Neal Pierce: We should look to Amsterdam for a glimpse of our future transit plans
July 6, 2008
So Americans bedeviled by $4-plus-a-gallon gas want more transportation choices? They have no idea of what real choices are.
For a taste of our necessary future — driven by rapid energy cost inflation and climate emergencies — check the streets of Amsterdam.
Sure, cars still function here. But by our standards, their numbers are remarkably modest. Especially on center city streets, another king reigns: the bicycle.
Bikes, indeed, swarm around by the thousands. With reserved lanes on practically every street, they’re ridden by passengers of both sexes, virtually all ages, from necktied gents and high-heeled ladies to jeans-clad youth and uniformed police officers.
And what the busy Amsterdamers accomplish on their two-wheelers defies imagination. They read maps, talk on cell phones, window shop. They “walk” their dogs, carry kids or canines in baskets great or small. Still rolling, they text message, eat ice cream, drink coffee, carry huge packages and musical instruments, sometimes a second rider. I even saw lovers on two bikes, holding hands as they cruised the streets. Read more»
