Jordan's book gave fine form to the history and culture of cycling in Amsterdam, but the above video shows off another side. After a brief history of the bike vs. cars battle (a minute and a half), this video reviews the ways in which cycling is built into Amsterdam's public infrastructure, set to happy guitar strumming.
In his Amsterdam history, Jordan commented on the utterly democratic nature of the bike-riding populace, which included every class and age bracket. This video demonstrates that variety in just the first minute and a half, including: someone carrying a carpet, a mom with a baby behind her, a child riding alongside her mom, an elderly person, and several people talking on their cell phones. Forward and rear racks for carrying cargo are ubiquitous.
If you're really intrigued, this is a slightly lengthier history of how Dutch cycling infrastructure developed, one which details how Dutch cities pushed back on automobile enroachment. The reasons listed: too many buildings and space given over to the cars, too many pedestrian deaths, and the oil crisis,
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