Bicycle chaos in Prinses Irenestraat

Much to the annoyance of many residents, the pavement right next to Amaliaplein – and increasingly also on Amaliaplein itself – is full of bikes that literally seem to have been abandoned by their owners. But it is not only the residents this annoys. Law firm Freshfields has also complained about the mess outside the door. It is a remarkable sight. There are bikes lying on top of each other on the street when, just a stones’ throw away, there is the Strawinskylaan underground bicycle park, offering an oasis of order, space and safety for as many as 3,700 bikes.

This ‘plague of bikes’ appears difficult to eradicate. Of course, this is mainly down to the cyclists themselves, some of whom seem to have no regard for the nuisance they are causing. In addition, enforcement appears difficult to organise, quite apart from the issue of limited capacity. It requires what is known as an ‘aanwijsbesluit’, a byelaw that completely outlaws the parking of bikes and other two-wheeled vehicles outside cycle racks or parking spaces in specific areas of the city. This has already happened in the southern section of Mahlerplein and in the area around Mahlerlaan, where cyclists had been causing nuisance for years, including directly in front of Symphony Towers. This is despite the fact that there is also an underground bicycle park just a few metres away there as well. This situation was brought to an end by an ‘aanwijsbesluit’. A ban on parking was introduced, just like all the rest of Mahlerplein. Ultimately, this southern section of the square was given new green landscaping.

There is no ban of this kind in place for Prinses Irenestraat where the cycling problems persist. Only just, because there is a ban on Amaliaplein and on the pavement (see the map below). The fact that there are still bikes there is because of the limited capacity in terms of enforcement. Because scooters cannot access the underground bicycle park, a parking space was created in the street. As the sign indicates, it can also be used for cargo bikes. It is deliberately not intended for cyclists.

Yet they still park there, because there is another issue at play: the relevant municipal byelaw (algemene plaatselijke verordening, APV) is drafted in such a way that normal bikes cannot be excluded from the two-wheeled vehicles referred to on the sign. This byelaw is therefore not fit for purpose and offers no legal grounds for removing normal bikes from this special parking area. The City of Amsterdam Traffic & Public Space (V&OR) department is currently working to change this byelaw. The aim is to make it possible to prohibit cyclists from parking in places intended for scooters. Colleagues are working hard on this at the moment. However, it takes time to change this kind of byelaw. This means that the nuisance and annoyance will sadly be continuing for a while.