Cyclists in Amsterdam will be pleased to know that numerous developments in the cycling scene have occurred throughout 2022. From new bike lanes to mobility change; the future of cycling in the Netherlands is bright.
This year, we opened our first showroom in Amsterdam, to be part of the city’s famous cycling community and provide some of the most stylish e-bikes available. Over the years we have worked hard to make e-bikes more popular as a sustainable alternative for commuting and are excited to be in the Netherlands.
Why is cycling popular in the Netherlands?
Cycling culture is an ever-growing movement across the Netherlands, and Amsterdam is no exception. Many benefits make it a worthwhile way to travel and commute in the Netherlands. However, you might ask: why is cycling such a big deal there?
The geography
The Netherlands is a wonderful place for bikers to cycle through the city and enjoy its beautiful sights and scenes. Amsterdam, along with other regions in the Netherlands, is famous for cycling because of the region’s geography. The Netherlands is also the flattest European country, making it ideal for regular cycling without the worry of riding up too many inclines.
Cycling infrastructure
The Netherlands has some of the best cycling infrastructures in the world. The 2022 Global Bicycle Index found that the best city in the world for cyclists is Utrecht, Netherlands, with Amsterdam ranking fifth. In Amsterdam, around 63% of people cycle daily. This is easy to do, as the connected bike paths and lanes create a total of 767 km of easy riding.
Cycling-friendly policies
Amsterdam is considered by many as one of the most cycling-friendly cities in the world. Cycling in Amsterdam is often cheaper and faster than public transportation and allows for some great sightseeing. The city also values cycling safety and has various guidelines for remaining cycling-friendly to all residents and visitors.
Amsterdam requires that anyone cycling around the city adheres to the following:
- Adherence to all traffic lights and signs
- No cycling on footpaths, pavements, motorways, or shopping streets
- Put a hand out before turning to signal your turn to drivers and pedestrians
- Use the front and rear lights on your bike if you are cycling after dark
- Pay attention to tram rails
- Park your bicycle in a designated parking area
- Leave room for other cyclists and avoid riding more than two abreast
- Pull over when answering your phone, checking a map, etc.
Since 2018 there’s also been an ongoing effort to create cycling-conscious communities. In Arnhem-Nijmegen, the Hague, and Amsterdam the Bicycle Heroes NGO is constantly looking for ways to adapt cities toward cycling. They envision half of all trips within the city to be done on bike by the end of the decade.
Cycling culture
Amsterdam has a long history of biking, leading to a rich, fascinating cycling culture in the city. When car infrastructures repeatedly failed in the Netherlands, people began a ‘revolution’ to demonstrate against the excess accidents, demolitions, and deaths caused by cars.
The successful demonstrations in the Netherlands led to the creation of the ‘First Only Real Dutch Cyclists’ Union’, which fought to create more space for bike riders and better cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands. Car-free zones are essential for protecting residents and preventing accidents. The fight of the ‘First Only Real Dutch Cyclists’ Union’ was successful, as today there are over 35,000 kilometres of bike lanes in the country – almost a quarter of their entire road network.
Developing Projects 2022
How are Amsterdam and other European cities combating the climate crisis and encouraging urban change and mobility? Let’s clear the air and find out where Amsterdam is now it’s cycling infrastructure, and what to expect in the future.
Underwater parking
Amsterdam is ahead of the game in terms of building its cycling infrastructure – so much so that it’s currently finishing developments on a huge underwater parking garage that will be ready for use by mid-2023. Amsterdam’s Central Station will soon have a bike garage able to hold 4,000 bicycles that are stored in a state-of-the-art facility, which is submerged in the canal.
The facility is very modern in its design and aesthetically pleasing with soft neon lights and high-tech parking systems. The architects kept marine biodiversity in mind with porous outer walls to allow plants and mussels to latch on. The garage was also built off-site with the foundations placed on-site, an effort that helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions during construction. Individuals will access the underwater garage via stairs or elevators. As a country that has more bicycles than people, the garage is an innovative and welcome addition for the capital.
The ferry plaza and the IJ crossing
Amsterdam is working on building a new ferry plaza, expanding on the current area with two new landing stages as well as a square for cyclists and pedestrians. These areas are built with cyclists and pedestrians in mind, with cycle lanes clearly signposted and speed bumps carefully placed to keep cyclists at a safe speed.
Additionally, the IJ ferry in Amsterdam is moving East, allowing it to cross the IJ easily and shortening travel time. Amsterdam is also developing two new bridges across the IJ. However, this project will not begin until after 2025, due to current projects already underway.
Safer cycling and converted spaces
Throughout 2022, Amsterdam has continued developing their web of bike paths and lanes. Amsterdam is improving road safety and reducing traffic by widening its existing bicycle tracks. Amsterdam hopes to expand these to 2.5 metres and redesign central intersections to create more cycling space
With the increasing number of cyclists in Amsterdam, widening the bike lanes has never been more critical than now. Widening the bike lanes allow for easier overtaking and safer cycling while lowering congestion.
Amsterdam is also working on converting 11,000 parking spaces (for cars) into areas to lock bikes. The current goal is to complete this project by 2025.
Goals for Amsterdam beyond 2022
While Amsterdam has numerous projects underway, the city aims to accomplish much more. Amsterdam is promoting eco-friendly, low-carbon emission transportation. Here are some plans to develop the infrastructure over the next few years.
User-friendly mobility systems
The Netherlands recognizes the need for a user-friendly mobility system. These are anything from shared cars, to e-scooters and e-bikes. It also includes using traffic data to see the most congested zones so they can be adjusted in future planning. They’re even using this data to prepare for driverless cars. The existing cycle lanes in Amsterdam and other cities are already advanced in making public transport sustainable, while also making commuting user-friendly and easy.
Continue lowering carbon emissions
The Netherlands is committed to zero-emission targets per the Dutch Climate Agreement. One way in achieving this is by promoting light e-bikes as it encourages people to adopt cycling as their primary mode of transport.
There are numerous studies to suggest that e-bikes may fast-track the journey to net zero. Encouraging those to cycle shorter distances is already effective at reducing traffic and creating green spaces. The Netherlands is ahead of the pack due to their existing cycling culture. Studies indicate that Dutch people cycle around 2.6 km per day, and if this pattern continues globally, global CO2 emissions could drop as much as 686 million tonnes.
Supporting cargo bike deliveries
Urban areas in the Netherlands could help reduce CO2 emissions by implementing more food and other product deliveries via cargo bikes. In 2017 there were already 1500 delivery workers on bikes and the number is increasing. This has sparked some debate on the amount of room on the road for cars as compared to bikes. With around 70% of journeys taken by bike they only get around 11% of road space. By increasing the width of cycle lanes it is supporting the €20 billion economy of online shopping and cargo bike services in the Netherlands. Leaning into cargo bikes for delivering products is a good way of lowering emissions, while also being effective and practical. There are dozens of cyclist delivery services in Amsterdam with a growing job market behind them.
Test ride around the showroom
Together with TwoTone, we have selected one of the most beautiful routes for test rides with the Ampler e-bikes around the Amsterdam showroom to make the test ride an unforgettable event.