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Polder action and cycling union in Amsterdam

Govert de With

Fietsersbond Amsterdam

Contents

About the Fietsersbond History of cycling in Amsterdam Current challenges

Fietsersbond

Biggest promotor of cyclist’s interests 145 local branches 30.000+ members in NL, 4000+ in Amsterdam 1.500 active volunteers, > 100 in Amsterdam 30+ employees in the national office in Utrecht In Amsterdam 2 employees Advice, public participation, action if needed

Activities

Bicycle maps Routeplanner Magazines (local and nationwide) Member of the traffic committees, with civil servants,

police, public transport etc. Close contact with several members of the city council

Our mission

“The Fietsersbond is promotor of the interests of cyclists in the Netherlands and is committed to more and better opportunities for cycling”

How did we get there?

Amsterdam was built for traffic by water From 16th century road traffic problems First cars at start of 20th century Bicycle is a big success from 19th century After WW II explosive growth of car traffic

AUP 1935(amsterdam expansion plan)

with room for cyclists

City building

Wibautas

1972 jodenbreestraat

(this marks the end of the plans to build a highway through the city. You will pass this on your bike-trip)

Founding of the Fietsersbond (1975)

From then on, the FB became more and more an advisory partner, instead of a local action group

New policy 1979: Traffic Circulation Plan includes bicycle policy

1979: Cycle workgroup: FB and civil servants make plans and ensure the realization

1989: city districts, responsible for the main bicycle network

1991: Parking fees became city income

1992: Referendum votes for carfree inner city, but didn’t make the threshold

1999: Amsterdam commits to “Duurzaam Veilig”, the dutch approach to traffic safety

Quality measures

Safety (social en traffic)

Comfort (pavement, wide angles)

Directness (logical, straight routes)

Attractive routes (eg clean air, shelter, low altitude)

Good parking (‘Fietsparkeur’ quality standard)

Amsterdam

Strives for a compact city (choosing urbanisation)

Conflicts of interests Restriction (by parking fees), also

provides money for a better construction

Bicycle capital Compact city Good competitive

position for the bike vs. car

Creation of big car boulevards has stopped

Bicycle-minded population (students etc…)

Facts and figures

550.000 cycles 400 km separate cycle path 2.000.000 km cycled every day 135.000 bikes processed by the AFAC Chance of bicycle theft: 6% 67 ‘blackspots’ (more than 6 injury-

accidents in 3 years)

Duurzaam Veilig(sustainable safety)

Road has 1 function Separating traffic modalities Concentrate cars on main network Construct living area’s (max 30 km/h)

Good examples

How to keep it like this?

We seek cooperation, instead of confrontation

We try to maintain a high level of knowledge

We take our losses, when necessary We try to influence relatively early, often

behind the scenes

Who does what?

Fietsersbond Traffic advise and local

expertise (through volunteers all over the city)

Expertise in political discussion and a vast institutional memory

A large network, via which also inhabitants find a way to reach the city council

Persuasion and willingness to act to get difficult decisions to be made

Municipality Has the possibility and willingness to make things happen on the street Shares information about plans in an early stage, so the Fietsersbond can influence them when changes are still relatively easy to make Gives subsidy so the Fietsersbond can guarantee and maintain a professional organisation with two fulltime employees

Challenges

Road safety Bicycle parking

Combination of networks Combination of cyclists and pedestrians

Safety – list of ‘blackspots’ (not only bike)

Bicycle parking

Is this a problem?

Combination of networks

It is the policy to separate the main networks: car-public transport-bike

E.g. the Vijzelgracht combines them all But it’s too small to give everybody its own space Choices have to be made On the Marnixstraat (in your trip) a choice has been

made It’s ‘main network’ for bikes. Cars are on the parallel

Stadhouderskade Through traffic is impossible because of the alternating

one-way street On Java-island (in your trip) it’s separated as well But the cycle-route wasn’t made by a traffic engineer...

Cyclists and pedestrians

Does car-free mean bike free? Or does it mean bike-heaven? And what about the pedestrians?

See the Amstel on your trip (cycle path along the river, where everybody wants to walk)

Contact

Fietsersbond Amsterdam Govert de With WG plein 84, 1054 RC, Amsterdam 020 6854794 [email protected] www.fietsersbond.nl/amsterdam