Transportation

Street by Street, Amsterdam Is Cutting Cars Out of the Picture

Armed with a street-design tool called the knip, the Dutch capital is slashing car access in the city center, and expanding public transit hours.
Amsterdam's love of bikes is matched only by its growing antipathy toward private automobiles.Yves Herman/Reuters

Famously, private cars in Amsterdam take a back seat to bicycles: Roughly two-thirds of urban journeys in the Dutch capital take place on two wheels, and only 19 percent of citizens use cars every day.

Still, there are a lot of cars left in the city, and they’re causing tension for everyone else. Mobs of cyclists jostle for cycling space and limited bike parking spots, which in turn often antagonizes pedestrians, who find their spaces invaded by bikes.