Amsterdam will give car traffic less priority in the future. The city’s streets and sidewalks are filling up as the population grows. Traffic speed and flow will get less focus as the Amsterdam government tries to find space for everyone, traffic alderman Malnie van der Horrst (D66) said in a guidance document on public space until 2050, Parool reports.

Some interesting points:

That may mean that Amsterdam residents will have to “wait a little longer” during rush hour, motorists may spend longer at red lights, and locals may have to accept that same-day delivery is a thing of the past.

Cyclists will also have to adapt. Next year, the city will introduce streets where faster cyclists, often on e-bikes and fatbikes, can choose between the motorway or the bike path. Those who choose the bike path must adhere to a speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour.

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  •  Thelsim   ( @Thelsim@beehaw.org ) 
    1•1 year ago

    I doubt they’re going to introduce a lot of new infrastructure from the beginning. It’s probably going to be signs and new regulations at first. Like when they restricted mopeds from using the bicycle lanes.
    Maybe I’m mistaken though. I’m not a resident, I just work in Amsterdam.

    The problem about speeds is not so much how serious an injury you get when you have a collision, but more how much damage you cause to others. Especially during rush hour, the lanes can be crowded with people going to work, kids going to school, etc.
    As long as everyone cycles at about the same speed, it’s not that much of a problem. But those bigger e-bikes are way faster (and heavier) and can cause quite a bit of damage when they hit someone. Preferably they should create separate lanes for faster cyclists instead of forcing them on the motorways.

    Anyway, if you’re interested I did a quick search about the problem and got you a translated link to a recent article about the problems.