How Highways Almost Destroyed Amsterdam - Plan Jokinen

Amsterdam and Paris used to be both be very car dependent. Here is a video about Amsterdam before they shunned cars. ▶ this video

Not Just Bikes made an interesting video on the thankfully-avoided plan to build a US-style highway system in Amsterdam: ▶ this video

Indeed it wasn’t always this way. And this mindset plagued more countries. The Netherlands narrowly avoided it: ▶ this video

I do all those things in Amsterdam. I can get everywhere in Amsterdam much quicker by bike than driving or public transport. Cycling in the rain and snow [2] is no problem, you just need the right gear. What non-Amsterdammers don't realise is the city never used to be a cyclist's paradise. In the 1960s, Amsterdam's car-obsessed urban planners had grand visions to drive motorways through the inner city, razing the historical buildings, and constructing Manhattan-like skyscraper clusters. Here's a 3 minute video "Highways Almost Destroyed Amsterdam" [1] about those plans, the fightback in the 1970s, and the resulting bike culture that Amsterdam has today. Enjoy! [1] ▶ this video [2] link