Freeing Up the Streets for Non-Drivers: How Amsterdam Became the Cycling Capital of the World

Urban spaces are suffocating to live in, at least in my part of the world. Traffic bogs you down, sidewalks cause pedestrians suffering, and congestion continues to build up and bleed into our everyday lives. All these poorly planned networks of transportation and mobility make it unsafe and unhealthy for everyone.

Despite the problems caused by the changing landscape and dynamic of urban life, some cities in the world are able to come up with solutions or systems that would make one's daily commute and life easier.

Reminder: Amsterdam wasn’t Amsterdam until it was Amsterdam. The famed “bike capital” of the world was once as congested and car-choked as the worst Western cities. So how did it became so renowned for its livability and sustainability? The simple answer: by narrowing roads and ending free parking.

This solution doesn't necessarily apply to every city in the world. Each urban space has its own set of issues that its local government needs to address. All it takes is for them to examine what causes the congestion and how they can lessen, if not, completely remove the cause. Or better yet, transform it to benefit the wider population.

...no two cities are the same. But just as Amsterdam (and Copenhagen) did in the 1980s and ’90s, Seville, Spain, did more recently. Within 18 months — and the reallocation of about 5,000 on-street parking spaces — Seville’s bike network was built. It’s not perfect, but it works for commuters, parents, kids, the elderly and the disabled.
Paris is reducing city speed limits to 19 mph. Stockholm’s congestion pricing is a success. London has raised funding for bike/pedestrian projects and is building out a network by reallocating road space.

In the end, in order to make a more livable space, each one must make compromises or even sacrifices for the good of everyone. If it means reducing the number of cars on the streets or putting a hefty price on parking spaces, then so be it.

(Image credit: Norali Emilio/Unsplash)


Comments (0)

They should put stickers (Little red dots or something) on the lids of all of a store's pickle jars and only that one store (Preferably a big store that's likely to get hit). Then anybody who finds a jar of pickles with a red dot on it knows it was stolen from that store (the stickers will be removed when purchased)!
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Inject some of the pickles in each batch with a weak radioactive isotope in different quantities depending on the batch. If any significant amount of the batch is stolen, one of the pickles can be identified by measuring the amount of remaining radioactive isotope.. The isotopes should be fine in the body because they use that stuff all the time for MRI experiments.
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Well it's easy enough to permanently mark the cucumbers somehow in the future if such security is of interest to the farmer, but the real problem here is how to track this year's crop, or the portion that has gone out already.

I'm sure the structure of the cucumbers could be examined, and different markers exclusive to their home patch could be identified, but frankly, who's going to spend that kind of money for testing.

No doubt, everyone knows everyone in the local pickle industry. Eventually, some stranger is going to show up with a big crop of cucumbers (or pickles) to sell and it's going to tip off the others. Police can come in ask for the paper trail and hopefully pin them down that way.

Unless the crooks are about to make a bunch of salad or relish...
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well, the answer is obvious.
He wants to do something so dastardly, so unpredictable, that it would leave Dr. Doofenshmirtz in shambles!
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As a result of the current economic crisis McDonald's was forced to lay off some long term employees.The Hamburglar had snuck in to corporate and saw his name on the chopping block list. The Hamburglar hatched a brilliant scheme to trade keeping his coveted position by offering up free pickles to the global conglomerate. McDonald's agreed. The Hamburglar proceeded to pull off the largest cucumber heist the world has ever seen and has the fry guys working double time turning them into pickles.
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I would have tainted a batch with laxatives.
Once a neighborhood complains of diarrhea, ask them who they bought from.
Also those people will be deterred from buying black market produce.

2 birds, 1 stone
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