If cycling infrastructure in Vancouver was as good as it is in Amsterdam, you would see a completely new eco-system of bikes appear. Some cute and cuddly; some weird and kinda ugly. Here are some of these species of bike that I managed to snap a pic of:
1. The Worker Bee
Tough and designed for cargo. Handle bars double as a fool-proof lock.2. Bike Parking Lots (I foresee these will eventually be known as "Barking Lots")
This bike parking lot is located right beside Amsterdam Centraal, the main train station. In a land where most bikes are pieces of crap and of the same colour, you'd better remember where you parked it after that weekend trip to Arnhem.
3. Movers 'n Shakers
Got 4 kids to haul around? New 32" Plasma TV and Xbox 360 Deluxe Edition (c) to get home from the store? Then you'll need at least one "friend" who has one of these beauties that you can borrow off of. Designed to haul large amounts. Stylish purple-pink colour optional.
4. Dutch Hotties (aka Nederlandse Lekkere Dingen)
Ok, this has nothing to do with bikes per se, but because bikes, cars and pedestrians are usually physically separated in Holland, cycling is actually safe! So what? you say. How does this benefit Joe Everyguy? Well, beneath that streamlined helmet and baggy green MEC jacket with reflective 3M safety tape is quite possibly a smoking hottie. Results improve with weather.
5. "Group" Drinking & Driving
Part of the darker side of the bike eco-system in Amsterdam, these 8-yob-powered beauties are surprisingly benign! Just other day I was on my bike when - completely mid-flight - a nice chap on one of these beasts offered me a cold beer. A fleeting Canadian thought ran through my mind "Is this even legal?". I said "dank je wel" and we parted ways with cheers.Really though, think about it. Idiot drunk drivers in overpowered SUVs (Canadian option) or 8 yobs on a bike-powerful beer keg (Dutch option)?? The choice is clear. The worst that could happen during an accident with one of these suckers is that you would reek like draft beer and possibly have to join in on a World Cup football chant or anthem with your new friends: ...Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ben ik, van Duitsen bloed, den vaderland getrouwe blijf ik tot in den dood. Een Prinse van Oranje...
6. The Foot Soldier
The cannon fodder of the Amsterdammer bike culture. These grunts don't ask for or get any glory. They exist to be run into the ground, un-oiled or maintained in any shape or form and then unceremoniously tossed into the canals once the rust holding it together breaks free during your ride home on Queen's Night. I don't know why most bikes here are crappy or why they cost $150, but they do.7. Planning & Infrastructure
The veins that make the whole thing work. Deliberate bike lanes are constructed on main thoroughfares throughout the city. Very few exceptions where this is not the case.
Physically separated. Different coloured pavement. Bike-level pedestrian activation buttons. Bike specific road signs. Completely integrated and planned infrastructure is available for cycling (or any form of self-propelled or light-powered cycles). It's that extra stuff that helps adoption hit that tipping point.Interestingly enough, a bunch of proactive Dutch folks in the 60s, the Provos, helped lay the foundation for this cycling eco-system with stuff like their crazy White Bike plan. This plan saw a network of free white bikes that anyone could take or park at any time.
8. Vancouver: Amsterdammerized
People like the VACC are trying to improve cycling conditions in Vancouver. Drop them a few bucks donation if you'd like to see this sort of progress like this in Vancouver.
