Cycling in Amsterdam

A bicyclist crossing a bridge over the Leidsegracht.

Amsterdam holds its own edition of the World Naked Bike Ride annually

Parking at Fietsflat, near Central Station

Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly large cities in the world and is a centre of bicycle culture with good facilities for cyclists such as bike paths and bike racks, and several guarded bike storage garages (Fietsenstalling) which can be used for a nominal fee. In 2006, there were about 465,000 bicycles in Amsterdam.^[1]

Bicycles are used by all socio-economic groups because of their convenience, Amsterdam's small size, the 400 km of bike paths,^[2] the flat terrain, and the arguable inconvenience of driving an automobile. Each bike path (Fietspad) is coloured brown, in order to differentiate it from a footpath.

Amsterdammers ride a wide variety of bicycles including the traditional Omafiets - the ubiquitous Dutch roadster with a step-through frame - to anything from modern city bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, and even recumbent bikes.

Many tourists discover Amsterdam by bike, which is the typical Dutch way. Bike Tour Amsterdam offers a guided bike tour through the city. Bicycle traffic, in fact traffic in general, is relatively safe: in 2007, Amsterdam had 18 traffic deaths, of all types, in total.^[3]

Of benefit to bicycle riding is that in the city centre, driving a car is discouraged, parking fees are expensive, and many streets are closed to cars or are one-way.^[4]

Bicycle theft in Amsterdam is widespread; in 2005, about 54,000 bicycles were stolen.^[5]

See also

• Cycling in the Netherlands

External links

• Amsterdamize
• Cycling - I Amsterdam

References

1. ^ Research and Statistics Division. "Introduction". Traffic and Infrastructure (in Dutch). City of Amsterdam. http://www.os.amsterdam.nl/feitenencijfers/24106/. Retrieved 2008-10-04. 
2. ^ "Cycling in Amsterdam". amsterdamtips.com. http://www.amsterdamtips.com/tips/cycling-in-amsterdam.php. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
3. ^ Research and Statistics Division. "Core Numbers in Graphics: Fewer Traffic Deaths". Safety and Nuissance (in Dutch). City of Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822155119/http://stadstat.osamsterdam.nl/programakkoord.pl?onderwerp=ov&cache_version=6. Retrieved 2008-10-04. 
4. ^ "Amsterdam Fietst" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2007-08-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20070806175414/http://www.fiets.amsterdam.nl/live/main.asp?name=pagina&item_id=807. Retrieved 2007-04-19. 
5. ^ Research and Statistics Division. "Core Numbers in Graphics: Fewer Bicycle Thefts". Safety and Nuissance (in Dutch). City of Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822155119/http://stadstat.osamsterdam.nl/programakkoord.pl?onderwerp=ov&cache_version=6. Retrieved 2008-10-04.