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Bicycle
The major mode of travel in and around Amsterdam is the bicycle. To
those who have not been in cities heavily populated with bicycles
it can be somewhat challenging. Most people are tuned to look both
ways for automobiles, but not behind them on the right and left for
bicycles. For tourists in Amsterdam this can be a real problem. People
who are not accustomed to pedestrian AND bicycle lanes don't think
about which lane they are in. That can lead to an emergency room visit
for the unsuspecting.
The bicycle rider has a warning bell on his
handle bars, but when he rings the bell, he has no idea which way
the pedestrian will jump. It's called, "Take your best guess
and pray." "Oops." It can take a long time to learn
about bicycles or a short time. The harder the pedestrian is hit,
the faster the learning process. One also has the rider to worry about
because they can get hurt too. Most bikes are somewhat rusty and you
won't see expensive sport models. Interesting are the "bakfietsen
= cargo bikes" with a large wooden box at the front wheel. This
box is loaded with children and shopping. A good point of all that
biking is that there are no fat Amsterdammers, they are all slim and
have muscled legs.
If you want to be overwhelmed by the amount of
bicycles Amsterdam, go to the parking structures by the train station
and take a look. The 3-story parking garage easily holds 10,000 or
more bicycles and it is full to the brim every day even in the mid
of winter. Want to look like a tourist; make sure you rent your bike
from MAC BIKES. A lot of their bikes are bright red and ALL of them
have a huge round sign in the front under the handle bars that says,
"Mac Bikes." Some other places will put license plates on
the back of their bike--another dead giveaway you are a tourist. But
if you DON'T want to look like a tourist, rent from Holland Rent-a-Bike.
I had bikes all my live, a lot off them got stolen, hats why I never
get a new bike, always second hand, sometime you have to pay more
for the lock than for the bike.
The VVV tourist info office outside Centraal station has bike path
maps.
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