Formal fietsstraten are only one way Amsterdam has prioritized pedestrians, bikes, and public transport since 2020. They also employ a number of variations on the classic bike street, examples of which I present below. These are not in obscure corners of the city, but are major roadways that not long ago would have been filled with cars. Most of the principle arteries in to the city center (the canal belt) have been switched to some version of bike street. Remarkably, this shift has taken only five years, evidence that such change can take place rapidly with political will.
Nieuweszijds Voorburgwal is in the city center, winding behind the royal palace and Dam Square. It was a fairly busy car street before the pandemic, but it has been converted to give priority to bikes and trams.
Read MoreVijzelstraat is one of the main arteries through the canal zone. It was not that long ago primarily a vehicle street, and you can still see the traffic here, but the number of autos is radically reduced.
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