A recent trip to Amsterdam (all without flying, instead using trains, buses, ferry, and walking) provided an opportunity to see how some cities seem to manage transport, environment and community integration more successfully than others.
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| A group of kayakers travelling through the city |
Yes there were cars but they were strictly controlled with cyclists and walkers often having priority. There were also lots of electric vehicles accompanied by charging points on every street. While many think this has happened by virtue of the Netherlands being flat, the reality is that the infrastructure is a result of citizens campaigning for good public transport, for good cycle infrastructure, to limit motorways through and around the city to have great public transport, buses, trains, trams, metro, river boats, ferries, cycle parking etc. But it is not only about transport, every street seemed full of green, with tree lined avenues, planters, hanging baskets and flowers everywhere.
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| Lots of cycles and the space to ride them! |
And everywhere there was room to walk, from good road crossing points to parks and footpaths, all promoting a culture where walking and cycling seems the rule rather than the exception, where an appreciation of the environment includes having the space to stop, to relax.
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| Great areas for walking for health too |
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