About Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, with its characteristic semi-circle medieval city centre and attractive canals. Amsterdam and bicycles have enjoyed a long-lasting love affair. In rain or shine, good times or bad, Amsterdammers embrace the bike. Making up 36% of all trips, or roughly 665,000 bike rides per day, the bike is both the most widely used and fastest growing means of transport: this makes Amsterdam one of the world's bicycle capitals. Daily cycling has become a central part of Amsterdam (and Dutch) society and a solution to congestion, even across longer commuting distances.
Main cycling challenges
A rapid increase in cycling's modal share in Amsterdam over the last 20 years means bicycle congestion has become a challenge. Bikes parked on pavements in busy areas form a common obstacle for pedestrians. The advent of different types of bicycles, such as cargo bikes and electric bikes, and their speed and size variations require infrastructure design to respond to these different types of cyclists. To keep up with Amsterdam's growth, it is vital to keep evolving, innovating and investing. Further research in innovative and smart solutions belongs to this.
