Bikes & cycling around
The flatness of the country, the short distances and the overwhelming amount of cycling paths (15.000 km!!) gives you the all the reasons to move yourself around by bike real easy. if the wind isn’t blowing to fast of course! No matter what profession or status the Dutch people have, almost everybody has a bike. They use it for recreational purposes, but more often as a practical way to transport themselves. There are over 13 million bikes in Holland! Use your bike as the Dutch people do; as a practical way to move yourself around. Use it in the city to avoid traffic jams, do your groceries with it and explore your neighbourhood. You can rent a bike at every bigger railway station and often also in bicycle shops.
Second-hand bikes can be bought cheap at the bigger railway stations, in bicycle shops and in recycling shops. If somebody offers you a very cheap bike on the street, you can be certain it's stolen. Buying it is punishable by law. Make sure your bike can't be stolen. Lock it with a strong lock, preferable on to a solid object or find a secure place to store it. Some locks are even more expensive then a cheap second hand bike!
More bikes than inhabitants...
The easiest way to get around is of course with public transport and the bike. The company MacBike beside Central Station offers you a free multi-lingual leaflet on "How to cycle safely through Amsterdam". Expect to pay a minimum of 8 euros a day for a simple pedal-brake bike and up to 20 euros a day for the luxury of a hybrid bike with gears and manual brakes. More Bike rentals can be found on the Iamsterdam link.
Bike Dictionary:
FIETS - bike [pronounce: feet-s]
STALLING - refers to a place where people can store their bikes safely / rates per hour or per day.
VOUFIETS - a type of folding bicycle or a so called A-bike, folded bikes don't need a ticket on the train and can easily be stored. [fouw-feet-s]
OMAFIETS - typical dutch bike which hava a retro appearance, translated as "grandma bike". The male pendant is the "opafiets" with a high bar stretching across the frame.
FIETSPAD - bike pathway, always dangerous as scooters are allowed as well on the pathway. Watch out at all times and stay on the right side.
Read also about Cycling in the Netherlands on wikipedia.
| Related Documents |
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 how-to-cycle-safely.pdf (250.64 KB) |