A Faster Commute in Amsterdam - My Commute to Amsterdam Noord
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Watch this video ad-free on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/not-just-bik...
A short-term contract in Amsterdam Noord provided me a great opportunity to explore the variety of commuting options in Amsterdam. In the end, a bicycle + metro commute was the best (and fastest) option for me. This video explores the commuting options available in Amsterdam, and provides some more detail about my commute to Amsterdam Noord.
Sign up to Nebula and watch ad-free and sponsor-free: go.nebula.tv/notjustbikes
Patreon: / notjustbikes
Twitter: / notjustbikes
Reddit: / notjustbikes
One-time donations: notjustbikes.com/donate
NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel):
/ @njblive
Nederlandse vertaling door Casper de With
Captions by Casper de With
The people saying 9km isn't that far for a bicycle commute haven't tried cycling through the Amsterdam city centre every day in prime tourist season! 😂
Well, today, in the prime corona season, it is easy to cycle 9 km through Amsterdam 😂
NB The Corona virus itself is not a laughing matter. Many people died and are still dying. And I myself am in the extreme high risk group (having asthma, a sensitive respiratory system and a low response to antibiotics).
Hahaha, maybe you are right, but still 9km is a cakewalk for a dutch citizen. When I was a teenager I had to cycle everyday 22km (11x2) to school and back home through a 'windy, no cover, always a headwind' polder. Maybe I was lucky, because it prepared me for every ''hard'' commute on bicycle in Amsterdam.
I have and still wouldn't call 9-10km far 😄😉
Instead of leasing, i would just get a cheap 2nd hand bike for 30-50 bucks. Also perfect for big cities anyway
I walk 9km for fun. We're used to walking or riding a bike. I used to commute to Volendam on bike from Amsterdam Ijburg. It's about 22km each way.
I was going to say that but knowing the route that you would have to take I think I would be annoyed as well and look for an alternative as well, there is no escaping the city.
The Netherlands is a great country for someone who can't drive (or walk 😅). Back in the states, it is near impossible for me to travel much solo in my wheelchair. But in Netherlands, when my Dutch friends were at work and I was free to explore the country all by my lonesome? I wanted to see as much of the Netherlands before I had to go back home, so I went to a different city/town each day (15 solo excursions in total). I never had as much independence there that I do back home, and I miss it so much.
That's great to hear and I've heard that before! I would love to do a video about this but I don't feel I'm educated enough to really do the topic justice. Would you be willing to expand on your experiences via email to help me understand your experiences better?
@@NotJustBikes I wouldn't mind sharing at all! Since I can't physically go to the Netherlands at the moment, the best I can do is to revisit my memories. 😎
Ok, that would be great! Could you please send me an email to notjustbikes@notjustbikes.com and we can have a quick chat via email? Thanks!
That's probably because the Netherlands, in 2015, introduced a very extensive law to protect and support our physically/mentally disabled/limited inhabitants.
(The law is called WMO, Wet Maatschappelijke Ondersteuning or Social Support Act)
It was an improved version of an earlier law that provided the basics.
Here's a small insight into what the law entails:
The law focuses on shifting the responsibility of care towards municipality level and therefore allowing for more personal, local and fitting care. Previously this was dealt with on regional or national level.
Main intent was to allow for extensive care for those who need it, without extracting them from their own preferred surroundings (which could lead to more social exclusion).
This means the municipality is responsible to assist in housing, care, transportation and social structure.
So each municipality, whether rural or urban, is obliged to provide for a transportation system with room for wheelchairs, all public buildings have to be accessible, any local (pro or indy) improvements towards accessibility are rewarded subsidies, physical or psychological support arranged, if possible...a suitable workplace should be found.
So rather than leaving those in need, (who often struggle enough in live) fend for themselves, we all take care of eachother, while funded and orchestrated on national level.
(To be fair, we're still in a transitional period...loads is going wrong, but eventually the bumps will flatten out)
@@Snaakie83 That's great information, thanks!
This is one of the reasons 84% of people have more than one bike.
Then I am the 16%
Yes, I stole a second one just in case.
Another would be folding bikes/sports bikes. I have a normal bike for groceries and a folding bike that I used for work. Meanwhile, someone I know has a normal bike and a racing bike.
@@rendomstranger8698 Same here, I have a city bike for commuting (only 3 km) and a road bike for the 100(+) km rides.
The other reason is we're just addicted!
But yeah one of my 3 bikes is a station bike xD
This is the first time I heard about someone forgetting his bicycle on a train. So sad. 😂
....especially when you have to pay the extra train fair (good all day)for the bike and bitch....Darwin.
Once my mum left her scarf on the Docklands Light Railway when coming from work.
I sometimes drove my bicycle to shool and took the train back home with my friends, while my helmet was still attatched to the bagpack. Next day: Where is my bike?
I almost did that once, but the (very helpful) ticket inspector told me to not forget the bike hahah
With alcohol, anything is possible.
I have a Dutch mother, but I've never been to the Netherlands. Watching your videos about the Netherlands creates such a strong desire in me to visit the country.
You should totally do it after COVID. Pursue your bucket list, it won't complete itself! 😁
When there is no "swapfiets" you can also use "vouwfietsen". In the past on some projects I had some colleagues who did this. For english speakers "vouwen" means "to fold".
A folding bicycle. Or even a folding recumbent tricycle ;)
The most premium folding bicycle you can get right now is the Brompton. Reaaly light and folds really small.
Yeah, but during commute there is often no space on the train/metro/tram for those foldable bikes either.
It's the whole point, why he needs a bike on both ends.
… end (relatively) expensive.
@@C0deH0wler Yea I totally agree, folds and unfolds is totally hassle free, it's like ~30 seconds you got it fold and unfold and you're good to go!
Disclaimer: I own one H6R
I really enjoyed this video. As someone who grew up in southern Ontario, lived for one year in Nijmegen Netherlands (renting a swapfiets the entire time) and is now living in Brussels, I can relate so much. I was amazed by the ease of travelling in the Netherlands, having a bike and the biking infrastructure offered so much freedom. I admit then when I was living in Ontario I subscribed to the idea 'Car= freedom", but I can say that I have never felt more free than when I was in the Netherlands with my bike. I never had to worry about parking, gas, figuring out whose turn it was for designated driving for those nights out, or whether or not my mode of transportation was going to break down when I needed it the most. This, combined with the ease of walking and of course availability of public transport available, meant that I had truly achieved 'transportation freedom'. Thank you for the videos, and keep up the fantastic work.
Yes! You definitely get it! I've lived in Brussels as well (and, of course, i grew up in Southern Ontario as well).
It's amazing how different Brussels is from Dutch cities. Every time somebody says the only reason Dutch cities are the way they are is because they're old, or flat, or have narrow streets, or because of their temporate weather I ask them to explain why Brussels isn't like that! Brussels is getting better, but when I lived there, I spent a ridiculous amount of time stuck in (car) traffic.
@@NotJustBikes Indeed it is getting better but I swear you have no idea how much resistance Belgians are making against cycle lanes! The problem is that more than a half of the people working in Brussels lives outside the city so they don't care about how us living there and they prefer to keep their car lanes! Public transport it is fairly good, improving a lot and very comfortable and cycle lans are being slowly built. I don't know if you had the chance to see the one on the small ring that goes from arts loi to gare du midi and all around back to arts loi but it's looking good. But Belgians love cars, especially company cars. Also, brussels has so many hills compared to amsterdam ahahha I swear it's terrible sometimes.
@@NotJustBikes The fun thing is that the more people can cycle or use efficient public transport, the easier it is to get around by car. Sure, you have to go slow and go around, because that is the only way to stop most people from routinely taking the car, but it is still faster than sitting still in a traffic jam.
0:55 me too! I never understand how diehard car drivers can list all the things they hate about using public transport and seem to be oblivious to the annoyances of driving in traffic 🤷🏼♂️
Cars to them symbolize "freedom". But I gotta say, I don't feel very free being stuck in traffic so often lol
^ Or the annoyances of not being able to find parking or being forced to pay way too much to park if you live in a city.
When I had an internship at the Dutch IRS in Rotterdam, I stayed with my GF in Breda. Everyday I cycled about 10-15 minutes to Breda Station, left my bike in the underground area (to have it be protected and because the one above ground was always full), took the train to Rotterdam CS, took the metro that was connected to Rotterdam CS to Wilhelminaplein and then walk a short distance and I arrived within an hour. Didn't have to park a car or travel trough traffic and travelling is so relaxing I can easily listen music all the way. When I stayed in other cities, it surprised me how awful travel can be. Made me appreciate The Netherlands a lot.
Please, Dutch people, please take care of your country, it sounds like a utopia
Wow! I can’t believe that someone’s actually making videos about Urban Planning in the Netherlands! I visited last year and I was so impressed by how organised and neat their road intersections were. I’m living in Cyprus, which is unfortunately the North America of Europe when it comes to car usage, I drive everywhere and I honestly feel guilty. Really wish we had a bike system here as well.
L S don’t you have buses?
I think Cyprus belongs to Turkey
@@karolkrska7280 Ok. A very controversial opinion 😐
I can attest for Cyprus but I feel many parts of the UK will give you a run for your money. Most places cities only have bus networks dispite them being inadequate so everyone drives. We don't gave NA sprawl tho (we have our own flavour of sprawl, cause of a lack of zoning.
4:58 showing the casual hands-free Dutch cyclist.
my friend who lives in amsterdam for the last 10 years told me that, once you start rolling a joint while riding a bicycle you can proudly call yourself from amsterdam.
That's not even considered hands-free by the Dutch. You're not hands-free until you cycle without *both* hands. And most of them can do that quite easily btw.
@@cyprel He is cycling without both hands though :)
@@cyprel Checkout the shot of the same guy a second later, filmed from the back :) He's cycling with both hands loose.
@@cyprel hands-free since I was a child, 6 or 7 years old. Dutch here.
This is pretty much exactly how I got to school every day
I would think a 9 km commute on a bike is perfect.
Anything less than 10 km, as long as the infrastructure is good, is quite nice and often doable in 30-40 minutes.
10km? I bike 20 to school everyday we don’t care some just casually bike 30 to 40 without a problem
@@ps1hagrid268 uphill both ways during a hail storm, as my grandpa told it 😁
9km is peanuts for almost all villagers in the netherlands.
@@snepNL But the difference is you do not have to contend with about 1000 pedestrians and cyclists during that commute.
Half of them tourists who are new to being pedestrians, as they live in car centric countries.
@@57thorns got a point there!
I am always impressed whenever I see the bicycle parking at Strawinskylaan. It looks like some sort of futuristic spaceship but for parking bikes.
3:56 shame on you from the Dutch bicycle gods!! Please don't pull your lock through another free bike rack... Nevertheless thanks for the nice video, the Dutch love you :)
He'll now have to cycle naked through the streets of Amsterdam while the crowd throws stroopwavels and Hollandse Nieuwe at him.
Dishonor on him
Dishonor on his family
Dishonor on his cow!!
Monzi Bijleveld Vincenti Wanted to comment the exact same thing!
@@Trazynn While they shout: Shame!SHame!Shame!
Wait I don't get it? He has to lock up his bike, right? Why is it bad to do it on a free bike rack?
Love your channel. You make me want to live in the Netherlands. I really appreciate the way you tackle practical issues from the perspective of a cyclist interested in urban planning, and who has a background growing up in the US. Thanks for the great content.
Thanks! I grew up in Canada though, not the US. 🍁
... I did live in the US for a few years, but I was an adult by then.
I have a similar commute here in Japan, except after taking the train I walk from the station to my workplace, since it's not too far thankfully. I love the idea of the bicycle leasing company, I know many people who own a second bicycle just because of that last mile problem. I would definitely make use of such a service over the short-term if it was offered in my city!
I really thought that you were going to say OV fiets there, but swapfiets is also a nice option 😅
Bart too expensive if you do it for longer than a few months but yeah it’s super usefull.
OV Fietsen are only available at train stations though, not metro stations, like this one.
@@NotJustBikes I did not know that, thanks for letting me know. Thinking about it, that does make sense because I think the NS owns the OV fiets.
OV fiets might be a cool subject for a video though 😉
@@NotJustBikes Although 0V-fiets is an NS product, they have expanded somewhat to other transit hubs, too. And according to the website, there is a point in Amsterdam Noord, right next to the metro station on the west side. Not sure if it was there already when you did this trip, of course. And it's nice to see Swapfiets, too. They are getting quite big in Belgium, too.
@@NotJustBikes Here in Rotterdam, you can find OV Fiets locations at some metro stations aswell.
That ride in the park is gorgeous....
I'm currently in Amsterdam for my internship and thesis, I live just outside of West and a one-way ride is about 30 minutes cycling for me (some 9.5 km). In the beginning, it was a bit harder, but very happy with the results after 2.5 months, getting trained legs nowadays, haha! Bad weather does suck, but it means you only burn more calories!
Every time I visit Amsterdam, I always love seeing all of the bikes. I usually travel to Zandvoort on the train, for a day out and am always struck by the cycle roads which run parallel to the train tracks and think what an amazing achievement. It looks as if you could ride from one town to another without even encountering a motor vehicle!
Cycle lanes in the UK are a joke, hap hazard, at best, with no *real* thought, or planning behind them and might last for 100 yards and then come to an abrupt stop...you may as well just cycle on the road, in many places.
The Dutch *really* have this whole thing sorted, like no other country and when the oil runs out, they'll all have bikes! 😉
Well I always cycle 20KM between 2 little city’s
You're right. Even here in Fryslân (a rural Dutch province), we have almost full coverage with bicycle paths.
And in the places where there isn't a bicycle path, drivers are familiar enough with cyclists that I can safely ride on the road.
In my city there is a deactivated old narrow gauge line, and they turned it into an inter-city bike path, it's very nice, grade separated, has tunnels and bridges, since it's an old railway line.
Even if it's in Amsterdam, I'd still prefer not to have to lock a bike twice every commute. Better just ride the 9 km through that mess that is the center of Amsterdam and lose 5 minutes (it's just 5 minutes). I absolutely hate parking my bike, and it's cheaper not to use public transport and a swapfiets :P I'm Dutch after all.
Do you guys have bikeshares in Amsterdam similar to citibike here in NYC? I feel like that would be a much better and cheaper solution to this problem.
@@kirkrotger9208 we have so could OV fietsen, I never use them but they're pretty good if youre using public transport
Is having showers in workplaces common?
@@tsoiboy4073 Showers?
I rarely need a shower after cycling a short distance, unless there is an extreme heat wave.
Just take your time and adapt your speed.
57thorns In the Netherlands that might work, but my commute is 25km and includes a huge hill. I don’t feel comfortable not showering after that.
You have to go 9km to the other side of 1 city I’m from Friesland and I travel around 11km between city’s this made me realise how big Amsterdam is
I don't know why I still watch your videos... I, unfortunately, live in a very car focused city, and seeing these videos makes me really sad...
Its the hope your place might change some day :)
Same
Where do ya live
you may want to request your representatives to
a) watch these video's too and
b) demand their action to start implementing the policies explained in these video's.
@@freudsigmund72 talk to your friends and family too. I feel that a lot of people would support those changes if they're made aware of them
This is really excellent footage of the Amsterdam scenery. I dunno what sets it apart, but this is one of the few videos of foreign places where I can imagine the scenery and being there without being there.
Lol at the beer story. Personally I've spent hours in Amsterdam looking for where l had hurriedly parked my bike.
3:53 I finally did it... After all these years ive found myself in one of youre videos...
Nice!! 👍
The channel has only been around since October though so it's "all these months". 😉
@@NotJustBikes Hate to that kind of guy butt your first video was on 7th of july 2019. Since today is the 19th of july 2020 I was right. But seriously I love your channel and have been watching it since last year. Love from the stafionweg near your old house ;)
@@KickMaassen no, because that would still be a year. So it's still all these months. Neem het met een korreltje zout.
5:45 Almost thought he was going to say: " Because this......is Not Just Bikes"
I agree with you 100% and I wish more people in the US would or even could embrace this kind of lifestyle. I used to live in Bern, Switzerland and I rarely drove my car. To get to work, I walked, road my bike, took the tram or floated down the Aare river. Now that I've returned, I am once again required to drive almost everywhere.
I love how at 1:01 YOU are the one riding a bike and a tourist and the right with the suitcase was shook for a sec ! That would be you a few years ago ;)
Thank you for your amazing videos! I love urban planning and after a few years in the Netherlands I don't think I can live anywhere else anymore. You highlight the most awww moments about the Dutch public transport infrastructure, thanks again! Did you know there are buttons for traffic lights if you're a horse rider? Like for cyclists but higher. I found a few around Hilversum area. How brilliant it is that someone actually thought about convenience for them too!
Thanks for y’r comment its very accurate, i am from the USA and living in Amsterdam, omg help me when they would force me to move back to the USA. People here are so friendly and welcoming, well organized and i got a good paying job first week and happy ever after. Still love the USA, as i am brainwashed usa, usa # 1 LOL, just in my memory but yeah The Netherlands is the best country in the World.
So great to find this channel! I live in Vancouver, Canada but lived in Amsterdam for 2 years and loved it! My commute was much shorter than yours - I lived right next to Amsterdam Centraal and commuted near the Rijksmuseum. Quick number 4 or 16 tram when it's raining. :)
Well, you've done it... I now want to live in the Netherlands at some point in my life. Hopefully some time soon :)
I lived for a month and a half as a Digital Nomad in Amsterdam, so far my favorite city in the entire world, I love it so much.
Love it there can't wait to go back , so let's get this boat up and running from Scotland to groningen.
You Sir have inspired me to make one of my next videos show how these transit mix opportunities are possible in Sacramento. (It is possible, just not as glamorious as it in Amsterdam!)
There's no reason Sacramento couldn't be glamorous. After all, it has the best railroad museum in the US.
Like you said in another video, “This is another planet.”
We found each of your videos very interesting and exciting as we would like to relocate to the Netherlands. We left our current job because we would like to live as you're showing in your videos: moving by bike and public transport. We were not so lucky because of the coronavirus but we'll wait till everything ends! Keep on the good work! 😉
Whenever I need a temporary bicycle I go to marktplaats and get the cheapest working one, put a new chain and sprockets on there and it's like new, most of the time I'm under €70 total when I'm done
70 euros for a cheap bike and new chain + sprockets? I think u got ripped off
When I was living in Amsterdam I just got an oma feits from Halfords for about €150 every time I was relieved of it by the bike thieves.
i used to pay a crack head 10 gulden (guilders) and order a “new” bicycle ....
@@CaptainRemy jij verkoopt ze toch voor een tientje
@@hesselbleeker6353 Grappig, internet troll dat je bent
Great content, great videos. Your channel makes me want to move to the Netherlands (more). Subscribed.
We love environmentally friendly transport!
5-10km is a normal range to go from our house to work or school here in the Netherlands by Bicycle.
A nice tip for a future video: fiets/wandel knooppunten. A way we hike of bike in our free time.
Maybe in suburban or rural areas where cycle paths are often more or less straight, but to cycle that long in the city core is really tiring, as there's a lot more traffic and steering action involved.
MrAronymous I’m from Rotterdam, and am still doing it. No need to take a Metro to get to the other side.
MrAronymous What’s tiring is to almost always have a headwind in the polder between towns. In built up areas the wind is hardly a problem. And almost everything is close by in cities. That’s not the case in towns. You’ll have to bike long distances to get to services like theaters, cinemas, specialized shops and so on. Even the city hall of my municipality is two towns away, without a direct bus connection. So going by bike is faster than going by bus. Everything has it’s pros and cons, you see.
Lol MrAronymous, you would implode people's minds who oppose cycling (especially in their city's suburbia) and say 'eVerRY THiNG is So SprEAD APaRt, wE ARe NoT AmSTERdaM'. You would also wreck the heads of city designers in other nations with a fetish of only putting cycleways and slow streets in city centres lol.
Your videos about the traffic in the Netherlands are great and let's me appreciate my country . When you mentioned some scenarios in America it would be a living hell using a bike there !
This guy makes me want to move to the Netherlands to commute for a living
Greetings from Textkernel! Was really surprised to recognise our office on the first seconds of the video :)
Indeed! I wondered if anybody would recognize it. You're the second one in the comments so far! 😁
I lived in Leiden and worked in The Hague, I used to cycle to the train station, leave the bike there, take the train to The Hague, and I had a 2nd bike put there so I could drive from the station to work, which was like 5km. It was so chill.
These videos are great! keep it up
Loving the bike ride through the Vliegenbos! I am not Dutch but I know where you were working as my boat was tied up very close to there. I cycled a lot in Amsterdaam Noord over the years and always found it very accessible. Great arriving in Centraal, picking up the bike, hopping on the ferry, then cycling up and through Vliegenbos to Nieuwendammerdijk. The coastal route up North is brilliant too.
After watching about 20 of your very nice videos, I feel jealous of the very bike friendly infrastructure in the netherlands and very sad to almost never experience that great infrastructure here in Germany or anywhere else I would enjoy the netherlands :( Here is Germany I am happy if one village is connected to another village by a cycle path.
I follow this channel since may and wanted to tell you that i never appreciated how I traveled around in the Netherlands. I always complained about public transport and didnt even notice that I traveled with 3 transfers to university +-30km in 45 mins (12min bike+parking+20min train haarlem Amsterdam c+ 12min Amc (metro or train) to Amsterdam Amstel,1 min walk) Sure if a more direct route was available I would take it, and yes the track between Haarlem and Amsterdam is overcrowded but to be able to transfer 3 times within this time frame is ultimately something to be appreciated. Yes it turns out I am spoiled all my live 😁👍 this channel actually got me inspired to build me a faster commuter bike to appreciate all of the urban planning I never noticed. Thank you for opening my eyes 😉👍
Great video! I really like the way you focus on showing real footage of your life style there! It helps viewers who are planning to move there. I've seem many youtubers who just show their faces and tell stories from their room and it gets boring pretty quick, but your videos just make us more interested to see more! Questions, how was the weather during those 3 months? does it rains or snows a lot? Is it really hot in the summer on the other hand? Are companies typically flexible on the punch card? Are train times reliable? Are there many small markets for groceries in residential areas? Thanks, and keep up with the good work and this format!
The best alternative for the swapfiets is a vouwfiets, it is a smal bike and it's foldable! You can take it into public transport even during rush hour as long as you do not obstruct.
I ended up getting a brompton two years ago and love it.
If you travel, check the local regulations. You still get a ticket if you are caught bring even a folding bike on a metro train in Japan, Taiwan, or undergrown Metro in Hong Kong. No folding bikes inside buses in those countries either.
you can also rent an ov-fiets, but that might be more expensive? Ov = 'openbaar vervoer' = 'public transport'. You get an ov-card subcription, with which you can pay for your public transport (train, metro, trams, buses) with a discount, and just about every train station has an ov-fiets point where you can rent (for the day) a blue-and-yellow ov-fiets. It costs slightly more than an euro a day, I believe. This is especially handy for daytrips or for those days you missed your connection with the bus-that-only-stops-there-twice-a-hour and you really, truly have to Be There On Time.
The only people I know who use OV-Fiets regularly are those whose companies pay for it. It’s just under €4 per day while Swapfiets is €15 per month.
Jason R. Wang keep in mind that your swapfiets probably will also need a subscription to the stalling, which doubles the price (because only the first 24 hours are typically free). OV fiets are great for occasional trips, and especially trips to different places each time, but they do not work out financially to five times a week at one particular place.
Then again, if the first 24 hours are free and then you pay per day, and you work five days a week, then four normal weeks may be cheaper at a per day price than on a monthly subscription.
That's more complementary to other forms of public transport. Like you travel by train to a different city and you use the public bike system to travel within that city. It greatly enhances the value of travel by train as you're no longer have to mess around with buses and trams or walk prohibitive distances between the stops and your designation.
@@JasonRWang-vu8vj I thought it was cheaper? let's google.. oh, I see.. I haven't rented an ov fiets the last two years, so my information - as Smaug would say - is antiquated. Apparantly, one used to pay for the subscription card itself (around 100 euro for a year if I'm not mistaken) and renting the bike per day was cheaper, but since januari there are no longer any subscription fees but you pay mor (3,85 euro per day) for the bike rent.
@@JasonRWang-vu8vj4 euro is not that different from 2 bus rides. I use OV fiets a lot in places i don't visit often, e.g. visiting friends or family.
This is also a pretty good examply of why a skateboard/longboard is ideal.
It’s a bit slower than a bike but I can easily take it on the bus/train/metro.
Ad to that the fact that I don’t spend any time locking/unlocking at the station and I’m pretty sure I’m winning
I live close by the Noord park station!! So nice to watch this video!!
Awww, basically my old commute, but in reverse. I used to live in thenone of the small houses you pass after the roundabout, just begore you enter the Vliegenbos. Must say I’m slightly surprises by your choice (but hey, there is a choice!) To me the feeling of freedom the bike gives, makes it more pleasant than OV. Have you considered the Oostveer to avoid the crowds? In any case: grear video’s, keep em coming!
0:05 ... wait that looks familiar
0:17 _Vliegenbos_ I knew it! Hé broertje, I can see your house from here :D
And just listen the calm of the park. Wonderful.
Gereat Video and I miss Amsterdam so much
Love your content. I am looking forward to moving to the Netherlands.
1:52, when I was an exchange student in Nijmegen, we got stuck in the bike jam every morning and it took minutes to find any space in the "bike parking garage"
"Bikes are great cause you never get stuck in traffic" cries in American with slow lights
And having to share the road
Thanks for a great video!
When I worked for a bank in various branches, I used my Brompton and a train every day. Ride up, fold up, train it, unfold, ride. Trains aren't massively reliable in the UK so would often be late, but still saved having to use a car.
i love these videos!!! keep them coming
i live in auckland and the local culture has an emphasis of living somewhere with a backyard and close to nature. so you can imagine the urban sprawl. public transport projects are very expensive and are not cost effective due to this. auckland is home to about 1.8 million but only 60,000 live in the cbd just to give you an idea. the only city we have with decent public transport is wellington, the capital and this is due to it’s hilly terrain which create natural public transport paths in the valleys. it’s also our most walkable city by far
I am watching every video with intrigue but i cant help myself but feel a bit envious 😭😭 we’re so far off it feels hopeless
It took the Dutch 40+ years to get to this point. Copenhagen level is what you can reach in about half that time.
And I've been to Auckland, and you can certainly make steps in this direction, the terrain is largely flat enough for bicycles to be an option.
You could look at the city of Rotterdam for ideas, as it has quite a bit more sprawl as well.
Urban sprawl is not really an inherently big obstacle for PT. Lack of imagination from AT however is. For example, they haven't even bothered to integrate cycling and PT. They work so well in suburbia for long distances. I take the bike in Manukau to the CC, but the problem is they have no express service.
Nor is cycling, because you always have shops on the way home from work, 2-3 town centres within 3-5km that have a gazillion shops. For most people work is only about 25 min or less on bike. Being stuck in auto traffic really warps your perception of distances. Plus there are lots of local services you have missed. Auckland has a habit of ignoring services just around the corner. Schools are only a couple KM. We have a local youth library in Flat Bush, that people just ignore. Pools are a couple KM through Totara Park (which really needs a proper path to get to mind you).
There's the shops that are blocked off by rivers, motorways, ill-thought-out cal-de-sacs with no shortcuts. That is not about distances, but crap permeability design because urban sprawl has a tendency to be lazy. We need better street design *everywhere* for active mode permeability.
I think this requires a different frame of mind. Don't think of Auckland as a giant city, but as a collection of towns. We hold 1/3 of the population, don't we?
Now let's combine these: cycling integration, need for imagination, lack of express services, and reframing how we think about Auckland. This is what I think we need: normal PT network focused on local area around centres, express network between centres with a crap tonne of cycle parking.
Cycling can serve itself quite fine locally, so I think focusing cycling integration into a express network would work best. As you don't really need a gazillion stations for last-mile cycling, and since they also slow you down on the way. This focus also allows great concentration of funds into more convenient parking and entry onto the train platforms. And plus there isn't a huge inefficient overlap of catchment areas that are have access access to 9x more people; this focus would enable concentration of patronage into a single station from a very large catchment area. You know what that means? Heaps more funds to improve frequences.
If we did the above paragraph, cross Auckland trips would be so much quicker. I have to wait 20 minutes in the weekend for the train...
The problem I have with urban sprawl is not so much the distances, but the laziness of it. Fast roads, rat-running everywhere, big roads disconnecting communities. Getting rid of all this, would help suburbia so much, and would help people to get to train stations much quicker.
would definitely recommend a (rental) folding bike here, easily shaves 10 minutes off
Your fellow commuters in the metro, rush hour, won't appreciate it though.
@@stridery I think he gets a commission from the Dry Cleaners.
@@rcmrcm3370 Hahaha
you must be so relaxed at the end of the day. You get exercise, a pleasant ride on the train and thru a park. not worried about getting hit by a car.. must be 👌 listening to the birds chirping as ride. no traffic noise. not feeling rushed
Its always crazy to see places I used to just chill and walk through in your vids
As a Dutch person, this channel is such a nice ego boost.
Nice video again, great to see so much advertising for my own country. Still, you forgot to mention the faster option. The fastest option even. Get a motorbike, a light one will do, and ride that through or around the city. That's always faster than any other option. You do need a motorcycle license of course...
For this kind of stuff I got myself an older free folding bike
I fixed it up a bit and took the fenders, rack and gears off of it to make it less heavy to carry on the train, and now it's my solution for whenever I need to get somewhere by train and have some more "last miles" to do.
Sure, it doesn't ride as well or fast as my other bikes, but riding at 15-20 km/h instead of 25-30 is still a lot faster than walking at 5
I have also done a similar commute, I do it a lot to this day as well (when it isn’t winter of course)
I live in the suburbs of Copenhagen so it’s quite easy to bike around here too.
So I basically biked to the bus stop and parked my bike at the bike facility and then got the bus and walked the last bit to school, which is excellent.
9km on a bike, I can almost feel the jealousy from some of my old colleagues here in the US that drove over 180 miles (290km) one way... I tried it for a week and wanted to die...
Netherlands is the best for commuting! Great channel.
Gonna be difficult to ever leave Amsterdam...living here is too easy especially now when we get +1 month of perfect weather.
Don't worry, when the coronavirus restrictions are over, I'm sure it will go back to grey skies and rain. 😉
@@NotJustBikes hahahha yes indeed
In France, several cities have started adopting public bikes. There are several bikes parked in some critical areas (mostly metro exits and bus stops), and with a scan from your regular public transport card (at least in my city, maybe other cities have separated cards), you can just unlock one bike and use for an hour, or three, or twenty-four, or sometimes more depending on the city. With everything you've said about Amsterdam andbikes, I was surprised this didn't exist there! :o
Living in Ely (in Britain) and - pandemic aside - working in Cambridge, my immediate thought was a folding bike, which is exempt from the normal restrictions on trains. You get to trade expense for avoiding dependence on our lacklustre bike parking (which to be fair has improved massively since you lived in Cambridge with a multi-level 3000-capacity bike park at the main station and a smaller park at the new North station, but the main station's bike park is already inadequate for the number of people parking there, and both stations have a big theft problem despite CCTV.)
2:21 there is the best ice of Amsterdam.. !!! im yelling
Ice?
@@BeeRich33 icecream ;)
Het beste ijs is in Hongarije.
It would have been interesting for you to talk about folding bikes and bike share systems as alternative options to having 2 bikes purely for yourself. Doesn't seem the most efficient use of money or space to have 2 bikes for 1 person that only get used for 10 minutes each per day each way and sit in a bike rack for the rest of the time. If everyone in Amsterdam does that, it's no wonder you need these mega underground bike parks.
Great as always!
Could you please make a video about old and new cycling infrastructure? I mean tiles 30x30 on 0:22 - it's old style bike path, and nowadays it's asphalt made. Also there are bike lanes (on road). So, it is interesting to know the story about it, maybe width also changed since that times and other details (comfort of ride etc).
I live in lille France, and we have a bike sharing programme that is really useful to get front points A to point B when we go out of the metro ☺️ there's station throughout the city, it's really useful
At this point i have so many bicycles i've made a simple app for myself to keep track where i've left them all
Lol, that's a problem I never imagined one could have.
My daily commute was 22 km each way. Now, retired, my “last mile” solution is a foldable, carry-able electric kick scooter. . .
I knew most of what this video showed except for the bicycle parking garage at the train station. That is so cool.
really good to have a bicycle park like that... great to watch all people really convenient to use bikes.
Self driving bicycles are the future
That brings up an important point, the trade-off between cycling being super accessible for short distances but more difficult for longer distances. It is very problematic to me that 9km is too far for a commute. In Vancouver, I regularly commute 30km, and while the cycling infrastructure could be better, I am overall quite happy with it, and the trip takes maybe an hour and twenty minutes. In all of these videos I can't help but wonder how long the trip would take if the infrastructure was built similarly, but probably a lot longer. Not everyone wants to do 30km trips by bike, but to me it is invaluable to be able to reach any part of the city in a reasonable amount of time by bicycle.
Welcome in Amsterdam Noord! I live next to the beautiful park you end your commute in. It’s lush quiet and vibrant, a joy to sit walk or bike there. Please take some time to listen to the variety of bird song next time you are in the park.
Love the use of the word 'omafiets' at 3:42 :)
A 9km bike ride isn't that far (even in Amsterdam in prime tourist season), plus you get a great workout. You just saved yourself a gym membership!
What if I go to they gym to lift weights?
I don't have to "filter" tourists in tourist season, but I have to filter traffic all year long (no bike lanes in my commute). It's also not flat. So I think we can call it even. 😉
My daily commute here in Lisbon is almost 9Km., more or less the same amount of time as the train (30 mins) but I rather cycle. Maybe because the weather helps. And the train experience too 😉
Here's a glimpse of what it's like: ruclips.net/video/pd0d4t3ro9k/видео.html
(undertaking 160 cars in 9 minutes going uphill and stoping on red lights)
In Toronto my daily commute was 7.5km, and it was fine. But dodging tourists and following twisting & turning roads definitely made 9km feel long!
you are a brave man, Miguel
@@Blackadder75 nah... I just love ridding my bike to places. And I'm also very cautious, always trying to anticipate motorists behaviours.
It's either that, or not ridding my bike, so...
I'm from the UK but have visited NL a few times. It's the integrated transport that I love about the country as much as the cycling. As others have pointed out, 9km isn't that much of a cycle ride, even on a heavy Dutch bike. But the great thing about cycling in Holland is the way your route is so effortless, not just safe, but convenient.
Of course riding through any city centre is going to slow you down, so I guess you could cycle all the way by taking a detour. But that would make the ride even longer, and no one wants to cycle further than necessary - unlike they're a pro, I guess. I type this in the full consciousness that MY ride to work is longer than it needs to be! But that's because the most direct route is on the busiest road!
SOO AWESOME!!!
with an e-bike the 9km would be really enjoyable
Transportation inequality is a huge reason why income inequality is so huge in the US and Canada, along with huge food deserts in the US.
god I miss living here! So easy to get around
i am from the north (move from amsterdam though) and did that daily,cool to see all the routes i use to take,but in my days of growing up we didn’t have a metro in north.....from ‘85 to 2010 we did everything on bicycle and moped........
Biggest problem I have with OV Fiets and Swapfiets is I'm 2m04 (6'8") and having a small bicycle wrecks my knees, or I just do not fit
¿Time for the KLM to investigate the need for it and start lobbying for larger bicycles availability?
In general there seems to be a perception of little demand for it... www.klublangemensen.nl/nieuws/detail/een-e-bike-op-maat
@@peterslegers6121 I have a Batavus Stabilo, so one of the old citybikes for huge people. 70cm frame, could have bought the 75 cm, but this one is already so big and bulky it doesn't fit normal storage solutions. Being 10 cm longer to allow for the added length of my legs, it doesn't fit the top racks in stations, being fully steel, including the rims it's also heavy. Easily 30kg it's sturdy and stiff. The frame is strengthened. The max weight of the rider is also higher, max is 140 to 160kg or something. I've considered adding E bike functionality, like a mid engine to it. I'm hesitant cause I feel it's not necessary yet. It's 7 speed, with a front wheel integrated dynamo and drum brakes. I find it a very worthwhile bike. With rear bags and a frame attached, so not fork mounted front rack it is a useful bike for groceries. I'm considering adding a front rack on the fork for front bags as well. Both to protect my wheels in storage as moving cargo straps and the tire kit and poncho and rain gear to the front bags , I'd also get myself a new first aid kit as well. Most of this stuff is in my rear bags, which limits the amount of groceries I can fit, also putting veggies or fruits on metal clips tends to be a problem. Finding a good frontmount is a problem. Finding a set of 2x8 or 2x10 liter bags to fit this in could be challenging as well, but I'll see. My rear bags are basic canvas bike bags and easily 15 years old.
I have no clue how far I drove this bike, but it makes regular trips of several kms daily. Well it did before the virus anyways.
@@PaxV 75 cm frame jesus christ, well at least your bike won't be stolen!
@@person849 they tried once, I have a 70cm frame actually, but the swat is lace at the height of a 75cm frame. I had a guy try to walk away with my bike, cause I some time forget to lock it, I noticed and asked my bike back. He jumped on the bike crushing his balls on the frame, needless to say I had my bike back a couple minutes later.
9 kilometers isn't far to cycle. When I was in high school I had to cycle 11 kilometers. It was the time we had to get some exercise and to socialize with friends who were cycling along. Even when it snowed or it was -10 C outside we used to cycle.
At my first highschool I had about a 8 kilometer bike ride and my second one was 18 km which I also cycled. Now going to HBO it is 27 km and I switched to using the (sweet, sweet free) public transport (buses tho because of living in a more rural area)
10 kilometer hahaha hier
Hey NJB!
I love seeing how you commute everyday. I also live 5 minutes away from Amsterdam South Station so everything looks and feels very familiar to me.
I was wondering if you’ve ever considered using a folding bike. Amsterdam South station is easily accessible by folding bike via the Parnassusweg just under the bridge on the west side of the station. And it saves you a couple of minutes getting on to the platform as well.
I use my folding bike from time to time to get to work in Leiden. It’s super convenient and decreases your travel time by a couple of minutes too.
Thanks!
This was my Japan commute too. 5 min bike ride to the train station, park it for $1, then a 30 min train ride to the city centre