amsterdam TRANSPORTATION

Because our studio group has been concentrating on transportation in BCN, I've began to be much more critical about the way it is being approached different places. Obviously, there is a big problem in most US cities with the amount automobiles. How can we make it better? Well, Amsterdam is often praised for their use of bicycles, and they do have some incredibly large bicycle garages. There is often a separate lane of roads for bikes, and at the university we visited, it seemed to work really well.

However, their transportation systems are far from perfect. Just ask anyone in the city center trying to weave their way through bikes, trams, cars, and people all at once. I had flashbacks of an old football coach yelling at me to keep my head on a swivel. If you're not 100% zoned in to where you are and whats around you (which can be a problem, especially in Amsterdam), you might be out of luck. For instance, you might find yourself being run over by angry Dutch lady on her bicycle. Not to mention the outdoor trams zooming by pedestrians with inches to spare. I guess what I'm getting at is that I found many flaws with their way of getting A to B, especially in the older part of town. Architecturally, some of the ideas they carried out in the residential areas of the Docklands were brilliant. It just goes to show you, even with certain building restrictions, the possibilities are endless.