Amsterdam by Bike

Amsterdam is a wonderful city to visit. There are countless things to see and do, and it is different from most other large cities in that it is laced with canals. The architecture is interesting, the city has a wealth of museums, there are restaurants offering almost every cuisine of the world, and the people are friendly.

If you visit Amsterdam as a tourist from another country, one of the first things that you will notice is the high volume of bicycle traffic. This is alongside tram, bus and car traffic!

Let's get one thing straight at the beginning of this tale: it is difficult to understate my skill level when it comes to riding a bike. The truth is, I am not a naturally coordinated person. You may have seen the Hubs by the 2Patricias about Pilates, and maybe admired the photos. The person in those photos is the other Patricia; I'm behind the camera.

I have tried to explain to my friend from Amsterdam that I cannot ride a bike. She got me to admit that I am able to ride in a straight line. (I have to get off and push when I come to a corner). She said that's good enough, and the next time you come to Amsterdam you can ride a bike.

I rather hoped that she was teasing me. Then I went for a visit a couple of months ago, and she announced that she had borrowed a bike for me.

We had to go collect the bike from it's owner, and my friend patiently explained how to start off on a flat surface. In the past, I have always had to be next to a kerb, so that I could do a bit of balancing against the raised surface. To my surprise, I managed to ride the bike back to my friend's place without falling over.

The next day, my friend led me (on the bike) to a park to practise. After we had ridden around the paths in the park, I thought it was time to go back to her flat for a rest. No! We were about to go into central Amsterdam.

Warning me not to get the tyres stuck in tram tracks, my friend boldly let the way.

It was very scary, and I did get off and push the bike across all major roads. However, it was much less scary than riding in England would be, because in most places there are separate lanes for bikes.

The biggest difference is that car drivers do not hastle cyclists. The roads that run alongside canals are narrow, without space for a cycle lane. Therefore, bikes have the right of way!

For an experienced cyclist, this would be a great way to see Amsterdam. As for me, it was not so good. I did not fall off, or ride into anything, but I had to concentrate very hard at all times. This meant that I actually saw very little other than the surface ot the road, nearby pedestrians, traffic lights and fellow cyclists.

The other Patricia tells everyone to always wear a safety helmet when cycling. I did think about this. In fact, I thought that I would feel safer if I was wearing full body padding, like an American football player.

However, I didn't see anyone in Amsterdam wearing a safety helmet. Not even children out with their parents.

I came to the conclusion that it is a different culture, where motorised road users look out for cyclists. This is not the case in England. Cyclists are expected to look out for themselves. Therefore, in this country, everyone on a bike should wear a safety helmet. 

Of course some of you will be reading this in countries other than England, so use your own judgement as to whether your local drivers are really 'bike aware'.

If you have children, teach them how to ride a bike while they are still young.

If at all possible, sign them up for a cycling proficiency course  (and make sure they attend).