Cycling the Streets of Amsterdam for the First Time (August 2022)
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- Опубліковано 25 вер 2024
- A narrated Netherlands cycling video as I go out for a bike ride for the very first time in Amsterdam. I start in the Jordaan and head over to Vondelpark and ride past the Van Gogh Musuem and through the Rijiksmusuem making my way north up to Centraal Station.
Recorded in 4K at 60 FPS on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
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What a great environment. Coming from noisy car dominated cities it's so refreshing to see pedestrians and bicycles dominate the streetscape. What a refreshing change to see a place where cycling is the norm... the young and old, shoppers, professionals in suits, parents with kids... everyone from all walks of life on a bike.
Look at the way people live here, then look at those suburban soccer mums we have back home. Try telling me which is the healthier lifestyle and environment!
Some cities have hills that are very challenging for even the young, while many are predominantly flat. I think each city can do a lot to make riding more viable for all ability levels.
@@tilu3303 electric assist can virtually eliminate said hills however!
And we are one of the happiest people in tne world!
@mariskab.9106Hi there typical “Canadian winter” excuse, may I introduce you to Finland? Maybe Oulu as a starting example?
@@CommissionerManuShhh... don't spoil a great story with...😮 facts! 😅
The traffic light is not where Americans and Canadians expect. The lights are next to you, not at the end of the intersection....
I loved your comments on the signs and traffic lights. As a local who lived here all his life for bicycles there are only two rules:
- go when you can, don't go when you can't;
- if it fits just take your bike and go
Ignore the signs.
Idiot advice !! It is one thing to ignore the rules that you know . But to ignore rules you don't know is dangerous.
And that is exactly why I hate Amsterdam. Asocial and Egocentric behavior.
You used your bell in this one ride more than Dutch cyclists do in a whole year :D
I don't think I used my bell in my entire life.
In the USA you just hear a yell: “on your left” and then you should know that you need to step to your right, but many have no idea what’s happening and just stop to turn around to see what’s going on. They’re not used to cyclists.
@@davidc.w.2908 In the Netherlands all cyclists just keep right so others can pass without shouting anything.
Except for "wielrenners" those are those lycra a*holes, they call something that translate best as _"fuck off"_ they basically want you to get off the cycle path. They cycle in groups of 30 or 100 men and if you don't move they try to push you off the cycle path. I am pretty good at letting them fall, with their 15K bikes :)
It's the law in most American cities that you have to give either a verbal warning or use a bell. That's probably why.
@@davidc.w.2908 Or they just ignore you.
6:20 - remember that unlike the US the traffic lights are on the near side of the intersection. The light you were waiting at probably turned green.
But still, that's a very confusing traffic light. I'm Dutch and I've _never_ seen a traffic light for bicycles with an arrow. I'd probably be confused too.
The signs actually say "Uitgezonderd". That means that bikes are exempt. So a one way street for cars, or no entry for example does not apply to cyclists and they are free to go. Bikes are allowed almost everywhere and make every turn except in a truely dedicated pedestrian zone or like something obvious like a major highway.
Mate. Nice job (for your first time in Amsterdam)
Just keep moving. Stop for no one. Don't ring your bell (everyone is using headphones)
That last Grey paved area is a sort if "shared space".
Just Go For It. You'll be like one of us in no time !
Cheers!
This kind of video's remind me that we are spoiled in the Netherlands with excellent infrastructure that is so normal for us but so foreign for foreigners
as a citizen of ANY town in the Netherlands: geeze, amsterdam infrastructure is TERRIBLE compared to ours!! (Note: Amsterdam suburb infrastructure is actually quite good, we can;t blame the streets of 17th century Amsterdam being too small and too historic to make it better)
6:18 It is not counterintuitive, you were watching the wrong traffic light 😄. The bicycle traffic lights are always on your side of the road (5:48). The traffic light you were watching was for people cycling to the left. There is the left arrow right on the light.
22:03 There was! Not just a sign but a fully-fledged traffic light, 😆 (21:28).
Came here to say exactly this :)
36:22 End of the "obligatory bicycle path"
It problably means you are entering a shared space, and lose the protection offered to you by the "obligatory bicycle path" 😊
I like your narrated tour very much. You have pretty unique style here. Cherish it.
That’s correct
riding in the doorzone is a perfect example of a car mindset here its the other way around your door is in the bike zone so you better check before opening your door in driving lessons they teach you to always check your mirror before opening the door
As well as drivers are teached to open a car door by the right hand! By that a car driver is naturally “forced” to look over the shoulder and keeping an eye on any traffic on the left side ofvtge car.
Google map is crazy an Amsterdammer never chose this road
Between tram reel and cars
the traffic lights are in front of the intersection 21.30 min Steering height
Blauwenbort with bicycle/red bar means end of cycle path=
shared space cyclist + pedestrians
Best regards
Frits from Amsterdam
Thanks!
Only thing that ruins Amsterdam's streets these days is the freaking motorcycles/scooters, those things are damn loud. Imagine in a decade when most cars and these damn scooters are electrified. This will be paradise
google maps is very car centric in its navigation, also for bikes. That's probably why it didn't allow you to go into the side streets. Knowing Amsterdam well, you could have taken all of the side streets that looked so tempting to you. Off Rokin, for instance, you can cut through a narrow street to the Oude Zijds Burgwallen, where the RLD starts. Damstraat, off Dam Square, same story. You kept mostly to the primary car routes.
Lovely ride btw, in glorious weather, and you survived the awful intrersection of Damrak with PH Kade
I agree
You can tell that Google Maps is made by Americans.
@@methos4866 Thankfully so, imagine if we had to launch all those satellites used for navigation ourselves, the Rijksbegroting would be insane!
@@nonegone7170those GPS satellites are free of use for the world, so a non US based GPS or one specifically for bikes is more useful than one from a car centric country.
The triangles are called „shark toothes", and indicate you have to give way to the people on the road you are approaching.
Didn't realize these road signs are not internationally used 😂
Cycling in Amsterdam was the best thing ever! So easy, fast, and safe. Loved it. Also loved scooters in Stockholm. And cycling at home in belfast is great, but not enough bike lanes 😞
Bike infrastructure is not always better in the Netherlands or Amsterdam, expecially in older streets that are simply not suitable for restructuring. However there is one very big difference in the Netherlands, and that is the enormous number of bikes + the fact that 99% of Dutchman and -women are bicyclists themselves, so everybody is much more aware of and sympathetic with the presence of bicyclists and their vulnerability...
This was an easy ride, not even sweating. Loved it.
Excellent vid by the legendary Johnny "Stumbles" Strides
Thank you for this wonderful video introducing me to Amsterdam!
thx Johnnie for taking us here my cousin lives here, he's told us how beautiful thie city is wow, so many bikes and designated bike areas, it's awesome
"Yellow means stop when you can" Ah you sweet summer child! 😀 But on a more serious note: Great job for a first time Amsterdam bike ride. You got all the important stuff right. Cycling in Amsterdam is first and foremost just a question of using common sense.
First 5 seconds of red still mean ‘go’ hahaha
Keep sharing my kids and I love your channel! we have watched your channel from the beginning!
Please, don't share your kids 😂. Punctuation saves lives!
You're aware that in the Netherlands the traffic lights (for all other than pedestrians) are on your side, not on the other side of the road. I can see you go past that light, so you can't see it anymore, and just think people just do as they like ;o)
At the 21st minute into the video, where you say "there is no sign for bicycles", you already passed it 🙂.
Unlike in the US, in Europe the lights are at the beginning of a crossing, not at the other side, except for the pedestrian lights.
Thanks (dank U well) for a super trip of a newbie in Amsterdam. Everyone watching this while on their exercise bike or rollers is of course, also a new one (as am I), to riding through this world class grand city. It's a beautiful ride and keep up the comments as you ride. You have a nice personal style.
I was born and grew up in Amsterdam, but have lived outside of the Netherlands for the past 40 years. It felt like I was there. I know all the streets you were riding thru. Not much has changed in the inner city. Don’t miss it. Thanks 😊
Omg, I'm so excited!
Living in Amsterdam virtually all my life, the city seems to be under construction all the time. But hey, a new adventure is out there all the time.
Awesome Tour. Thank you for shariing
Emma from London
What a fascinating place Amsterdam is! To look at this, it really does give a feeling of "other" - and I say this in the best way. The streets, the neighborhoods, all of it is so unusual. It's like a big village, almost, if that makes any sense. Glad you enjoyed your trip!
I agree
Amsterdam is like an onion. While this vlog focusses on a few of the older, more central and perhaps somewhat village-like neighborhoods, the majority of Amsterdam’s built up area, was built in the last 70 years. These newer quarters have highways, railroads, tall buildings, a huge seaport, suburbs etc. Like all similarly sized developed cities. The whole of Amsterdam-including newer developments-is still pretty dense, but comparable to other similarly sized European cities. What is special, though, is the prevalence of safe and smart bicycle infrastructure in and between every neighborhood in every town or city in the Netherlands. Cycling is just as safe and pleasant (apart from the pretty old architecture) in the outer rings of the onion. I believe this is what really makes it unique because as a result only about 28% of the almost one million inhabitants of Amsterdam proper have a car.
Never a village. A village wouldn’t have 4-5 story houses on either side of the road.
@@frankteunissen6118 What we call a city in the Netherlands, would in many cases be considered a medium sized town in a lot of other countries...
@@nonegone7170alternatively the Randstad would be considered one big city in many countries around the world, in stead of 4 or 5.
Cycling in Amsterdam (or any Dutch city) gets harder and more confusing if you don't know what the signs and signals mean (and when to ignore them).
29:48 the red sign with the horizontal white bar indicates the road has one-way traffic and you can’t enter from this side. The little rectangular white sign directly below it states the exceptions (‘uitgezonderd’). In this case (as in most cases in the Netherlands) bikes are exempt from the rule meaning they may ride the road (a cyclist may ‘drive’ their bike) in both directions.
I got a fine in the uk when cycling in the wrong direction in a one way street, I am so used to it, in the Netherlands there is always a sign “uitgezonderd” 😂
@@sanderjansen5187 it’s one thing not to exempt bikes (and pedestrians?) but actually enforcing it… Wow.
Thanks for the clarification! Are there any streets in Amsterdam, where riding the bicycle is not allowed (like fully pedestrian streets)? And how are they marked, if so?
@@viktor981
Yes there are. Blue sign with a pedestrian. Cycling is not allowed in the city center shopping streets.
@@sanderjansen5187 Thanks!
3:17 It's Lijnbaangracht, as it says on the road sign.
I walked my 4 days in Amsterdam because I did zero research before visiting, and it was all overwhelming. Travel ticket and bike are the way to go.
So nice to see the streets I grew up on ❤. Beautiful ride, nice comments.
Bikes out way the cars. Cars also have to give way to bikes too I believe. Beautiful city.
Good morning Johnny!! Great bike tour around the streets of Amsterdam on this nice day!! Have a great day!!
Cool bike ride. Have fun and stay safe
About jumping the red light: that is not allowed, but a majority of "real" Amsterdammers do it anyway. That is to say when they are on their bikes or walking. And the police normally doesn't take notice. That is different with motorized traffic however. For them jumping the red light is an absolute no go, and you will get very angry comments and honks (and an expensive ticket) if you try to do that. The difference is again the risk setting. A pedestrian or cyclist who is jumping the red light is thought to only endanger him or herself, where motorized traffic is dangerous to others. Another thing to note is that things are changing a bit nowadays. Some people are getting less tolerant of cyclists and pedestrian's jumping the red light. This seems a conservative trend in all of society...
stopping lights are not placed at the opposite side of a road you want to cross, the light you saw that was first green and later red (time was 6.00) is only intended for bikers crossing the street and after that taking a left turn. The stopping light you should have looked at (not visible in your recording) must have been on the side of the road where you were waiting, your fellow bikers (at that crossing) obviously knew where to look. First time I drove a car in the USA it scared the shit out of me that I had to look at the opposite side of the road for stopping lights. It seems to depend on what your used, I however feel our system is more natural (obviously I'm biased). Best regards.
Nice tour! Thanks.
36:21 That sign doesn't mean you aren't allowed to cycle there. It means it's the end of the bicycle-lane, aka "einde fietspad".
that was amazing thanks, I wish we had that bike infrastructure here in canada
I've personally never cycled in Amsterdam, but it looks so pleasant.
je leeft in een droomwereld. stemt zeker ook links en je bent voor open grenzen of niet
I enjoyed that ride
Thank you.
the Netherlands is just a small village... I live in the east, and not often visit Amsterdam, yet here I go... Oh, I know that street, I know that building, hey, I sat on that bench in the Vondelpark, we drank coffee at that stand etc etc ....
In Holland there is one basic common rule and that is - smallest road user has priority in the city traffic!This is also for traffic on highway. So if you are on bike pedestrian in front of you has priority. If you are in the car -bikes and pedestrians have priority.. And all bigger cars, trucks, stock wagons have to grant the right of passage to all smaller traffic users. Problem is that no so many forigners know that rule, specialy those driving the cars and bikes.Cheers!
Nothing of this is true. You're confusing priority with liability in case of an accident.
For priority, the size of your vehicle is irrelevant. If I'm on my bicycle and I approach an intersection I have to give way to all road users coming from the right, regardless of their size.
I have a Dutch driver's license btw.
@@sjoerdvelzen8255indeed. I was about to comment the same.
Complete nonsense.
@@sjoerdvelzen8255and vice versa on 'equal' crossings. The only exception to left/right (or any) priority rule is trams, who always have priority.
You had a beautiful day for it! That's what I would do 2nd day there 🤩🚲🚴♂️🚲🤗
At 6.20 you say the light was red and everybody started cycling, what youre looking at is the light on the other side for bikes to turn left there, your light was beside you on your right which turns green at the same time. Also at 21.30 after the Rijksmuseum your stop light is there on your right, but you went past it and so you couldnt see it hen it turned green (you are correct its green at the same time as the crosswalk). And at Centraal just after 36 mins the sign is not "no bicycles" it means "end of cycle path" so youre entering a pedestrianised space.
3:00 the arrow means its a one way street except for bicycles
@34:35 In The Netherlands (and the US and Canada and probably just about all countries), traffic lights and signs on the left side of your lane are only meant for you if you ride in the left most lane. In all other cases, only signs and lights on the right side of the lane or road or above it are meant for you, though you may find identical supporting signs on the left side if they're important (e.g. one way highway entrances). So this red light was not meant for you but only for traffic on the left of the traffic light; you could just continue.
@36:22 This sign does not say "no bicycles", all it says is that the bike lane ends there so you're now free to ride wherever you want (unlike near such bike lanes, which are obligatory for cyclists, meaning that when there's such a bike path, you're not allowed to ride on the main road). You may also encounter the narrower horizontal rectangular bike lane signs (they say "Fietspad"). Those come without the ban from riding on the main road (but are typically never used near a main road so in practice they basically mean exactly the same in order to add to the confusion🤪).
So funny to watch this! you reading half the signs wrong and passing bike traffic lights without noticing... because they're on eye hight and you're clearly not used to that😂🤣 maybe we should make a Dutch 'bicycle traffic rules for dummies'....
27:00 A pedestrian is not a driver and is considered by law to be a "vulnerable road user,
so it is not by definition said that you have to take priority when given priority.
But hit and run is always punishable
As a cycling enthusiast, I appreciate the beautiful landscapes you captured! 🚵♀️ How do you stay motivated during long rides
Thanks for the ride 👍🚲
63 and enjoying the sites of Amsterdamsky
From my table!
Amazing lots of bikes on amsterdam roads
We visited Amsterdam a few years back and loved it! How do you find the biking there compared to Toronto?
the biggest hills in the Netherlands are the bridges.
The light where you got confused about the red or green and why everyone went? It's an American thing, mostly, Maybe Canadian too? Where the traffic lights are across the street. Dutch traffic lights are (almost) always before the intersection. Makes it less likely people accidentally drive onto the intersection while they're looking at the lights, and in the case of cars it often naturally pulls their attention to the bicycles on the side of the road as the lights are not overhead at all but the larger intersections, but to the left and right of the road.
Summer is road construction season in Amsterdam. That's just the way it is.
If the pedestrians are wary of the cyclists at a zebra crossing, they're tourists!
Bel etiquette in The Netherlands:
Ring once to alert someone you're there. Usually when you want to pass.
Ring twice when you're getting annoyed
Ring thrice when something is getting dangerous
Ring all the bloody time for the tourists
29:45 - no entry for vehicles (little bar underneath: bicycles and scooters exempt)
34:25 - that's the red light for the cars XD. Bicycles can usually just go, though you're supposed to give way for pedestrians.
Lovely weather,and they say it rains all the time in the Netherlands..
Wow, pedestrians there actually move over when you ring the bell.
これは本当に素晴らしい。車が要らないような気がしますし。自転車に乗る人がこんなに多いとは思いませんでした。
Dear Mr. Johnny Strides... More weaving about than an Agatha Christie Who Dunnit novel.... More Weaving about than the most perplexing maze ever invented... A giant hedge maze could not be more complicated... Watching the movie The Shining, by Director Stanley Kubrick, there is such a hedge maze.... And in this vlog, there is so much weaving about, WOW, Dude, like you totally freaked me... I was wondering at times if the Road Runner was going to be zooming by from another direction while being chased by Willie Coyotee....Super Genius... And this vlog does demonstrate sheer super duper, duper super, and totally deep concentration... Huh?... What was that?... Yeah... Yes!... Yes!... I have been woven into a ball of yarn... "A peaceful weaving bike in Amsterdam and a ball yarn to help Johnny Vlogger to get back home!".... the end.... Always in Good Taste... CHEERS!... Be Supportive and Subscribe
My bell is always red-hot because where I live the pedestrians tend to weave into the bike lanes all the time
centraal is a nightmare for biking
34:30 Signs and lights to the left of your roadway don't apply to you. That is a light for the car lane left of you.
That blue sign with no bikes just means the bikelane stops and you continue on the road
I love this.
I hate our german streets. Cars, noise and aggression everywhere.
I want streets line in NL.
The guy in front of you at 2:10 is the same as 5:36. He just took the main roads while you took the "gracht". :)
there was a traffic light when you took a right turn at the rijksmuseum... you just passed it :) and rode the bike to close to the road.
Very scientific, humanic, environment friendly and societal people are Holland.
22:04 - "there was no sign there for cyclists" - there was, but you went past it. I think it's because you're used to the traffic lights being on the far end of the intersection.
Are there many maple trees over there in Amsterdam? The quintessential symbol of Canada.
It took me a while to understand what happened at @18:03 but after analyzing Google Streetview I'm pretty sure you ran the red light, which the dude in front of you patiently waited for but you simply passed him as if he was the idiot🤣 The people you saw crossing were mostly cyclists coming from the left that were turning left, which they couldn't do until the traffic going straight ahead was gone. In other words: they were still legally on the intersection when the cars got the green light, which is why the cars coming from the opposite side waited for them to clear the intersection bit but didn't wait for you. Some other people ran the red light too but they were fast enough to join the group that was on the intersection legally and could enjoy their "protection" 🙂
My god it’s so quiet. Can someone tell me if it’s normally this quiet or is it just as it was end of covid and not everyone was out?
Simply called cycling city and cycling world.
Not only Amsterdam, just all the cities, towns and villages are like that. Actually the whole infrastructure.
do you know that cjhoyle was in Amsterdam in 2014
Beautiful area! Now that I've had a chance to see more I do think I prefer it over north america although you can never tell until you've lived in a place.
Do you think it’s safe for someone who’s never experienced biking along with cars and people around?
My 21 yr old daughter will be in Amsterdam for a whole month and she wants to tour around the city riding a bike
In Pattaya? I'm not sure I've never attempted that.
I would be cautious in the beginning. Amsterdam is fast paced, peoply cycle daily for work etc. Good for her to first learn the rules. And outside Amsterdam its much easier for her to start with I guess.
Cool video, hope you had fun here in amsterdam! Very steady footage, may i ask what camera did you use and where did you mount it?
Hi, did you use the DJI Pocket 2 here? Thank you!
I believe scooters in the bikeline is legal in Amsterdam, so are the tiny cars.
The blue numberplate scooters (max speed 20 mph) ar allowed in the bikelane, the yellow plate scooters (30 mph) are not allowed in the bike lane.
Thank you for this! I'm actually planning to leave Montreal forever because it"s too SUV-centric and I don't feel safe anymore as a cyclist. Would love to move to Amsterdam or another bike city in NL.
Well, you can just move to everywhere in the Netherlands, we all have bikes 😅
27:17 Unfortunately that is legal. Gas powered mopeds can ride bike lanes, but not electric scooters. It'a an extremely bad policy. 36:16.. That sign means simply that the bike lane ended
€21 for a bike for a day sounds a tad expensive. I mean, my second-hand bike costed €150 to buy, and it's probably of less quality than a rentable, but I still use it every day. So even buying another second-hand bike every year, instead of paying for maintenance, would still be only €0,40/day.
Notice how so many cyclist DO NOT wear cycling helmets , only in the Netherlands
28:45 - Though it is labeled as open for cyclists and mopeds, it is mainly a pedestrian area, as shown by all those people walking at ease. This means that any other traffic allowed should yield to the pedestrians.
No ringing your bell, unless a large solid group is unaware of your presence and blocking the street. These were just some scattered walkers for whom you do not ring, but slow down and wait for. The fun is that there is no need for road-style alerting your presence when people can see each other. Imagine that every cyclist would ring for such a situation, the atmosphere would be different and less pleasant.
This area is in no way a fast route for cyclists, but with consideration for the pedestrians you can pass through.
Thanks for the info!
Cycling around
I’m late ! Hello all!🌼
21:28 You cycled right past the red traffic light. Often they are placed on the near side of the intersection for cyclists.
You took the most business roads loaded with cars.
Stop using Google maps, there are plenty totally separated bike lanes waiting for you.
I would rather ride on the main roads and show off the city that way. If this were a daily commute or leisure ride sure I'd find a better way...
i like your video brother
5:11 that ticking sound is for blind bikers, so the know when the lights turn green...
hahahhaha
Blind bikers?
Gaaf!
the blue board with the cycle just means that this is where the bike path ends. the blue board with two people walking is not allowed to cycle because this is a pedestrian zone. and you shouldn't cycle on the highway. other than that you can cycle everywhere.
For a first bike experience you took quite a risk by obviously not knowing anything about the rules and signs. Nice vid though.
For your safety: on equal crossings bicycles do not have the right of way, traffic from the right has.