Plans to tear down Iconic Amsterdam bike flat sparks debate on future use

The four-storey fietsflat near Amsterdam Central Station will be removed permanently by the end of the year, after decades of use as a free storage point for bicycles and scooters. The decision was announced by Amsterdam's traffic alderman, Melanie van der Horst, on Thursday.

The symbolic structure was known around the world as a popular symbol of the city, and always jam-packed with bicycles. It closed at the end of January following the opening of a new, massive bike garage under Central Station. The new garage has space for 7,000 bicycles and is connected underground to the metro and Central Station hall. It is open 24/7, and parking is free for the first 24 hours.

The first intention was to keep the fietsflat as a backup in case the new garage would be full. However, Van der Horst wrote on Thursday in a letter to the city council that the fietsflat will be removed permanently due to a low occupancy rate in the new garages under the station. She noted that at peak times, the primary location known as the Stationspleinstallation is 50 percent occupied. The IJboulevardstalling, which is at the back of the station, is typically at 35 percent.

Van der Horst wrote that she is also concerned about the rising nuisance around the fietsflat. “We note since the closure an increase in nuisance from homeless people staying in the fietsflat overnight, accumulating trash, and bicycles parked against the construction fences.” She added that even temporarily opening the facility "evokes resistance in the neighborhood and among stakeholders.”

Another six months will be needed to prepare for the removal of the fietsflat, she said. Because the physical structure of the building can last at least another 50 years, the municipality is looking at how to reuse the materials in a circular manner.

Over the past twenty years, the icon was frequently photographed by tourists who saw the location almost instantly after emerging from the city's main train station. Now, the key question is how the newly available space will be used in the future.

The PvdA Centrum and Amsterdam Students' Union (ASVA) recommended reopening the space in March as an auxiliary parking site for bicycles. District committee member Arne Bartelsman explained it could be used for people who want to park their bikes for longer than 24 hours.

Aziza Filal, president of ASVA, also said she wants the fietsflat back. "Storing your bike here is now no longer accessible as a student. If you want to go to your parents' house as a student, you suddenly have to pay for it.”

A Dutch man who frequents Amsterdam observing the fences enclosing the fietsflat on Friday expressed disappointment to NL Times about its permanent closure, calling it a "city icon." He doubted the new underground bike garage would suffice. "It was simple, convenient, and free. What else do you need?"

Another person near the fietsflat suggested that the area could be “cheered up” by converting the place into a space for terraces and restaurants. “Something needs to be done,” she said. “Otherwise the only thing we’ll see will be the ugly hotel behind it.”

A taxi driver waiting in front of the hotel shared a similar sentiment, saying, "It's a nice view here, with the sun, so just make room for bars and cafes. That's what people like." They then added as a joke. "Or just designate it as cultural heritage."

Not everyone is joking. A similar request was published in Het Parool to preserve the fietsflat by granting it monument status, noting that "it was once a temporary structure, but so was the Eiffel Tower in Paris, for the 1889 World's Fair. Tourists have recognized the beauty of the fietsflat from the beginning, and we can learn from them."

Walther Schoonenberg, secretary of Vereniging Vrienden van de Amsterdamse Binnenstad (VVAB), an organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Amsterdam's city center, disagreed with the proposal. He informed NL Times that "the vacated space should and will remain unoccupied. This is public water. The fietsflat was constructed temporarily and is no longer necessary due to the new underground bike parking." He added that this would be a "win for the cityscape."

Rogier Noyon, president of Voordestad Amsterdam, shared a similar sentiment, saying that more space should be dedicated to water around Central Station. "All we can do now is to restore the island's character as much as possible." He continued, "It might sound somewhat boring, but we wholeheartedly endorse the city's policy of keeping the station area as obstruction-free as possible."

Contacted by NL Times, a spokesperson for Alderman Melanie van der Horst stated they were working on "new plans for the space," but admitted there was nothing concrete at the moment.