Bicycle Riding in Amsterdam: Photos
Brian found a fascinating web page that has a large number of photos of folks riding bikes in Amsterdam. I went there and found it fascinating. The whole culture is different there… from here in Lansing, Michigan, USA where I live, and also from San Francisco, which is where the photographer is from.
There are many women riding in dressy skirts, sometimes rather short, and often with heels or dressy shoes. None are indecent and none have skirts wrapped in spokes, both of which I would have predicted. There are bikes with many, many people all on them balanced precariously.
There are cellphone talkers, and one guy who was text messaging as he rode along. All at a very busy intersection with people, motorized vehicles, and bicycles competing for space (and no traffic light, stop signs or other methods of traffic control other than common sense).
I loved it. Maybe you would, too.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:14 am
You might love it if you were the cyclist. But in Amsterdam….pedestrians beware! Cyclists have the right of way. If you don’t get out of the way of a biker, they will shove you out of the way (it happened to someone on my tour). Or run you over. And not even be apologetic. And sometimes it’s hard to get out of the way in time….the cyclists are everywhere. I loved Amsterdam in general, but I prefer the general concept in the U.S. that pedestrians have the right of way.