Bicycle Amsterdam facts

With around 881,000 bicycles, or 1.1 per inhabitant, Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most bike-friendly cities. But for many expats and tourists arriving in the Dutch capital, the words anarchy and chaos spring to mind.
Amsterdam’s population has been growing in recent years and it is attracting a record number of tourists. This has created a new problem in the city: bike congestion. Local authorities are grappling with a shortage of bicycle parking spaces and the number of serious bike accidents has increased in recent years, primarily because of congestion.
BIKE LANES
Newcomers shouldn’t be deterred by this. In fact, cycling in Amsterdam can be the most enjoyable way to get around the city and it is set to become safer. The city has more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) of designated bike lane, and authorities plan in the coming years to invest around €120 million ($129 million) to improve cycling infrastructure and install 38,000 new bike racks.
ROGUE CYCLISTS
Amsterdam cyclists have a reputation for being rude and anarchist. Yes, they occasionally ignore traffic lights, ride on the sidewalks and yell at tourists walking on bike lanes. But most cyclists aren’t that reckless, according to a recent study of the University of Amsterdam. The researchers observed cyclists at busy junctions during rush hour and concluded that the large majority are law-abiding citizens. “The collected data refutes the general claim that Amsterdam cyclists are a bunch of road rogues on the loose,” they said.
A LOVE AFFAIR
Cycling is deeply intertwined with daily life in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of residents bike to work every day, from lawyers and bankers to students and artists. Parents use special cargo bikes to transport their children to day care or school. Pete Jordan, an American writer who has lived here since the early 2000s, says he fell in love with the city’s cycling culture the first day he arrived. His book “In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist” is required reading for bike-savvy expats.
DON’T MISS THE TUNNEL
The bicycle tunnel that runs through Amsterdam’s newly renovated Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands’ national museum, is one of the city’s most beautiful and most-discussed bike lanes. Fearing for the safety of its visitors, the Rijksmuseum lobbied to keep the tunnel shut after its 10-year renovation. Its stance prompted a backlash from a group of local cycling activists. Guess who won?