Pete Jordan wrote a book called ‘In the City of Bikes’. Twelve year ago Pete Jordan immigrated to the Netherlands due his passion for cycling. His book consists of research he conducted; unraveling the history of cycling in Amsterdam. An intriguing story interspersed with Pete’s own experiences as a cyclist in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam became a cycling city when in the twenty’s the Amsterdam market flooded with cheap German bicycles due hyperinflation in Germany. The sudden increase of bicycle use caused problems that nowadays still not have been resolved: cycle parking, bicycle that get stolen and overcrowded traffic situations. It’s was a lot of fun to read about solutions traffic police implemented.
Some facts: in the 1920’s the traffic police billed cyclists that did not lock their bicycles. Did you know the traffic police even billed cyclists that exceeded that maximum speed, a limit of 12km/h?
It was also great to learn about cycle observations Pete did. Pete researched eating habits of cyclist, with the apple on first place followed up by ice cream and a sandwich. Pete also observed what kind of luggage a cyclist carries while cycling. Beer crates, ladders, other bicycles are just a few examples.
Maybe it takes an outsider to open my eyes to realize how special cycling can be. I now observe my own cycling behavior and that of my fellow cyclist as if I am part of a nature documentary. About a month ago I moved to Amsterdam and now I have read ‘In the City of Bikes’ I can enjoy the experience of cycling to the fullest.