 to 10 minutes and between 5 and 15 minutes till midnight. From midnight until 6:30 am, trains run approximately every 20 minutes.
@@autohmae Here in LA metro trains run every 10-12 minutes at best--this is during rush hour :(
Worthwhile to mention, the ferries are charge free and run 24/7.
Ever since crunching the numbers on how much money a train saves vs a freeway I am convinced that ultra low fare (or even no fare) public transit is the way to go.
It helps the community as a whole save money while also drastically reducing the amount of emissions we spew out while moving about our live.
Can I get a ferry from the US to Amsterdam plz
@@x0rn312 good public transport doesn't take away people's individual autonomy.
You are not less autonomous because you use a bus or train.
Even to the contrary. Public transport gives autonomy to people who previously didn't have it. Disabled people, children, not-so-wealthy people, etc.
I definitely think it's an either or situation. You can't have safe cities when you have to share them with cars.
Riding the ferry over to the swap meet in Noord is super fun!
@@x0rn312 Europe is around the same size as the US first of all, secondly, your argument of the US being bigger is no excuse to make cities car dependent with massive freeways cutting through and having it filled with stroads. Those cities have people living in it, and people should be able to get around without a car. You’re talking as if people in netherlands don’t drive, they do, and it’s much better to drive there as you aren’t fighting traffic.
"I don't go to the centre of Amsterdam very often because its basically disneyland" You've become a true Dutch person!
It's smart that they've realized how useful your channel is when it comes to positive attention. I literally never thought of the Netherlands before I started watching this channel, now it's on my mind as a country with one of the higher qualities of life.
it is now my goal to live there
Seeing these videos as a cyclist makes me want to live here.
@@yukaira I'm happy to hear our country has left such a good impression but we are currently in the middle of a housing crisis, so that goal might be a bit far away I'm afraid. We are lacking a good 800.000 houses, almost a million. Doesn't sound like much but our population is just over 17 million so then 1 million is quite big...
@@soulangela7154 the Dutch should move to America and bring redesign our infrastructure. Plenty of cheap housing and land in middle America and the Midwest. You can get a mansion for less than 300k euros in the midwest in America
@@millevenon5853 Doesn't sound like too bad of an idea haha😂 would be a great exchange
I live in the US and almost started tearing up at the thought of traveling through actual enjoyable spaces every day. I often forget how absolutely uninspiring, lifeless, and emotionally vacant so many places in the US are.
Totally feel you. I see videos of small British towns with old, stone buildings and I get so jealous. Europe looks so much more beautiful.
My first visit to US was a four day work trip to Orlando. And not to the city itself, but in this cheap motel, 20km from the Disneyland. I've never seen so much empty space. All there was in a walking distance was a small pool with "Beware Alligators" signs, a Hooters and a vape store in the distance, lots of parking and that's it. That was so surreal...
@@StanislavG. I had a similar experience on my first night near Houston, TX, back in 2006! As there was no room at the hotel my colleagues were staying in, they found me a room in a bed-sit. I felt like I'd just walked into a film set, and will never forget that first night in the States!
It is really ugly. Many cities in America are bankrupt, so everything they build is as simple and cheap as possible. I actually find myself appreciating the bits of vandalism I see on the sides of buildings, just because it breaks up the monotone walls.
If America just narrowed the roads a bit more, then there's more budget for art.
NJB: "I wish the transit came more than once every six minutes"
Me, an American: (cries for no less than thirty minutes while I wait for my bus.)
Compared to places like Singapore with 2 minute waiting time in rush hour it is pretty slow. But yes when I took Amtrak in the USA my experience didn't rival Amsterdam :P
If not a whole hour 😢
To be fair, this was the underground we were talking about. Busses and trains are much more infrequent especially outside of the major cities and delays are fairly common. I guess he is comparing it to the London underground where wait times are usually about 1/2 minutes.
Actually, just 30 km away from Amsterdam in smaller places. Sometimes busses do only go once every 30 minutes. Not all lines are run as frequent as this arterial mass transport line between Amsterdam North to Amsterdam South (WTC) with the Metro line. Just saying, I live in Amsterdam. There are some routes that would take you 1 hour in public transport, and only 25 minutes on a bike. Some other routes would be 20 minutes in a metro, but 60+ minutes on a bike.
And here I was annoyed at 15 minute waits for my transit in Calgary Canada. 30 minutes is weekend/holiday schedule
"I am convinced that traveling through horribly ugly places on a regular basis takes a toll on your mental health." Oh my god, you're the only person I've heard express this and I totally agree! I grew up in a midwest suburb and was constantly stuck by how ugly everything was. It was one of the reasons I fell in love with 1920s-50s design; everything looked better back then. It also made me long for urban living. I've lived in cities my whole adult life, but I haven't been able to ditch the car just yet. I hope to in the near future.
Love that casual heel-click at 1:40, the joy that good transit brings!😄
I came here to timestamp this as well, glad it has already been spotted, enjoyed, and shared :)
@@TimLaSalle Same for me! So cute. ♡
That little jump gives me life.
@@TimLaSalle same
I'm over here in the U.S. mad that they didn't include cargo bikes in the Amsterdam station bike garage. Thanks, Not Just Bikes. You've changed me over the years.
Going to the trainstation with a cargobike makes no sense
Yes I also wondered about the cargo bikes. Probably less common combined with the train but I’m sure some families with toddlers may get to the station that way for a trip.
@@VDMOOLN If you're carrying a lot of luggage then a cargo bike does make sense. Otherwise you will force the traveller to seek transit with a vehicle, which is worse than just alloting some spaces for cargo bikes.
@@VDMOOLN People take their kids in the cargo bikes. Or perhaps some luggage for their train trip to somewhere else, e.g. Schiphol, Paris, London or Berlin.
Also, most people just own a single bike, which might be a cargo bike.
@@VDMOOLN why does your comment have 4 up votes?
It's such a nonsensical statement that I am honestly shocked that someone would agree with your comment.
I'm an Amsterdammer for 35 years and these videos provide a refreshing and optimistic look on what most locals mostly complain about. Complaining is what Amsterdam people do all the time. We should appreciate our city much more!
It's what got us where we are now. Look what could have happened if we continued car infrastructure. So I'll take the complaints.
You guys are the kings of 1st world problems lmao.
"Oh look my space-age bicycle parking doesn't have anti-gravity lifts and wireless nanosecond charging for my fusion powered bike" - a Dutch person in 2030 probably...
From someone living in India I can tell you it's such a great freedom to be able to complain and criticise. In my country if you speak negatively of a government policy you are termed as anti national, anti hindu etc. Keep your critical eye open sir, it's the only thing public has got over the government.
It’s our culture to moan while almost being taxed to death by the government. But if you see what you get in return personally or as a society for your money, I think we live in a great country just like the Swedes and Danes who are also taxed to death but are yet one of the most happy people around.
@@mayb8876 lol. Good joke.
This 'bicycle stable' looks way prettier than any regular car garage I've seen.
They often look dark, depressing and somewhat sketchy. This looks inviting and beautiful! It would be delightful to park my bicycle there
And those car garages most likely did not improve one's feeling of safety and security either I guess.
I just want to say you've singlehandedly got me interested in Transportaion and city planning, and now I'm trying to get a job in the field, changing the United States one city planner at a time!
Very good !! Inspired city planners are needed most. My brother is one here in the Netherlands. Politicians may or may not be inclined to pursue good infrastructure, and the population may or may not vote for more human-centric options. But it is the group of city planners that are really informed, look at solutions world-wide and translate them to the specific situation of their city.
Glad you are doing it. It's not going to be easy. Just remember, progress will be incremental. Carefully choose your projects to maximize the chance of success and carefully think how you want to explain the projects to the public. Some ideas how to frame things depending on the situation: increasing the transportation freedom of residents, improving city finances, if in the US: helping the city to be less reliant on state and federal funds and all the strings that come with those funds.
"It's a shame they only come every 6 minutes. For a modern train that seems really infrequent"
As a Canadian this hurts every part of my soul
6 minutes is alright.
Though for a capital city metro understable why it's a little low.
@@davidty2006
In Ontario, most GO trains only leave on each line every 90 minutes. I got stranded in Toronto once because I missed my train at Union and had to wait that long for the next one.
@@bagodrago it's a metro line not heavy rail but yes 90 mins is ridiculous
How to roast two big rich countries with one simple sentence.
As a New Yorker this hurts me more than you can even imagine.
As someone from Stockholm, Sweden, I think we have pretty good infrastructure and city design compared to most cities I've travelled to. But this makes even me jealous! Amazing work Amsterdam!
So where is our underground bikeparking? Yes, one single at Odenplan.
Don't forget about what beautiful artworks the stations are! Taking the tunnelbana is also always taking a trip to a museum. I love it
STHLM-city was (re)built for cars and corporations in the 60's, and thats when they sprinkled the sub-urban ghettos on top like a little gift for the future.. Dumb and ugly indeed but that's what you get with brutal socialist in charge of development.
I feel our train infrastructure is one of the worst in Europe though. It makes me sad. Stockholm is probably fine but countrywide it just don't work.
Going to Amsterdam for the first time this summer. I've lived without a car for six years in the US and I can't wait to finally see the holy land.
Make sure to also visit some place outside of amsterdam, because in terms of traffic amsterdam is the most chaotic in the country! You can take a twenty-minute trainride to haarlem from central station for instance
@@nienkehuijbens301 good to know, thank you!
Seeing these videos from the Netherlands on the internet is like looking at footage from the future. It's mind-blowing how advanced they are.
Especially when he cuts in north american infrastructure.
Agreed, in terms of infrastructure the Netherlands is probably the most advanced in Europe.
@@Roverde It depends on what you're looking at. Personally I would argue Switzerland has public transit so much more advanced it takes the cake.
@@Snowshowslow the Dutch and Swiss could learn so much from each other
@@vnixned2 Yes :)
The fact that the harshest complaint made in this whole video was having to take a bike up the world's shallowest stairway in order to get into an entire parking garage for bikes so you can take a train around a country that you can mostly traverse on foot made me realize just how much of a second world country the US is. I had to go apocalypse mode this past week because it was too icy for a full week for me to be able to get around in the single, only manner possible: driving.
Love your analogy , but Albeit small, traversing the Netherlands on foot would still take you a couple of days 😂
A long time ago the Dutch passed a law which specified the budget for art in publicly funded construction. Something like 1% of the total budget HAD to go to art. This is why you see more art, here. France also has lots of artwork in public works. I never fail to notice and I believe it reflects the values of a society.
My best friend left Portland Oregon for Amsterdam and she is so happy! She went thru a shock at first but she feels safe and found a very nice guy! She never felt safe taking public transportation in Oregon and looks forward everyday to riding with peace of mind. I’m going to visit her this summer and I’m so excited!😊
I'm glad you and Bicycle Dutch have been recognised for the work you do in explaining and promoting the Netherlands' Infrastructure! Even for dutch people like myself, I have learnt a lot from these videos and come to appreciate my surroundings far more! Keep up the great work!
My guess is these types of videos are viewed on average more often by people in governments. So I'm not surprised.
Well in rural netherlands you can't do without a car.
@@arjanvanraaij8440 ofc we don't live car free, but even there you *can* use public transport often or use a car to get to places where public transport is more widely available. I don't think any country could truly go 100% car free, it just wouldn't work for rural areas
I'm blown away by the Dutch infrastructure! Building things with consideration not only for the people, but for their wellbeing and happiness. Awesome stuff
very well said! :-)
Honestly it is nice. I live here for couple years now and I think the one thing the country is missing is nature, it is very densely populated so there is not much space for big forests etc. But you can see the cities are trying to make themselves cozy so people are happy here.
@@luciekulhankova7278 wtf, dude, there is PLENTY nature in Netherland, lol
Holland is the nicest country in the world to live in, and I've lived almost everywhere... As for nature in Holland I can walk outdoors for a hundred miles in any direction, but only have to go about a few hundred meters to find open fields and trees 🕊 I couldn't walk down the street in Houston without taking several risks to my life, it's absurd...
@@Guts_Brando I guess it depends on your standard. My home country has a loooot more nature and is significantly less populated. We have national parks you can hike in for weeks without reaching the other end. Here you mostly have parks, fields etc. Not much of a "wild" nature. Which is kinda expected given how the country came to be and not necessarily a bad thing.
It genuinely makes me happy that we have such awesome neighbours! Much respect for the Netherlands from Berlin!
Thank you Helge. The feeling is mutual 😊
Respect fron Munich too. Respect
Appreciated Helge. Hoping that this bike positive attitude will be fully implemented in your cities too. We all need the same goodness in our daily lives.
Being from the Netherlands myself I never really stop and appreciate how well the dutch infrastructure is, I visit Amsterdam on a regular basis and you’ve managed to teach me a ton of new things, thank you
When i'm in the Netherlands and start praising the infrastructure, i'm generally met with blank stares. It's just taken for granted, which is how it should be,
Indoensyians: Meneer please hold our BAJIGUR 🥃
@@zivkovicable Praising it is fine, but trying to actively converse with it raises a few eyebrows :P
8:03 One small addition. There is also a third option to check in your bike to the bike parking. It is a NFC chip that can be stuck onto your bike. When you enter or exit the garage the bike is automatically recognised without the need to pull the public transport card from the pocket. Works great. The NFC chip is linked to your public transport account
The future is now!
I need to get me one of those. It's such a hassle to put a card in your wallet and wallet in your pocket when you're blocking the exit for other people.
@@jjbankert Brain chips soon 😁
That is so cool!!
Indoensyians: Meneer please hold our BAJIGUR 🥃
Watching this as an American…. It just hurts. Like I’m glad Amsterdam helped improved its infrastructure and it looks very beautiful but it just makes me so jealous. I wish my country would do projects like this(heck, I wish my state did this instead of being a car centric nightmare).
unfortunately its the way a vast majority of cities in the US are politically structured. Zoning laws prevent certain businesses from being in residential areas (suburbs) thus making walking or biking to the grocery store (much less workplace) near impossible.
Just another jealous American here, commiserating 😄☹️
@@daniel1RM True but I still think change is possible. I feel like awareness for the issue is a lot higher now compared to before and idk, at least where I live, our city has been listening more to bikers and building some transit(albeit, really slowly)
@@supervideomaker9136 Gotta love the speed of bureaucracy. At least it's moving. My small Far NorCal town is heavily infested with cars, and city government is aware that it's a bad thing and is changing it. S-l-o-o-o-w-l-y. With complaints from drivers every step.
I love the tram hype! I'm autistic and trams are the only kind of transport I can use- they're normally not too busy, they're predictable, and you don't have to flag them down. I know that the tram is going EXACTLY the same way every time, which makes me way less anxious compared to buses. They're also more frequent than trains and have stops that are closer together so I have more freedom to travel where I want. Trams have allowed me to access spaces that I would normally never be able to go, especially since I don't have a car. They're fantastic for everyone. I wish more cities would incorporate trams in their transit system.
We talk about your channel in urban planning school in BC! You've influenced a lot of us!
That is so good to hear. Once you see the potential and possibilities, you cannot unsee it. A new generation of inspired urban planners is what every city needs now.
At 8:41: A bike is referred to in fancy Dutch as “stalen ros” literally “steel horse” which makes the name “stalling” (stables) make sense
Was expecting something like that. In German you can call a bike a "Drahtesel", a wire donkey. So yeah, obviously it goes into a stable :D
In Polish the only used word (apart from like "my two wheels" or sth.) is *rower* which cames from… Rover as I did produce bicycles!
Hi Jason. Unfortunately the works at Amsterdam Central are far from over. 😅
They will:
- Renovate the central hall of the station.
- Renew all railway bridges on the east side of the station.
- Remove and renew rail switches.
- Remove some tracks and widen platforms.
The last part will also mean they will widen/ change staircases to the tunnels.
All in all this will last at least until 2030. 😂
We see the construction around Amsterdam central as a feature, not a bug.😄
And after 2030 it's probably time for a new metro line or a new bike parking. The construction never stops.
But seriously, continuous investment in infrastructure is a good thing. Letting your infrastructure rot for a few decades is terrible.
Stuttgart 21: "First time?"
@@MartijnVos We're doing the same in Switzerland. People should still remember what happened in Italy a few years ago. Privatized and left to rot (and make money).
@Jamaly The same can also be said about ProRail, the Dutch rail network owner. It was privatized in the 1990s and in 2021 it was reversed again due to neglect of the rail infrastructure. Neglect with Dutch characteristics of course.
3:09 the dude in the mobility scooter is a living legend, went viral last year when some students filmed him passing by while only on two wheels
In the Netherlands, the bicycle is also called a "steel steed". Bicycle stable is therefore a completely logical name.
That feeling when a bike garage is nicer than your city's art gallery.
1:40 You can tell people are really happy there.
Nice catch. 😊
Was looking for this comment 😂
They’re literally jumping with glee
As much as I love your content I can't help but become literally depressed at the state of how awful infrastructure and public transit is in the US. There literally isn't a single city I could move to here that has anything close to the level of bike and public transit infrastructure Amsterdam has.
Wow. The worst thing about this channel is how envious it makes those of us living in car-centric countries such as Australia. Loving such incredible infrastructure and how Dutch people value active and public transportation. 😍
I live in Hungary and seeing an actually functional country makes me cry in pain.
Well... a certain segment of the Dutch population is actively emigrating to Hungary because they're disappointed in the way The Netherlands are run...
Not surprising is a part of the population that I say 'good riddance' to, but I feel sorry for you gaining a load more bigotted xenophobic narcisistic haters.
I hope in the future your will get more decent gouvernments.
I live in the USA and seeing an actually functional country makes me cry in pain.
As an American, I feel you. My country is a crumbling shithole. I wish we were more advanced and functioning.
I live in the Netherlands and believe me, apart from the infrastructure very little else is working at the moment :( Although I do recognise that we should be happy our extreme right wing politicians are not the head of the government yet... I hope things will take a turn for the better for you!
You feel like Amsterdam Centraal has been under construction forever. Imagine this. The last time I was able to walk across stationsplein unhindered was in 2007 when I visited Artis zoo for the last time. In beteween then and now, I finished 2 middelbare school dimploma's. Started studying in Amsterdam, dropped out, started studying again in Amsterdam. Graduated, found love, and started as a freelancer before turning 30 in about 5 months.
So yeah. Amsterdam Centraal being not being under construction is kind of a strange thought.
Thankfully it will soon be under construction again.
Isn't the main hall about to be refurbished? And the railway tracks will be repositioned soon, I think. It's OK, Amsterdam Centraal is our Sagrada Familia 😅
@@jujubesification I was almost worried, my whole life (I'm 27) there's been construction here. Well, I remember some time when I was small there was nothing happening, maybe in 2000.
Dude, when I was 18 I frequently went partying in, or traveling through Arnhem...their station started renovating in 2000 or so...they've just finished it two years ago.
It's not unusual, these are huge projects and have to cope with a massive transport system and millions of travelers. I kinda understand they screw up from time to time...😊
@@Snaakie83 The last few buildings (ART/Podium26) to finish the Arnhem Station area have yet to start construction. Let's see if 2023 will be the year 🤞. Love the station's design.
Speaking of bike parking, a bar nearby me has super cool parking. They constructed a frame that looks like an SUV and took up a normal parking space with it, but its hollowed out and has a rack for bike parking!
I counted the space for parking and saw that it has space for 7 bikes to be comfortably parked and 14 if the bikes are parked “tight”. This style of rack really helps drive home the point of how much better bikes are for space utilization vs cars!
Hah that's kind of funny and a great way to show how space inefficient cars are, especially the bigger cars in the US.
@@rjh00 yea I’m eventually going to do my own video on bike parking and that rack is 100% gonna be featured in the video. It’s just so unique and will give most people a chuckle IMO!
oh wow that's a cool illustration of their space efficiency
Excuse me? Bike parking? You mean bike stables, I assume.
We have a lot of those in the NL too, I think you'll be able to find footage of those !
How lovely you guys got invited. It shows they're not only familiar with all of you, but care a lot about the things you guys do. Great work!
I often participate in my hometown’s city outreach for urban planning…in Fort Worth, Texas. It is at least 1 million years behind in every way. So glad I decided to explore the world and move to Europe. Amsterdam made me feel so insecure..like I come from an “undeveloped” place like Texas. Yet, it made me feel awe for what human ingenuity can do for cities and the living experience. Great work!
You totally should make a video dedicated to the OV-fiets! As a Dutchman who travels to different Dutch cities frequently, I take the train very often, and almost always use an OV-fiets at my destination. I absolutely adore the system.
It basically means I have access to a bicycle anywhere I go in the Netherlands, and the freedom that allows me is amazing - not to mention the fact that renting one for a day is only a couple of euros, and in some cases is even faster than other forms of public transit!
I love it, but it's all but impossible to use without a Dutch address and bank account, so that's really something they should fix. I get that they want some security for getting their bikes back, but presumably there are other ways of getting that.
and sponsored (in most cases) bij your/my employer. My employer gives me free irst-class travel whenever I want, with OV-fiets and a significant discoount for travelling with friend/family, so I don't have to use a car. I don't even own a car anymore.. never thought that wopuld be possible, but i dont miss it at all...
@@VixxieWixxie I mean, that is not a normal deal. That's an amazing perk. Most people get your standard 0,19€ per km (and in my case starting at the 11th km) and sometimes a little higher if you go by public transport. I would love to have your travel reimbursement deal :)
Some train stations have OV e-bikes now too.
Absolutely 1000% love for the OV-fiets! Dutch cities have a (local) disfunctional public transport system at nighttime, or it takes way longer with a bus than with an OV fiets which is available 24/7. It's also not city bound like an electric 'deelfiets'.
Well, if you want to encourage people to ditch cars, then you have to have this kind of top-class infrastructure to support both bikes and cyclists. Amsterdam has done an amazing job!
First you have to get your stores, schools, and small workshops closer to homes of people. then people can decide to take the bike and will ask the city to protect them from cars by building bikelanes, streets where no cars can drive and maybe then spece to park your bike (in front of school en shops)
@@fredvrijhof3870 Exactly! And while you're at it, you might as well improve underground infrastructures; add electric poles for electric cars; improve drainage and what not. Or vice versa: when the infrastructure underground needs improvement, use it as a chance to decrease on-ground asphalt and make bike lanes! This is how the Netherlands have done it: incremental steps each time the road needed to be opened.
And the best part is that it is not just Amsterdam getting these projects, as smaller cities get them as well!
Some examples are the new large "bicyclestable" was taken into use in Almere last year, the new one part of the renovation of Groningen Hoofdstation (which should open this or next year) and a new one currently being under construction in Eindhoven. All three are medium-sized Dutch cities of around 200K people.
Being an American living in the suburbs it’s genuinely surreal to see so many people getting around on bikes!
I just got back from Amsterdam a couple weeks ago and this was not open as of yet. However, our tour guide from the Dam Boat Guys was eager to point out these garages and reference your videos. The Dutch commitment to people centric infrastructure is why I fell in love with Amsterdam, and why I keep coming back.
Dam Boat Guys are the guys from the Survival Guide to the Dutch channel right?
This is the kind of progress I can get behind, not a bunch of self-driving cars. Hoping to visit Amsterdam this summer to experience this for myself.
Self driving cars do have a future, but more managed and likely to be used for long travels than people driving cars.
@@Siranoxz nope, it is a fallacy that Musk still promotes. It won't help the environment one bit. More electric cars means slightly less environmental damage, in all likelihood it will be more of the same. So lighter and smaller vehicles need to be developed, not the monstrosities like an electric F150 or Cybertruck.
@@Siranoxz that’s a worse train though
Just watch out you dont get run over by bikes it happends 😂
@@Miles26545 It has its own purposes..
The lighting in the first garage is so beautiful!! Even though it was mentioned early on that it’s underwater, it really doesn’t look like it with how well the lighting was done. It gives the impression of windows on the exterior walls and skylights on the ceiling. Also the way they light up those pillars to reflect the light outwards is genius.
I took my degree at a university in Netherlands and watching this makes me really miss being there. I didn’t know how to bike (and still don’t) and I don’t have an international license but despite that, it was fairly easy to get around since there’s plenty of sidewalks, trams, buses and trains. My favourite moments were sitting in the trams going back from an outing and just watching everyone go about their life 🥹
I'm from the US and this sort of thing is awesome. With how many people cycling in Nederland, it's hard to keep parking available for everyone.
Though, I wish we had more cycling infrastructure in general in my city. There have been plans and proposals to build cycling infrastructure through what my city calls "Bicycle Master Plan". There have been plans to build protected lanes and more multi-use paths everywhere. None of this happened.
EDIT: I'm also assuming none of this happened because they reported that less than 10% of people bike to work. Why not think about the children?
how did you reply 1 day ago when the video came out a day after?
@@luukkuiper52 different time zones 😉
But people don't bike to work because it's not safe, and they won't make it safe because no one bikes? Talk about a self fulfilling prophecy.
So they arent building the infrastructure because the people dont ride bikes because there is no infrastructure?
Because children only matter when it comes to the drug boogieman
As someone that has lived in the Western US their whole life, I can’t imagine what it’d be like living somewhere this pretty with this many public transit and bicycling options. Thanks for sharing
Same as in the US. It's a pain in the ass to not have a car and it's a pain in the wallet to have one.
It is VERY beautiful but keep in mind.....they do have a not so nice winter. Gray , rain , hella cold, and snow. So nowhere is it perfect. So in that respect many places in America are beautiful as well. 😊
I like how you mentioned the mental health impact of an beautiful vs an ugly environment as I feel that too, and very strongly so. I am not sure however if this is universal as I discussed that with many people and they didn’t understand me at all. I guess this could be something that affects highly sensitive people way more.
I moved to live and start a new adventure Japan in 2020, right before all borders closed due to the pandemic.
Actually living in Japan as a 'normal' citizen made me realize that it's much better to be a tourist.
That is, unless you are rich and don't have to experience work life.
Being Dutch and Having lived there most of my life, I found that the Netherlands became boring and uninspiring.
However, watching this kind of videos reminds me of what I actually left behind and appreciate it more every time I am reminded...
"You don't miss the water until your well runs dry".
I will most likely return to the Netherlands in the future.
Japanese work office culture is so toxic.
Thank you for making these videos. I live in a large, very car centric village (like all of them) in the UK. My community is writing a neighbourhood plan which includes an active travel policy. Your videos have inspired me to make sure we encourage the use of public transport, cycling and walking and discourage cars in our village to make life better for everyone. I know there will be a lot of pushback but by sharing your videos I’m hoping they will also inspire people to do the right thing.
Tbf whilst it takes the absolute piss to go medium and long distances in the uk the walking infrastructure is usually really good
don't forget how important dense housing and mixed use buildings are! great to see people getting involved in their local community
I'm happy you mentioned the art budget. Los Angeles' Metro has leagues yet to go, but it's never spared expenses when it comes to its art budget, and it shows in many of the train and subway stations
Why bother with art budgets--the graffiti "artists" will do it for free (you know they will soon).
@@MrJx4000 Most graffiti artists do not deface other art. They will fill blank walls.
I'm not including the "taggers" in this ... they should be found and punished. Though if you noticed, much of the Dutch art is either behind glass or on ceramic, both easily cleaned.
Public buildings in NL have to factor in something like 10% for art. Great concept to make places more enjoyable.
Art budget = money laundering
@@ToolkiT73UK no way 10%, more like 1,5% or so. But that is still nice
Just visited Netherlands after watching all of your videos and it was such an amazing experience. Love all the public transport and bicycle infrastructure!! Definitely going to visit again soon. Thanks for all your informative videos!!
I recently visited Amsterdam for the first time and loved it. Love to see this, it's genuinely impressive they not only invest in public infrastructure but make it beautiful!
Don't worry, the next round of construction at Amsterdam Central Station has just started, a renovation of the entrance hall including making the main entrance more in style with the building. And next year more construction will start with a large renovation/rearrangement of the platforms and the new Eurostar terminal.
Atleast the construction industry will be kept nice and busy.
Oh that'll be so much nicer for the Eurostar terminal, I remember (~11 months ago) having to wait outside and it rained lightly a few times, people were squeezing in at the front if I remember correctly to be under the bit of shelter there. I wasn't overly impressed by it (the Eurostar terminal), the main issue I had however was that the Eurostar tickets I had didn't work for the main entrances/exits for the station itself, which meant I had to flag down a member of staff to let me out/in which when I arrived after midnight, was not a delay I wanted to have.
On leaving, when getting into the Eurostar terminal for it to be a tiny passport control with a small room that has 2 long tables and just a load of (but not enough) seats and a few vending machines that didn't seem like they wanted to work... that terminal was not a great experience either. Still easily better than having to wait around an airport tho, far less waiting and trains are just more comfortable.
The terrible experience of Eurostar aside, it did look like a really nice train station and the metro trip back to Amsterdam Centraal was nice too.
Hey I know that name:P ssc lol
I believe the current master plan for remodelling the Amsterdam Centraal runs until 2030.
@@DoomsdayR3sistance Yeah I was unpleasantly surprised by the Eurostar boarding experience as well, although I boarded in Rotterdam. But you were subjected to airline style checks and then squeezed into a tiny space with a lot of people for 1,5 hours. We have to be able to do better than that 😕 Especially for one of the fanciest train services. Boarding any local train is so much more convenient it's incomparable.
The parking garage playing Gangnam style is hysterical to me, lol. Way better than the sounds of bustling car traffic you'd hear in any parking garage in the USA.
They could at least play it without the lyrics. It sounds better like that xD
Don't forget the loud echoing honk in the filthy underground concrete car garages. It's too bad there is literally no other way to know the alarm of your car is activated than a full power toot of the horn.
I'm Dutch and have been here quite a lot, and yet you manage to photogenically capture angles of A'dam CS that make it feel wholly new to me. Love the way you love the subject matter -- and it speaks through your creative choice of camera placement, perspectives, shot composition...... good stuff!
I am crying tears of joy whenever I see how beautiful things people can achieve when working together and with healthy mindset!
Is always a pleasure watching your videos.
Just joined a political association in my country, we want to push policies which encourage this kind of infrastructure.
I hope for the best!
Which country do you live in?
Where are you from? I'm interested in seeing your struggles from afar at the very least 😂
Keep on pushing. Will probably take three decades. Tho, that will be okay. There is high turn-over for a reason. You will likely step down for the next person, or generation, later.
The thought of how much space an equal capacity parking lot for cars would take sends shivers down my spine. Crazy to think that in many parts of the world that is the reality.
Amsterdam could not exist if everybody drove everywhere. Heck, the netherlands would have a land border with scotland so much land we would have to reclaim to facilitate the entire netherlands just using cars for everything.
I think its about 15 times larger for a car park, considering the bicycles are stacked in two stories.
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 With the Netherlands, there was once a serious 50/50 chance on that land border.
A single one of those bike racks holds 20 bikes, meanwhile that same amount of space could hold 1, maybe 1.5 cars. The difference in space efficiency is just astronomical.
@@Zraknul there used to be one. Doggerland
Hahaha I had this playing in the background while I'm working. Everything is chill, then all of sudden "then you have to bring your bike up the stairs like a goddamn animal". Good stuff.
I used to live in Krakow, Poland, and my commute took me through the 'newish' grey concrete outskirts of the city. In the weekends I used to go to the city centre with its beautiful architecture and I felt I could breathe again. I encourage everyone to watch the documentary called "On the importance of beauty" by Roger Scruton. Most important sentence: "If something is made only to be useful, it will end up not being useful at all".
I was just in Amsterdam 2 days ago!! Being back in the UK makes me realise how bad our infrastructure is designed in comparison. The air feels fresher, the busy streets are so much quieter and its just so much cleaner. Wouldn't be surprised if I moved to a place like this in the future, or become more politically active with infrastructure.
"I really hope the frequency is better than 6 minutes"
*looks at Atlanta's train schedule and cries*
Don't let people tell you that you can't have good public transport in even shitty suburbia.
Create metro centres (turning city centre into neibourhood helps, ie. de-emphasise commerce), put in express buses (later, light rail) between them and have a bunch of parking facilities (about the size of the one in houten; there a video from BicycleDutch called 'Transferium') with direct acess to platforms.
3x the radius means a catchment area that holds 9-16x more people! Lots more revenue, proximity to ammenties improves across the metro (creating a edge-of-town effect everywhere), and lots of opportunities for commerce! And public realm improvement opportunities would increase too!
Even with meh public transport, my metro, Auckland, being poly-centric is a god-send. I can ride to 3 of them within a short timefrane. With better public transport, and parking, I would have access to three directions. The power of choice!
There's an awesome paper on this, that goes into way more detail, over at itf-oecd. It is called Synergies from Improved Cycling-Transit Integration. I can't share the link because of comment filtering.
Here in Paris living conditions have improved significantly since they built two new tram lines, I really like them because 1: it's enjoyable to ride them, you're not in a smelly noisy underground disease tube, 2: they allow all other forms of transit to flourish, you can still use your car, a bicycle, or walk safely around them, and 3: they aren't ugly and don't destroy the aesthetics of the area, here they make grass grow under them and it's pretty important for a historic city like Paris. Overall it's the transportation means I would encourage the most and if you look in France the cities were people are most happy to live have lots of tram lines.
I don't think I could like this video any more than I do. You've done such a great job looking at what they've done to help encourage bicycle use, and how it could be done in places like the US and Canada that desperately need this type of development. Thanks for what you're doing!
It's insane how far ahead they are.
And this was just Amsterdam. We have more cities, doing comparable things. Like Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague. And don't forget Groningen!
I was amused when I first heard someone say, "God made the world but the Dutch made Holland". No one can deny that they do put many other countries to shame when it comes to civic programs. Keep it up - it is what we all need.
These videos are so helpful. I think most Americans, including in transit-rich cities, simply have no idea of what it can be like with service that is good quality and RELIABLE. Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago just closed the cycling garage in Millennium Park that was funded with a 50-year endowment from McDonalds only 20 years after it opened. Talk about a poke in the eye. On a happier note, the state of Indiana might finally give us a preview of what good all-day regional rail will look like with its major capacity expansion on the electrified line to South Bend, a new electrified branch to Dyer, and purchasing an additional 26 train paths a day into downtown Chicago.
I am never in Amsterdam, but I love to see our capital doing good. And I love that my city still has the biggest fietsenstalling.
Randstad bewoner 👀👀.
The North is better tho. Less people 🤣.
Way more nature here.
Go, Utrecht!
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!
@@daniel1RM Netherlands has the same climate everywhere. It's a very small country
+1 for the horse b-roll and sound effects. We appreciate the extra effort you put into this. 🐎🐎🐎🚴🚴🚴
This bicycle garage is so well designed in Netherlands and I find everything of Netherland so fascinating through watching your video. I also think it’s really important that the art and aesthetic effort can be poured into these places so when people walk by can have a good mood and appreciate the work. ❤
An interesting video would be about road safety in the UK. The UK has one of the lowest rates of road deaths in the world, even lower than the Netherlands, yet is relatively car dependant (outside of London). Its low road death rate is unusual for a country with so many car owners and I've never seen anyone discuss why this is the case.
Thanks so much!
I have done some research into this, but I haven't turned it into a script yet. In short, the road deaths in the UK are so low because there are a lot of space-constrained streets that end up having (a lot of) slow traffic. And since everyone is in a car, but with relatively slow speeds (compared to, say, America), then it keeps people safe.
However, when you dig in just a little, it is _very_ dangerous to be a pedestrian or (especially) cyclist in the UK, because there are so many cars. So while their overall statistics look good, if you're not in a car, you'd be better off living somewhere else in Europe, and a lot of councils are seeing their road deaths increase as they promote walking and cycling.
It's actually a great example of how statistics can be very misleading if you don't understand the detail and context.
If all 400.000 daily cyclists in Amsterdam took the car, you would have a row of cars of almost 3000 km.
Meaning if I'd park my car I could possibly already be at my destination.
@@kailahmann1823 ...and Australia.
Sadness
To be fair, they are not all cycling at the same time and they could use buses, trams or the Metro.
Still its much better then any car-centric city.
@@Pumbear That assumes that
1. There's no traffic
2. You can find parking
3. Available parking is next to your destination
I'm so happy I recognize most of the places in this video because you single-handedly influenced me to visit the Netherlands and Amsterdam for a week last summer, and I am so glad to see; I overdosed on the orange pill! The difference between Amsterdam and Canadian cities is so painfully day and night. I can't wait to return to Amsterdam soon and visit the new bike stable!
I like that the orange pill.... I'm going to steal that if you don't mind 😉
Please don't forget to visit other cities in the Netherlands! Don't get me wrong, but even a random Dutch town has sometimes better bike infrastructure.
haha "bike stable"
it invokes such nice imagery, i hope it catches on
@@kakadorez11 Of course, go ahead. I first heard it from NotJustBikes as well > czcams.com/video/OQE_5MFCekg/video.html
I am from Indianapolis which is city in the US that is car centric with some transit and a lack of walkability and the closest walkable and public transit city near me is Chicago which may not be as great as Amsterdam on a international level but by American standards it is one of the best.I visited there and it made me wish my city didn't fully give into the car propaganda and I vote and advocate for more bike and public transportation infrastructure but most of the people where I live refuse to believe the benefits and prefer things to be the same.This channel really opened my mind into how much urban planning and infrastructure affects our everyday lives for the better or the worse.
Amsterdam is awesome. The Dutch for a 'small Nation', never stop improving The Netherlands on the whole.
In recent years the netherlands are also making bicycle highways, these make commuting much easier as they are wider than other bicycle lanes and are designed to have as few traffic lights as possible. They are basically city and inter city connections and even have a speed limit, mainly designed for the future of travel such as electric bicycles and cargo bikes. These can also be encountered with traffic signs that tell drivers that they are actually guests of cyclists. It's worth looking in to and make a vid about!
Im in doubt about these things, as it puts cars again on the same roads as cyclists, and thus depends on drivers respecting their guest status. Had some issues with taxis beeping and pushing forward - almost seemed like i was on a stroad..
@@maarten_zappos9189 I know what you mean, they recently made the Plantage Middenlaan in Amsterdam into a "fietsstraat" and although I appreciate the sentiment, the number of cars is still too high and it feels awkward cycling there. It feels like I'm intruding into their space.
@@mariekeho since the car is a guest there I usually cycle slightly of the center, so cars are not able to pass me at all. Its what that bicycle path was meant for.
@@mariekeho There's a few such streets in the Hague as well and they work quite well there. Partly because of the design, but also because they aren't super busy.
Around my place they've redesigned some country roads in a similar fashion: with 2 spacious cycle paths on either side of the road, and only a single lane for cars; if oncoming cars pass each other they have to divert into the cycle lanes. Sounds iffy, but psychologically it works quite well. Keeps the speeds down and instead of trying to squeeze past other cars and cyclists at high speed, almost all drivers will slow all the way down and get behind a cyclist, if there is a cyclist and oncoming car at the same time.
And we have idiots over here in the US like Laura Ingraham that have their panties in a bunch because, “oh, they want more bike lanes, what do they want us to be like Beijing “?
Can you imagine if everyone in Beijing drove cars instead of bikes. Their air pollution is already to the point they have wear literal gas masks.
As someone who has lived in fake London, and visited family in the Netherlands many times, infrastructure projects like this just make me so depressed. It just seems so out of reach for Canada, especially cities between 100-500 000 people. Love the video, as always
I actually stopped watching NJB videos for a while because it's so depressing and outside the realm of the possible for Canada.
Amsterdam is slightly bigger and earns a lot from tourism, somthere may be more public funding. Other than that I think the Dutch in general are not hesitant in their spending when it comes to public infrastructure.
@@jeanpierreviergever1417 it's way more expensive to build and maintain stroads. An internet search shows that $21.5 billion was the figure being earmarked for highway planning, expansion, and rehabilitation in 2022 in Ontario, Canada.
The bike parking shown here cost Amsterdam $65 million, in contrast.
Not to mention, Canadians are broke from cars. I remember recently looking at a statcan report and every demographic in Canada has a bigger median liability vs median asset when it comes to car costs.
@@ChasmChaos looks like it is time for a shift in thinking. Thanks for the added info.
@@ChasmChaos amsterdam does not necessarily have better infrastructure than utrecht, eindhoven, groningen, nijmegen etc. though. It really just depends on what you prioritice.
Thank you so much for making these videos, I already had an interest in these subjects but you make it so accessible to see how the lived experience of everyone is improved with pedestrian-forward infrastructure. An older relative of mine who I hadn't talked with about this before brought up your channel, unprompted, at a family gathering not too long ago and how much it had changed his opinion on car-focused infrastructure in the US. You're genuinely impacting how people see the world around them and effecting a positive change in public opinion and I'm very grateful for it, keep up the great work!
Not only is the material informative, contextual, well-documented etc. but your tone and humor tickle me too 😂
Bike stables, please!
Mans making a whole video so jam-packed of info, he's had to reduce the design of the Cuyperstunnel to "and this tunnel". 😂 Google it y'all.
-About the slipperiness, the rolpaden do have a protective anti-slip coating. I know that for the rolpaden into the metro station they had to be redone in order to get even more non-slippery. AT5 did a video on the opening of this garage during drizzling rain and it feastured people slipping.. oops! Probably not communicated well enough between the different agencies.
-And the difference between the rules (and showing pricing) on the garage is because this one is owned and operated by NS Stations, just like the ones at Zuid. Same reason they are so ridiculously strict about filming (good luck with this one on that, in the tourist hot spot of the city lol). The Beurspleingarage is owned and operated by the city. The entrance signage design looks similar, but they've done that on purpose.
-By "an area on the east side" they probably mean the soon to be renovated and enlarged Stationsplein Oost stalling. (You know the one Stationsplein stalling that actually directly connects to and is located at.. Stationsplein, unlike this one lol). It will be double level and get more spots than this garage. they're basically going to excavate half of the east side under Central Station so the northen entrance gives you acces the the middle of the East Tunnel, from where you can head directly to the platforms. Work hasn't even started yet though so you're shit out of luck of you want to pask your bakfiets comfortably and are relegated to some faraway spot near Oosterdokseiland. Same goes for scooters.
-The 6 minute frequency is currently the maximum on line 52 because it uses a different kind of signalling system (cbtc) compared to the older lines, and it has to inregrate with those at Zuid. They are in the process of converting the other lines to it too.. but they're having trouble implementing it. Resulting in several metro outages during the weekend in the past.
-The travellator warnings are not just silly in their frequency.. The messaging also doesn't make any sense? The travellator is ending, yeah so? The ones at Schiphol at least give you a "mind your step" so it's clear what they mean. Also it being a North American English message kind of breaks my Amsterdammer heart on top of just being annoying.
When you said like a God Damn Animal my wife and I lost it. We laughed so hard we were both crying. Thank you so much for that. 😂🤣😂🤣
I freakishly love your take on these kinds of projects; it resonates so much with what I've observed during my studies of architecture. Not only during my studies, but also as soon as I started working, I've realized that the way we build ist just _wrong_ on so many levels. The cheaper the better, you could almost call it "restricted by efficiency". Oftentimes, even when a lot of money is put into projects, they will most likely not benefit anyone outside of those who want to generate a profit with them. They are not build for permanency; when we're talking about the planned life-expectancy of a building we're talking like 50 to 80 years tops. Flats, houses but also public building projects - being it shops/malls/road infrastructure - most of the time they are short-sighted additions to a bleeding and festering wound; they do not contribute to peoples' wellbeing (even though they want you to believe they do) and the amount of carbondioxide produced by the building sector is just rudiculous. If we're building, we should be doing it _right_ . Compared to Germany and so many other countries, the Netherlands do a lot of things right, especially when it comes to projects of public interest. At least they make an effort to change for the better. But maybe that's easier if you're not corrupted--pardon, *guided*--by the "lobbyism" of car-manufacterers ....
As a Dutch guy who moved to South Africa, which unfortunately seems to take its cues from the US when it comes to infrastructure design, this video really makes me proud of my home country. If only South African politicians would stop stuffing their own pockets and design cities that are liveable for the many of its people that can't even afford cars.
Here where I live (Padova, Italy) the train station has the same problems the '70s AMsterdam Centraal Station had: basically non existing walking and cycling infrastructure; a main square covered in lanes and bus stops, and a really ugly place in general, with no green spaces but only asphalt.
The biking infrastructure is pretty much good, even tho the main problem is that you're forced out of the direct routes to the train station from the city centre (you're supposed to go on cycling lanes that go parallel to congested roads, so making the trip longer, unhealthier and more dangerous). So basically the best way to move from and to the train station is by using public transport (€1.30 for bus fares, €1.50 for the tram), or walking. It looks like there's some type of "renovation project" for the train station area, but who knows how it will end up being.
Absolutely, we should not underestimate how beautiful and pleasing architecture and public spaces have an impact on people´s mental health. If you see the city and country caring to make something nice, the mindset is also positive. Especially if a public space is functional and convenient to go through or get to (public transit network and walkable paths).
As a Londoner, I must say that the Amsterdam transport infrastructure is impressive.
I visited in January and getting from the airport to centraal within a decent price point was awesome.
the inclusion of art in places like tunnels discourages grafiti and such