How To Redesign a Car-Centric Street

[@JdeB-h2o]

Maybe you should also mention this is/was/became a citywide policy. Only one street won't make the difference. In about every 30/40 years a street needs overhauling, an excellent opportunity to implement the policy. But it needs to be a policy to be effective.

[@BuildNewTowns]

The key is providing viable alternatives to driving. So accurate, so simple.

[@nicolasblume1046]

But to do this you have to take away space from cars at the same time, that's the harder part

[@BuildNewTowns]

@@nicolasblume1046 True, but if people don't need cars, then there can be less cars

[@LeoTTwn]

0:49 Whoever changed that speed limit sign is a legend 😂😂😂 2:17 Not just for durability, the change of pattern/texture is also important for the vision impaired people with the guidance stick

[@TaisuFilmu]

Makes you wonder if that would effect self driving cars :D

[@sohigh10]

I was wondering whether I needed to check my eyesight! It really does say 80

[@hankwangn]

5:40 There is another reason for using bricks: it allows rainwater to seep into the soil rather than loading the sewer system. There are specially shaped bricks with wider gapsfor that purpose (not used here though). Those bricks aren't robust enough for heavy traffic, so they are typically used for parking spots. I'm not sure about Amsterdam, but I know that most recent road (re)constructions in Utrecht have strips of porous bricks or low strips of grass for that reason.

[@BuildNewTowns]

Good point

[@glennvannunspeet5058]

After a year the bricks let almost no rainwater through anymore

[@streetscaping]

Yes, also they make underground utility repairs easier as bricks can be put back into place like nothing was done

[@davebalmada]

Wow this used to be the street where I biked as I lived one block away. Very interesting video and crazy to see so many details I never noticed.

[@eviled77]

I work at that wework at 23s and love the view out the window, trams, bikes, and so many people.

[@rishithakur7186]

Beautifully Written and Made!

[@mdhazeldine]

Very nice case study, with great graphics that really help with the understanding. I do feel that the newer design is more cluttered, but it is certainly better organised, and undoubtedly safer and more pleasant to be in and use.

[@rtq146]

More clutter results in lower speeds :)

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

A forest is also cluttered, contrary to a parking lot.

[@ratelslangen]

Clutter is what differentiates high speed highways from living spaces. Is your living room empty or full of stuff you need?

[@nicolasblume1046]

I really love the 3D Animations of the street, looks great!

[@rodrigosouto9502]

Amazing transformation! Hope someday Brazil follow suit!

[@PhoenixHen]

Your videos are always really high quality! I hope your channel will get more attention

[@barthvos845]

The raised sidewalks on the crossing have the consequence that people walking there have the right of way according to Dutch traffic law. And motorised and other traffic have to yield to them.

[@dykam]

Less lanes doesn't have to impact throughput at all, as long as the bottleneck was the intersection (they usually are). Note that the road widens at some intersections specifically to deal with this. It does increase the visual congestion though, as a waiting line can double for the same amount of cars.

[@streetscaping]

Indeed, the capacity of a road is determined by the intersections rather than by the number of lanes

[@photoo848]

I like this video. Might I make a suggestion? There's a couple of times you mention "slowing down traffic" and "reducing traffic". I understand that these are benefits but car drivers who haven't been keeping up with urban mobility will not be convinced by such words. Instead, maybe consider rephrasing it: "reducing traffic" --> "solving/reducing traffic jams"'?

[@streetscaping]

Good point, although I haven't received any comments so far from mad drivers that streets like this 'make traffic worse/slower' :D

[@photoo848]

@@streetscaping I don't dare to send them this video. They might blow a gasket at the thought of being forced to drive slower :D Maybe I'll send them your next video :)

[@thedutchhuman]

#00:19 you mean the whole of the netherlands that is known for its streets and public spaces. The netherlands does not only consist of amsterdam (as many tourists think).

[@streetscaping]

Yes

[@Be-Es---___]

No, it doesn't!

[@mormacil]

Not the whole country is renowned for it but it's applicable. This is not an example of foreigners thinking Amsterdam = the Netherlands but a case of mentioning what the perception is. Other cities in the Netherlands are just less known for it. I don't think a single American will know of the quality of Amersfoort or Breda. Doesn't mean they're not good, just not known.

[@captainchaos3667]

Another reason for the double unbroken lines as the median is that it prohibits overtaking. A broken line would allow overtaking, which would be extremely dangerous on a street like this.

[@dikkiedik53]

LOL at 8:17 somebody didn't agree with the recent 30 km/h everywhere in Amsterdam and altered it to 80 km/h... probably with a black marker.

[@dutchman7623]

DT was here?

[@kaimanawastudios]

I'm suggesting that you make a video talking about New Zealand. It is one of the most the car dependent countries in the world, and also has one of the highest, if not the highest, car ownership rates in the world. Road deaths plauge our country, pulic transit is bad, and most city centers are horrible. The previous government tried to fix these problems, however it was really expensive and they did not communicate with the public well; this caused a trend of backfire towards the government, and a negative outlook on responsible urban design. The current government is highly car centric and has started to reverse the small improvements and commitments of the last government. There can be a lot more to go into depth with here, so if you do want to make a video hit me up, and I'll send more info.

[@streetscaping]

I would love to, however I don't see myself travelling to NZ in the next few years as it's too expensive for me. I like to shoot footage myself and getting stock footage wouldn’t cut it. But I can tell you this, New Zealand will be mentioned in my next vid :)

[@kaimanawastudios]

@@streetscaping Thank you!

[@TriniFietser]

Waiting for Trinidad & Tobago to come to their senses. Building more roads for cars while not having any other viable alternatives is never going to work.

[@jjk9o9]

Thank you.

[@Blabla0124]

The raised pavement means that pedestrians have the right of way, by law.

[@tristanridley1601]

Does it mean that, or emphasize what is already the rule?

[@Blabla0124]

@tristanridley1601 the raised and continuous pavement means by law that the road for the car has stopped. At that point, the car is driving on the pavement and thus has to yield.

[@jandejong2430]

A big PR problem for good infrastructure is that it is perceived as 'left wing'. It isn't, or shouldn't be.

[@streetscaping]

It is just common sense that both sides can agree on. In a democratic country every citizen regardless of their mode of transport should have the right to travel safely.

[@maaiker2977]

Especially in this modern society where there are going to be more and more elderly. Cyclepaths will keep them safe and mobile for longer. And it gives lesser able people in general the freedom to actually life. This discussion isn't simply a pro and c*n for bikes or cars. Its about equality and quality of life. Car people should be able to go by car. Cyclists should be able to travel by bike. But more importantly the elderly and lesser abled people should be able to travel by themselves as well. Any grandma should be able to go shopping or see her grandkids if she wants to. A decent quality of life shouldn't depend on if you have the money to buy a car or pay for a driver to take you places. Even if you are poor and lesser abled you should still be able to life/travel without a care.

[@qqleq]

It's weird to realize that I don't remember the Scheldestraat to be four lanes even though I lived right around the corner there for two years in 1985-'87. Maybe there had been another renovation since 1980 before the current state? Or maybe you just get used to the new standards. The Rozengracht was much longer a wide car centric wide street and that one always pops up in my mind when I think of how bad biking structure was in the 80's. Maybe because of the contrast because by then so many streets had been improved already.

[@DamaxThomas]

I would like your point of view and redesign on Japanese streets. Streets in Japan are massively smaller. If that’s sound a potential good idea, I can help in the Japan side until mid December when I move to the Netherlands

[@tristanridley1601]

A residential street or a traffic street? The Japanese traffic streets I've seen had plenty of room, and the residential streets in Tokyo already seem to be low car spaces where pedestrians and bikes rule by default.

[@streetscaping]

Traffic areas in Japan are quite wide as well and have all the space for curbside protected bike lanes

[@MarijnRoorda]

In my dutch city, with its 1200+ year old city center, we just banned cars entirely. Cyclists too. Pedestrians only, delivery vehicles until 11.00 o clock. With underground parking garages outside the city walls(yes, actual walls, meant for stopping the French and the Spaniards, the Germans brought planes) and bicycle garages and parking in its many parks both inside and outside the city walls...

[@tristanridley1601]

It is important to remember that even bikes reach numbers where they no longer fit and the humble foot must take over. That's a long, long, looong way from where most viewers' cities are today though

[@mecharoo]

converting the speed from km/h to mph you can simply round off, especially when you have already used the ~ symbol. So 30 km/h is ~20 mph and 50 km/h is ~30 mph. fun fact. the conversion ratio is also very close to the Fibonacci sequence or the golden ratio.

[@kailahmann1823]

Interesting to see, where this design is already outdated and feels like giving to much priority to fast moving cars. With an up-to-date GOW30 design, the car lanes would be much narrower with no road markings, then a slightly raised bike lane (for better visibility) and behind it a combined parking lane for cars and bikes - leaving a lot more space for pedestrians.

[@brian5154]

Not just Amsterdam, all over the country,.,.,,,,,,

[@EC4U2C_Studioz]

Some people think oversized American pickup trucks are appropriate vehicles for these narrow downtown streets when not designed to US standards in terms of lane widths.

[@MarijnvdSterre]

4:50 Uhmm, you still need to cross the street if the destination is on the other side. But yes, you can do so safely at the next crossing. So I do get what you mean.

[@dewaard3301]

The main difference between Amsterdam (but most European cities) and North-American cities, is that our cities grew large before cars became big. Rotterdam is an exception because it was rebuilt precisely in the heyday of the automobile, and it shows. Paris is another beautiful example of a major city that is just begging to make cyclists a first-class citizen, but just hasn't had the guts to get serious about it.

[@JeffBilkins]

Scheldestraat is quite busy because it is in the car network and connects to the highway; if you go a bit further towards the RAI it is a total car hellscape.

[@streetscaping]

I cycle there almost every day and I don't think it's too bad, I've never had to wait more than 30 secs for a green light

[@JeffBilkins]

@@streetscaping it is exposed in the rain and wind, and in the summer it is a gross fuming rocky desert

[@Paul_C]

​@streetscaping I think you missed the point he is making. This crossing is a priority in both the cycle network AND the car network. You simply see only one part of the infrastructure. His comment was to draw attention to it, it seems to me you still do not understand.

[@TaisuFilmu]

First! Also, nice editing!

[@fosahistorica2537]

Good

[@derekjolly3680]

I'd surmise that even at the worst points in time in that city, for bicycling around, with the heavier car traffic and more automobile orientation, say in the 60s or 70s, it was still probably better than most other cities then or now. I mean they've always had a heavy bike culture, even back to the German Occupation right? So that would of meant more people on bikes whenever in time, and you'd assume therefore more allowance for that. Makes me wonder if they leaned on pure sidewalks more for shared pedestrian/cyclist use, in the 1970s-80s for staying off the faster, and wider streets.

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

Believe it or not but there was a time cars didn't exist at all (and Amsterdam did).

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

I was at school in Amsterdam in the 1970's and there where very few bikelanes then. We cycled on the road. Cycling on the pedestrian sidewalks was (and still is) not allowed.

[@derekjolly3680]

@@rientsdijkstra4266 Now see that's a little surprising considering, meaning about the sidewalks. In most places in the USA, we use the sidewalks, some of us very sparingly, some of us too much, but they do get used for bikes. It's rare when a city disallows that. Very few bike lanes then? So there were some. In all places I've lived since I was going to grade schools in the 1970s also, there have been none, unless of course you count recreational shared paths. I've only seen scraps of bike lanes in the last two years around here, which amount to big white lines. It's pathetic. That being said, we all rode bikes to schools in the 1970s where I grew up, and it was pretty safe regardless. We never even thought about it otherwise. I guess the drivers, mindsets, and culture were different to a degree then and there. it was the best time for it.

[@vali20vali20vali20]

Do you miss the good old days, when Amsterdam was a proper city not ruined by jobless socialists? Then feel free to come to Bucharest, the city stuck in the 1980s, the time capsule you have always dreamt of. All streets preserve the 1980s design shown above (and even earlier - some roads in the city are still unpaved and do not carry the necessities, like running water and sewage system). As a bonus, the first lane of traffic is usually blocked by double parking vehicles or everyone simply parks perpendicularly from the get go to maximize parking space. Not only that, but cars are routinely parked on the sidewalks as well - open dinning be damned! And don’t worry about getting ticketed - there is no enforcing whatsoever, no damned traffic cameras, heck, the police is basically non-existent . We do not shy away from multi lane avenues where cars sit most of the times at a standstill due to congestion, but when you find a less busy area, then you should not shy away from pushing the gas pedal all the way - 100 km/h is the speed to take in those moments, minimum - the key is to just drive something big and deadly. If you somehow have to, God forbid, walk, instead of driving, first of all, sidewalks are often times absent or cluttered with obstacles, like parked cars. Then, do not worry about getting distracted: not only will you be unable to hear someone on the cell if you were to get a phone call, but you will barely be able to hear a person next to you talking. If a 50-year old tram passes by, you won’t be able to hear your inner thoughts even. Want to punish your child? Have him walk to school like the loser it is! Want to develop a new habit? Definitely no point in taking up smoking, there’s no need: just come and breathe in the fresh air of morning/afternoon rush hour and you will feel just the same. Want to feel the rush when cycling? There’s no dedicated bike infrastructure, bikes just ride on 3 and 4 lane roads alongside speeding cars. Dooring, drivers not paying attention when taking a turn, or close calls when a car overtakes you are sure to give you the adrenaline dose you deserve. Even when there is a nasty attempt at a bike lane, it’s dangerously designed so it feels just at home. After you survive, nothing else in the world feels better like not having anywhere to park your bike, it will surely help you make up your mind about what is the proper way to cruise around. And the best part of coming here is, you won’t have to endure listening to these idiots anymore - we here know what the real solution to traffic is, and are working on it relentlessly: one more lane bro™. Our district mayors are busy cutting out sidewalks and having cars park beside trees and whatnot on what used to be a pedestrian area so roadways are free of parked cars, increasing the flow (except when people not finding a spot just abandon their cars on the newly recovered lane which just restores the old situation and happens basically at all times between 8am to 8pm). It’s not fair that only your parents experienced real freedom - stop listening to communists that only want you locked down in a 15-minute area from your home; come to Romania, the EU country that should have never been allowed in the EU (out of superiority, ofc)!

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

I hope this is an attempt at sarcasm toward Rumania and Bucharest?

[@vali20vali20vali20]

@@rientsdijkstra4266 Yeah, it is. Didn’t think an “/s” was required, like on Reddit. It’s telling the story of living in present day Bucharest in a sarcastic manner indeed, the view of an exaggerated carbrainer.

[@andrew20146]

I think you have it reversed. Bidirectional bike lanes make it possible to reach your destination without having to cross the road.

[@cmmartti]

Only if there are bi-directional lanes on both sides, and there usually aren't. They have their place, but if there are destinations on both sides of the street, one-way lanes are better. Also, you missed the unsaid part of that sentence: without having to cross the road *mid-block*.

[@tristanridley1601]

The video sort of assumed that bi-directional meant only on one side of the street.

[@nicolasblume1046]

4:50 this is false! In many cases it can be the complete opposite actually. It totally depends on the street.

[@streetscaping]

What exactly is false? Whether there are destinations on both sides of the street is a factor in determining between one-way and bidirectional bike lanes

[@sjuns5159]

An accent note: at 1:05 you aspirate the word "spʰace", and a bit later "stʰill stʰands". You have correctly learned that unvoiced plosives are usually aspirated in English, but if the syllable starts with an s, the plosive after isn't aspirated anymore! So the p in "pʰace" is aspirated, but "space" is not. (Geoff Lindsey has a nice video about this if you want details.) Otherwise your accent is very convincing! I just wanted to give a note on a very small detail that's one of your last tells. Also, nice video!

[@dimmerridder7377]

Amsterdam got one of the worst infra in the Netherlands

[@legouniverse8976]

But have you through about that Pepole in cars and cars themselves do more for the economy..... Something i have heard from Daugavpils politicians, probably that's the same attitude in Riga

[@mdhazeldine]

Very questionable. The automotive industry may create jobs and money for the companies that support the industry, but you could say the same for biking and public transport. Also the cost is very high (accidents, environmental and health damage etc.). Also "people in cars" don't add to the economy. PEOPLE add to the economy. If people aren't driving, they are getting around by some other method (walking, cycling, public transport).

[@legouniverse8976]

​@@mdhazeldineI think the politicians meant that as in people in cars are rich, so more hard working and superior and people that are not in cars are poor and lazy Witch is a common sentiment here.

[@RROO-qy8je]

Its not always about money. Its about safety and convenience too sometimes. I get it, we live in a capitalist world but that doesnt mean money is more important than safety and convenience. Thats why our cities are so bad nowadays. People only focus on the money aspect which leads to them using cheap and bad materials for everything since they cost less. Safety and convenience costs money.

[@ChristiaanHW]

@@legouniverse8976 that's kinda funny. in The Netherlands if you're able to cycle to everything you're seen as "richer" because if you're less well of you're not able to buy a house in the city (center) or won't be able to move to where your job is located. meaning you're probably going to live further from your job and thus might need a car to get to work. so being able to do everything by bike is almost a status symbol for people who are well off (financially). a great example is our former Prime Minister, he often cycled to his work.

[@Fjodor.Tabularasa]

​@ChristiaanHW total nonsense. There is not status in going by bike to work. We are not a status driven society anyway.