28 April 2013

Pas Op...Fiets!! - Sundays in My City

Watch out...Bike!!  

Fiets (singular) in Dutch, pronounced feats, and fietsen (plural) are as ubiquitous in the Netherlands as windmills and tulips.  Bicycles generally have the right of way and especially in Amsterdam, they WILL run you over. I've never looked up any statistics but it wouldn't surprise me if bicycle-hitting-pedestrian accidents were far higher than auto-v-pedestrians!  When you hear the "brriinng brriinng" of a bike bell you'd better make sure you're not in their path!

There are lots of colorful and interesting and just plain odd bikes to be seen. Here are some of my favorites.



Instead of placing advertisement flyers under your windshield wiper you get it attached to your bike handlebars.
There's a kid seat on the back and on the front. Plus the box for carrying things.
There's a car seat with a baby and a huge pile of groceries on the front and there was a kid in the seat on the back.
Is that Toto?
Why yes, they do!

I was thinking I wanted an orange basket for the front of my bike but now I want this!!

This is a bike parking garage next to the Amsterdam Central Station. I can't even imagine being able to remember where you parked!

They're everywhere!

As usual, linking up with Unknown Mami this Sunday. Click on the button and check out lots of other interesting, colorful and just plain odd places.

Unknown Mami

18 comments:

  1. What an interesting post - the ones that caught my eye were the first one with the green bikes and the bike parking garage - how cool and so different. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Wow! So many bikes! I love how colorful and customized they look, I really get a sense that they represent the people riding them much more than just a means of transportation.

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  3. Wow, they really are everywhere! The top pic is my favorite.

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  4. We visited Amsterdam last summer and will visit again this summer. We heard that the canals are also filled with bikes.

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  5. I noted that they aren't any overweight people in your pictures. I used to ride bikes a lot in New Orleans. It was a good exercise for slimming for me.

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  6. 'Brains travel on bikes' what a great saying! Love the shots

    Mollyxxx

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  7. I wish bikes were given as much respect here in the U.S. as in Amsterdam.

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  8. Helsinki is trying to copy Amsterdam but we don't have that kind of parking system.
    Cycling is very popular here, some people cycle all year round.

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  9. Wow I've never seen anything like it! Where I live, you're much more likely to be run over. Cars rule the roads and they don't care about pedestrians or cyclists. Sad. Hope we can change to be more like this! (The parking garage is crazy!)

    Stopping by from Unknown Mami's!

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  10. The bikes in that top photo fascinate me - - - LOVE the color.

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  11. That parking garage is just seriously intense. I would never find my bike.

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  12. Wow... this is amazing! Thanks for sharing these great photos, they are inspirational!
    -CJR

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  13. What a fun post! I had no idea but I do follow a woman who lived in the Netherlands and she always road a bike. She is now living in Norway. What a great way to get exercise! I have had a bike on my gift list for a few years now. Since we live at the top of a hill there is only a small area I could actually ride the bike in so my husband doesn't agree with me on buying one.

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  14. That is awesome! I especially love the fliers and the parking garage. I lose my car easily enough, I could really lose my bike!

    :-)
    Traci

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  15. Wow! This post is so awesome. I loved seeing all the different bikes and bike signage. It'd be cool if NYC were more like this--with bikes being a preferred method of transportation, having a bike parking garage and getting advertisements on your handlebars!

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  16. That is so amazing! Great pictures!

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  17. Wow, I never knew that a bike parking garage existed, that is pretty awesome! I have a bike seat on my bike and tow a trailor that carries two.

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  18. I just love that bikes are everywhere. SF is a pretty enthusiastic about bikes, but there is no comparison to what I see in these pictures.

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