Increasing mixed-use roads making Amsterdam less accessible to cyclists, critics say

Amsterdam is creating more and more mixed-use roads where both pedestrians and cyclists are welcome. These shared spaces are making the city less accessible to cyclists, the Amsterdam department of the Fietserbond says.

The passage under the Rijksmuseum has been mixed-use for a decade, but the city recently removed the tiles in the underpass, warning pedestrians to keep to the edges and out of cyclists’ way. Now, the only signage is at the entrances, indicating in big letters that it is a pedestrian zone with “cyclists allowed on the carriageway” written below in small letters. That has made the passage a lot less safe, Florre de Pater of the Amsterdam department of the cyclists’ union told AT5.

According to De Pater, more and more places on the city’s main cycling network have become mixed-use roads. “Things are made more difficult for cyclists everywhere by those shared spaces. In the city center, for example, the route from east to west is almost inaccessible. A few alleys that used to be very accessible for cyclists are almost closed off. The Damstraat is almost impossible to get through, and more and more alleys - look at the nine streets, for example - are more or less closed off for cyclists,” she told the broadcaster.

The cyclists’ union is not against shared space. “But not on the main cycling network,” De Pater said. “I have to say that, these days, tourists seem to determine where cyclists are allowed to ride. So the policy is tailored to where most tourists are.”

According to the union, the city is also closing more cycling paths, especially in the city center, due to road and maintenance work. The union said it understands the necessity of this work, but some closures have lasted over two years. In the meantime, vulnerable cyclists like children, the elderly, and tourists have to share narrow roads with cars.

The Amsterdam department of the Fietserbond would like to see the city consider the consequences when it allows pedestrians onto the bike paths or forces cyclists onto the road. “Both cyclists and pedestrians benefit from safety,” De Pater said.